EDUCATION OF RURAL PEOPLE 121 



tional policy of rural education and thorough-going co- 

 operation of the different parts of our educational sys- 

 tem, but it means education for education. We need a 

 widespread campaign among the people themselves on 

 behalf of the significance and meaning of education in 

 a rural democracy. The farmers are to be trained for 

 their work in its broadest aspects production, distri- 

 bution, conservation. They are to catch a vision of 

 their obligations as well as their rights, all of their 

 relations to the world's food supply, their part in main- 

 taining the fabric of the world. They must rise to the 

 new demands upon the democratic system. They must 

 sense the need of an organization of their forces, both 

 for the sake of self-interest and in order that they may 

 contribute their full share to the solution of our world 

 problems. Education must open up to the farmers the 

 " kingdoms of knowledge." The democratic system 

 must assume that its members want culture, want art, 

 want music, want good literature and that they can not 

 only appreciate it but can live and thrive on it. Edu- 

 cation should compass the whole range of human inter- 

 est for the farmer work, citizenship, life. Rural 

 education is a matter that goes far beyond the mainte- 

 nance of a good rural school system or the development 

 of means of agricultural education. These are vital, 

 but they are only parts of the problem. The main task 

 in rural education is to keep the rural democracy for- 

 ever studying, thinking, discussing, growing. The 

 farmers therefore should back a great movement on be- 

 half of the fullest possible education of our rural peo- 

 ple. Our educational statesmen should press for a 

 comprehensive program and take the farmers into their 

 confidence. We have no time to lose. The new world 

 order demands an adequate education of the rural peo- 

 ple in every country in the world. 



