Missouri Country Life Conference. 167 



We were the baby state until the twins, Arizona and New 

 Mexico, put us out of business, and I don't think that we have 

 forgiven them yet. The baby state is new in a lot of things, 

 particularly new in experience, but we were all conscious that we 

 had some of the biggest-hearted men of the universe, anxious 

 to give in that new country every advantage that they could 

 possibly give to their boys and girls and to their families. Because 

 of these conditions I think they have rallied faster to such 

 standards than people in my own native State, because you 

 know we, as Missourians, sat down and said, "there is McGee 

 just north of us, that is a good family;" yes, and "there are the 

 Smiths south of us; that is a good family," and we just asso- 

 ciated with them and have not felt the pressure on all sides. 

 But our men went into a new state and did not know Tom, Dick 

 or Harry, and knew better than to ask down there, so they just 

 kept still and went to cultivating that man or woman for what 

 he or she was worth. Now don't you see the conditions that 

 made it perhaps a little easier sailing in our State of Oklahoma in 

 organization than it is in Missouri? But man to man and 

 woman to woman, there is very little difference in the heart of 

 humanity and there is very little difference in human needs. 

 We need just as much sunshine to make the heart glad, need just 

 as much joy to make us better, need just as much of brightness 

 and just as little shirk on one side of the Mason and Dixon line 

 as we need on the other. Now then, why not consider that and 

 why not know that; since human need is a general need, we 

 should get together to meet the demand. 



You have heard co-operation urged until you just dream it. 

 You go to one of these meetings. I have had to attend them 

 from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the border of Canada 

 to the Gulf of Mexico, and hear it here and hear it there. At 

 this meeting is one man I met in Canada and one I met in 

 Atlanta, Ga. They were a long way apart, but together on that 

 one idea of co-operation. But it is easy for the orator to feel it 

 and mighty hard for the man sitting in the pew to carry into 

 effect his ideas. Easy for that man to get up and say "do this" 

 or "do that" and mighty hard for the other man to go home 

 and do it. Easy for me to talk to a society of women and say 

 to do this and do that, but it is hard for some member to go home 

 with several children at her heels and follow any set rules for 

 doing her housework. I expect I would do just like that woman, 



