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Missouri Agricultural Report. 



actively in trade, that they do not care to associate very intimately 

 with people in the country. I am glad that feeling is dying out 

 gradually and does not exist to any large extent in some counties, 

 but it does exist to a sufficient extent to arouse the suspicion of 

 the country people generally that the people in town look down on 

 them. I believe the greatest good for town and country people in 

 this forward movement is to break down that imaginary dividing 

 line between the town people and country people, and we have 

 found, so far as our experiences go, that these farm institutes that 

 Mr. Jordan tells us about are doing more to bring the town and 

 country people shoulder to shoulder and elbow to elbow and get 

 better acquainted than anything else we have tried. One of the 

 best things our organization has done for the farmers themselves 

 is to give them a chance to get acquainted. Those farm institutes 

 we have had have given the towns people and the country people a 

 chance to get acquainted. 



The chairman has rung the bell on me. I am not going to talk 

 any longer. The one thought that I have to suggest in conclusion 

 is, that the commercial club of the town by cultivating closer ac- 

 quaintance with the farmer and the farmers' family will reach the 

 farm families and the farmers through such a connection will 

 reach the townspeople and we will break down that barrier and we 

 will all be one big famiy, some living in town and sonie living on 

 the farm. 



THE TRENTON IDEA. 



(Reverend Henry B. Tierney, Trenton, Mo.) 



I arrived just 



Rev. Fr. Ticrncy. 



in time to hear the closing remarks of the 

 speaker before me and certainly he pre- 

 pared the way for the few remarks that I 

 am to make. Mr. Nelson wrote me asking 

 me to come down to speak on the "Trenton 

 Idea." The "Trenton Idea" has received 

 serious attention all over the country, arous- 

 ing a great deal of public praise. I have the 

 pleasure of being the originator of it. 1 

 acknowledge it myself. I will confine my 

 remarks, however, to the practical operation 

 of this plan of farm and town unity and an 

 explanation of what the "Trenton Idea" 

 really is. I have written a number of 



