edge of what the community is in its resources, its 

 history, its folk, its industries, its institutions, and 

 its tendencies. 



I am often told that we can gather all the infor- 

 mation that is useful by surveying representative 

 commimities here and there rather than by surveying 

 all communities, — that if we take stock of all com- 

 munities we shall be endlessly duplicating. But I 

 think that I have now said enough to put it into the 

 mind of my hearer that the co7nmunity needs a sur- 

 vey for itself. We are to build the life of every com- 

 munity on the fact of that community. It may not be 

 necessary to make the same studies or even equally 

 extensive studies in all communities; but no com- 

 munity should be overlooked, in the end, if we desire 

 a correlated evolution of rural society. 



When the survey-idea is once understood and 

 begun, every locality will desire to be represented. 

 Certain regions will develop full surveys, and the re- 

 ports will be standard; the surveys of intermediate 

 localities may not need to be so elaborate or minute. 



When we finally understand our problem, we 

 shall make our best survej^s in consecutive order. 

 We may classify all phases of survey- work freely un- 

 der three groups, — physical, economic, social; and 



15 



