Missouri Country Life Conference. 235 



other class remains on the farm. If one class becomes dis- 

 satisfied with farm life and leaves who is responsible? 



Do you know that the rural school teachers of this State are 

 saying to your boys and girls, "Pass your examinations, be pro- 

 moted from one grade to the next, pass your eighth grade 

 examination, and get your high school entrance certificate and 

 go to high school?" 



And where is your high school? Is it out in the country 

 where the boys and girls grow up? Not so. It is usually in 

 some village, town or city, perhaps many miles from the place 

 where the boys and girls were born. Their goal has been the 

 city high school. They have had the same training, same ideals 

 put before them that the fifteen per cent have had. Is it any 

 wonder, then, that they want to go to town to school? Can 

 you see that we are giving a hundred per cent a training that 

 only fifteen per cent use? We teach them in the rural schools 

 the things that will admit them to a city high school. Why? 

 Because we know when they get to the city high school if they 

 have not had the training in those things they won't let them in. 



What do they teach them in the high school? The things 

 that will admit them to some college or university. Why? 

 Because we know that when they get there if they have not had 

 the training and those requirements they will not let them in, 

 and every step they go the farther away from the farm they get. 

 It has been my experience and observation, and I think it has 

 been yours, that when once these boys and girls get away they 

 never get back. I w^ould not give a snap for the slogan "Back 

 to the farm." Better say "Stay on the farm." 



Every country boy and every country girl has an inherent 

 right to just as good educational advantages as have the boys 

 and girls in town. Why do we have better schools in the towns 

 than we have in the country? Simply because the "city dads" 

 got their heads together, went down to the schoolhouse on elec- 

 tion day, voted the levy to build the schoolhouse, equip it and 

 employ the teachers. Why did they do it? Because they 

 thought their boys and girls were worth the price. The man who 

 goes down to the country schoolhouse on election day and votes 

 against a good school and good teachers says indirectly by that 

 vote, "I don't believe my boys and girls are worth the price." 



Now, then, are you to have as good schools in the country 

 as you have in town? Believe that our boys and girls are worth 



