FOURTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART I. 11 



The President: We have with us this morning one nf the 

 bright, intelHgent ladies of the State, Mrs. Isaac Lee Hilhs. who 

 will now address you. 



L^E.MaRK^ by MRS. HILLTS. 



Through the courtesy of your secretary I have been permitted to 

 come to you for a few minutes to discuss a feature of farmers' institute 

 work that has been touched upon so admirably in the fine paper you 

 have just heard. 



I am not a farmer, nor a farmer's wife, nor do I live on the farm, 

 but I have had a Jersey cow, made my own butter, hatched chickens In 

 an incubator, read Wallaces' Farmer and the Woman's Farm Journal, 

 and I think I am pretty closely in touch with what you are doing, and 

 if I do not belong to your family, I think you ought to call me a son 

 of a sister-in-law or stepsister. 



I am greatly interested to learn of the newest and best methods of 

 creating the highest standard of development in cattle, corn and horses. 

 I understand you have today, at the Capitol, a very fine exhibit of corn — 

 every ear is up to the standard in weight, color and size. I wonder 

 how many of you have lost sight of the fact that there is something 

 more important to you as farmers and as men and citizens, than cattle, 

 corn and horses; and that is your boys and girls. How many of you 

 have found that your boys and girls are up to the standard of devel- 

 opment? Are there any off color, under size, not fully grown to the best 

 possible girlhood and manhood? 



You know, one hundred years ago the new science of agriculture 

 was almost unknown; each farmer had to work out his problems for 

 himself. There were no great colleges, and no special courses of study 

 for the farmers; and twenty-five years ago there were no special courses 

 of study for the home-keeper. But all that is changed. You have 

 your great agricultural colleges, farmers' institutes, your splendid equip- 

 ment, so every farmer who wants to can bring his corn and cattle up 

 to the highest standard. 



I am here to tell you that within the last few years, possibly fiftean 

 years, and every day increases the equipment, and there is now a science 

 of child culture, and today the father and mother in the farm and city 

 home can. if they want to, if they will act with a determined effort. 

 can bring their boys and girls up to the highest standard of physical, 

 mental and moral development. I believe the fathers and mothers on 

 the farm are just as much interested in making the girls and boys on 

 the farm the fine specimens they ought to be, as they are in making 

 cattle and corn fine specimens. 



Let me urge that you organize, not only a woman's department, but 

 a home and child culture department; that you have sessions where 

 housekeepers and mothers can discuss this great question of bringing 

 up children as they should be. L«t it not only be an annual thing, but 

 let such literature be given out that the best things in domestic eeon- 



