PROGRAM OF RECONSTRUCTION 251 



If this view of government is truly the democratic 

 view, then what such a government shall do for agri- 

 culture and country life must meet the tests of these 

 two questions just asked. The answers vary from dec- 

 ade to decade. What may be well for government to 

 do to-day may perhaps better be left to-morrow to 

 mutual associations. In the immediate future, in the 

 days of reconstruction that must follow the close of 

 the great war, certain demands upon government may 

 fairly be made by the American farmer. 



Government may well foster agriculture to the ut- 

 termost. The food supply is fundamental. Food is 

 now produced and will always be produced by a vast 

 number of small, more or less scattered producers. 

 Self-help through associated effort is more difficult for 

 this group than with any other large class of people. 

 Government can not remain indifferent to the needs of 

 agriculture. It might well be justified in doing more 

 for agriculture than for any other industry. 



Emphasis has already been laid upon the need for an 

 enlarged and more systematic scheme of rural educa- 

 tion. Education must be defined in a very broad way, 

 to include all efforts, however informal, to reach the 

 working farmer. Far greater attention must be paid 

 to the extent and type of information that is spread 

 among the farmers. If we are to have an effective 

 agricultural program, we must enlist the farmers 

 all farmers if possible. They can not blindly cooper- 

 ate in or even subscribe to policies. They want to 

 know both facts and principles concerning all parts of 

 their complicated problem. It is not enough to teach 

 the care of soil and plant and animal. The principles 

 and practice of farm management, ample facts con- 

 cerning prices, markets, food demand and supply, the 



