50 The Farmstead 



It is not so much lack of facilities as a lack 

 of an appreciation of the true value of an edu- 

 cation which debars the country youth from 

 securing even a wholesome and logical primary 

 education. The value of an education for citi- 

 zenship must be placed first, and its value as a 

 money- making power second. Now the first 

 question that is usually asked is, Will an educa- 

 tion help to secure a position or to make 

 money ? The question, Will an education help 

 to a nobler citizenship ? is not even thought of. 

 We shall have no evolution in rural training 

 until the parents secure a clearer conception of 

 the true value of an education. 



Evolution along educational lines has already 

 begun, and it is not difficult to see many bene- 

 ficial effects of the changed methods. M. 

 Demolins' recent book has this to say : " ' It is 

 useless to deny the superiority of the Anglo- 

 Saxons. We may be vexed by this superiority, 

 but the fact remains, despite our vexation.' 

 . . . . Considering the superiority conclu- 

 sively proved, the author proceeds to search 

 for the cause of this superiority. He finds the se- 

 cret of this irresistible power of the Anglo-Saxon 

 world in the education of its youth, in the direction 

 given to studies, to the spirit which reigns in 

 the school. The English and the people of the 

 United States have perceived that the needs of 



