THE SOCIAL SIDE OF FARM LIFE 383 



and on their farms. It should be designed to forward not only 

 the business of agriculture, but sanitation, education, home- 

 making, and all the intimate interests of country life. 



National attention centered upon the farm family. The 

 report of President Roosevelt's Country Life Commission in 

 December, 1908, although not acted upon by Congress as the 

 President had looked for, aroused universal interest in country 

 life. The press was quick to give wide publicity to topics which 

 had never before found a place in magazine or daily. State 

 conferences on country life matters, drawing together rural 

 people, were called at agricultural colleges, state universities, 

 and normal schools in nearly every section of the United States. 

 Farmers' organizations, religious bodies, and business clubs 

 were centers for the discussion of this new subject. From 1909 

 to 1914 city dailies, national magazines, and country weeklies 

 devoted constantly increasing space to country life progress. 

 In 1914 the tragedy of the World War, however, quickly reduced 

 the space given by the press to the social side of farm life, and 

 forced the food side of farm life into greater prominence. 



However, the agitation of conference, pulpit, and press during 

 the five years succeeding the report of Roosevelt's Country Life 

 Commission report left a distinct trace in American thought. 

 National attention was turned to the human beings on the farm 

 and to farm life institutions. There was at once an arrest of 

 flippant talk about the farmer and his family. Country foibles 

 ceased to be the butt of jest, and earnest effort was started to 

 understand social conditions surrounding the land worker. 



After the first crop of superficial opinions and remedies, came 

 a determination to study seriously all phases of human life as 

 related to the farm. Commissions were appointed in the field 

 of rural religion, rural education, rural health and recreation. 

 Colleges appointed instructors in rural life, and " rural sociol- 

 ogy " became a claimant for a place among the sciences. A 

 group of young rural socio-economists developed. Theological 

 curricula began to give attention to the " rural church." State 

 boards of education began policies of redirection of rural 

 schools. University extension work added the " farm house 



