THE TRAINING OF FARMERS 



pace with material prosperity. Big barns 

 filled with grain, wide fields over which 

 blooded stock roams, and the latest farm 

 machinery, have often kept the dwelling- 

 house small and barren enough of comfort 

 and beauty. And so it may be fairly stated 

 that the home interests have not always 

 kept pace with the material interests of the 

 farm. The mothers and daughters who 

 have borne their share of the burden of toil 

 have been the larger sufferers. Under 

 existing conditions, it is not strange that 

 farmers ' children are attracted to city life, 

 and that they leave the farm. Life is too 

 hard and the social advantages are too few 

 and far between. It has been suggested 

 that the custom of European farmers who 

 live in villages would solve the problem. It 

 is thought that such local centers would 

 relieve the isolation and furnish the much 

 needed social life. 



"The real solution of the problem in 

 this country, however, lies in the coopera- 

 tion of economic, social, and educational 

 forces with the school as the center. There 

 is a vital relation between country life and 

 162 



