80 THE PEOPLE OF THE FARM 



than the city? 16. State three attractive features of farm life. 

 17. How does the business of farming compare with that of other 

 occupations ? 



HOME EXERCISES 



1. Report the history of your own near relatives as to their occu- 

 pation and place of living. If any have moved away from the old 

 homestead, seek the reasons for this fact. Perhaps your parents can 

 give all the desired information ; if they cannot, write directly to 

 these relatives about this matter. 



2. Estimate the number of men required to do all the work now 

 done by machinery on some farm near you. 



3. Count the number of people in your school district. Compare 

 this number with the corresponding number five and ten years ago. 



SUGGESTIONS 



1. Emphasis should be placed on studying the people of the farm 

 directly. Every community is a center of great interest, and many 

 local facts pertaining to farm life should be gathered and recorded in 

 the schoolroom for future reference. 



To make country life better and more satisfying we must first 

 know the facts. A mere statement of these facts is often sufficient to 

 arouse interest in rural betterment. 



2. It is not supposed, when the school assumes the position of 

 leadership, that pupils pry into the private affairs of their neighbors. 

 This is not only unnecessary but undesirable. Pupils, however, can 

 gather a vast fund of valuable information on local conditions without 

 giving offense to any one. 



REFERENCES 



Constructive Rural Sociology. Gillette. 

 Rural Economics. Carver. 

 The Challenge of the Country. Fiske. 

 Country Life and the Country School. Carney. 

 Chapters \n Rural Progress. Butterfield. 



