THE CALL OF THE LAND 



turing are fast nearing their term, which 

 means that fruitful toil by human beings is 

 to be inevitably thrown back more on the 

 land, its sole adequate and final resource. 

 But the land itself will fail save as the tilth 

 of it is placed in intelligent hands. The 

 demand for a better educated rural popu- 

 lace is but the undertone of men's call for a 

 larger and better life. 



It is clear that nothing else can more 

 momentously conduce to this grand end 

 than perfecting the country school. It is 

 an indispensable requirement. Let all 

 country schools be rendered just as fine, just 

 as complete, just as efficient as resources 

 permit. There is no reason why country 

 schools should not be the best in existence. 

 Their possibilities are as great as their im- 

 portance. In many respects all the natural 

 advantages lie with them. As we are not 

 sufficiently awake to the value of the coun- 

 try school, so we do not begin to appreciate 

 the future that can be created for it. 



In the classification of pupils one might 

 at first imagine that town schools must be 



230 



