PERSONAL IDEALS 145 



cannot do much for country life unless there is 

 voluntary response in the personal ideals of those 

 who live in the country. Inquiries by the Com- 

 mission, for example, find that one reason for 

 the shift from the country to town is the lack of 

 ideals in many country homes and even the 

 desire of the countryman and his wife that the 

 children do not remain on the farm. The obliga- 

 tion to keep as many youths on the farms as are 

 needed there, rests on the home more than on 

 the school or on society. 



It is often said that better rural institutions 

 and more attractive homes and yards will neces- 

 sarily follow an increase in profitableness of 

 farming; but as a matter of fact, high ideals may 

 be quite independent of income, although they 

 cannot be realized without sufficient income to 

 provide good support. Many of the most thrifty 

 farmers are the least concerned about the char- 

 acter of the home and school and church. One 

 often finds the most attractive and useful farm 

 homes in the difficult farming regions. On the 

 other hand, some of the most prosperous agricul- 

 tural regions possess most unattractive farm 

 premises and school buildings. Many persons 



10 



