212 SERVIA 



The report further mentions that while 58 

 fresh agricultural societies were formed during 

 the year, the net total was not increased by 

 that number, inasmuch as 13 dropped out of 

 existence. The reason for this fact is that the 

 secretary of an agricultural co-operative associa- 

 tion in Servia is generally the parish priest or 

 the schoolmaster, and should these persons leave 

 the district, there may be no one sufficiently 

 well educated to take their place. A return 

 made by 253 societies shows that of their 12,361 

 members 6,218 could read and write, and 6,143 

 could not. So we get the further fact that 

 when the Central Union started a forward move- 

 ment in support of its propaganda, it arranged 

 to give lectures on purely agricultural subjects 

 in fifteen towns or villages, and to begin the 

 training of young people in the duties of organ- 

 izing secretary in fourteen. 



The Central Union issues, also, an agricultural 

 newspaper, many pamphlets, and an elaborate 

 and extremely practical handbook. In this way 

 good educational work is being done, in addition 

 to the material benefits afforded to the agri- 

 cultural community. In still another direction, 

 social peace is actively promoted in Servian rural 

 districts by the institution known as " The Court 

 of Good Men," which it is one of the aims of 



