244 BOAKl) OF AGRICULTUKE. [Pub. Doc. 



be better for a few, l)ut for the many a positive injury. If 

 the people are few in number, keep up all your schools, for it 

 is for the benefit of the whole community, the salvation of all 

 parts of the town, and will act as a check on the supply of aban- 

 doned farms. To transport children from five to ten years of 

 age, three, four, five and in some instances six miles, is an out- 

 rage, and a vigorous protest against it should go up in every 

 farming community. The farmer should take a great inter- 

 est in the schools of his own town. Make them as good as 

 means and circumstances will allow. Encourage the scholars 

 to be faithful and punctual in attendance. Give them good 

 teachers and encourage them in every possible way. See to 

 it that the dullest scholar has his share of attention, for, if 

 well looked after, he may turn out to be the brightest in the 

 end. Remember that the prosperity of your town is centred 

 in the prosperity of the district schools. 



The farming class should see to it that the churches are 

 well sustained. If you have two churches, and po})ulation 

 for onl}^ one, unite, even though you difter somewhat in your 

 creed. Do not let that hinder the union, for one well-sus- 

 tained church is better than two or three strus-o-linof for an 

 existence. It is for your temporal interest that there should 

 be at least one church in your community. I well remember, 

 many years ago, being in the office of a then prominent man 

 in one of the hill towns in the western [)art of the State. 

 We were speaking about the church and the eflbrts being 

 made to raise money to pay the preacher's salary for the 3'ear, 

 and of his advice to diflerent persons to give a certain sum 

 to maintain this service. " Why," he said, " not that I care 



a about religion ; but what will our farms be worth, 



without any preaching or Sunday service?" And so I say 

 to you farmers : What will our farms be worth, unless we 

 have the public schools and the church sustained in our own 

 town or community? 



Another thing that should call forth the earnest protest of 

 the farmers is the efibrt now being made to take away from 

 them the control of the State Board of Agriculture, and 

 place it under the control of a few, to be appointed by the 

 governor, these few to tell the farmer what he needs, on the 

 supposition that they, no matter of what profession, are better 



