CRisis -AND AMERICANISM 



is no civilized country in which, during the ten years 

 prior to the declaration of war, consumers have paid 

 so much for their food, or where fertile fields have 

 been to such an extent abandoned, neglected or illy 

 tilled, and the farmers received so little for their 

 products. 



That evils exist is obvious ; that whatever they may 

 be, they should be speedily remedied, is imperative. 



Labor and marketing conditions are responsible for 

 the present deplorable situation. These have grown 

 out of the two basic evils; the one, that we have Ex- 

 alted idleness ; the other that we, as a people, have be- 

 come over-commercialized. 



The first was largely due to an error or oversight in 

 the development of our public school system, the evil 

 consequences of which no one seemed to foresee ; that 

 is, when the high school supplanted the seminary, it 

 took over the curriculum of the seminary. 



The chief, if not the sole, purpose and function of 

 the seminary was to prepare the pupil for college. 

 The college was to prepare him for still another 

 school law, medicine, theology or literature; and 

 one so educated, who failed to follow one of these 

 professions, was usually looked upon as an ornamental, 

 if not a useless, member of society. His training had 

 led him not intentionally, but effectually, away from 

 other useful vocations, and especially from manual 

 labor. 



With the private schools and colleges this was well. 

 The academy served its purpose. It responded to 

 the needs of a certain particular class which was will- 

 ing to pay for it. It directly affected a trifling per- 



