Government in Rural Communities 125 



meeting-place and thereby should come to 

 be a useful center of local interest. 



7{itral government. 



When, from long association, we become 

 accustomed to an institution, we lose our habit 

 of challenging it. It is a question, for exam- 

 ple, whether we do not need a redirection in 

 rural government. The rural people are not 

 inert, as they are often said to be, nor are they 

 incompetent, but the systems whereby men 

 are organized and affairs are directed are likely 

 to be incomplete, ineffective, and to lack 

 vitality. I think we need more active and com- 

 pact rural government. I am afraid that some 

 of our systems of governing the open country 

 may be found to be antiquated and inadequate. 



Community government should not devote 

 its chief attention to mere regulation and to 

 support of defectives and dependents. Its first 

 concern should be to set productive forces 

 in operation. One community should emulate 

 another. Even state legislatures are likely rela- 

 tively to disregard constructive enterprises. 



