THE ORGANIZATION OF RURAL INTERESTS 505 



that of getting and maintaining at reasonable expense a complete 

 system of good highways, that reaches practically every farmer. 

 The success of the consolidated school and of the community 

 church, as well as economical transportation of farm products, 

 hinges on this issue. 



Home-making. The farm home is intimately attached to farm 

 work. It must contribute to the profit of the farm, to the 

 physical efficiency of the members of the family, to the most com- 

 plete training of the children in character and citizenship, and 

 make itself felt in the upbuilding of a satisfying community. 

 The farmhouse should be convenient and beautiful within and 

 without. It is possible to develop a system of home manage- 

 ment that will reduce drudgery and encourage the life of the 

 mind and the- spirit. 



Means of Education. We must make sure that the rural 

 school gives the country boy and girl just as good an education 

 for life either in country or in city as is given to the city boy 

 and girl. Moreover, the country school should contribute more 

 completely to the education of the adults of the community. 

 Ideally, the people of the community will stay in school all 

 through life. We must maintain a system of agricultural educa- 

 tion, through schools and colleges and experiment stations and 

 extension service and farm bureaus, that will reach effectively 

 and practically the entire farm population. We should develop 

 the habit of reading and study with a better system of rural 

 public libraries. Continuation schools must be provided for 

 the boys and girls who are no longer all the time in school, but 

 who ought to keep up their schooling much longer than they do. 

 And in general, we must stimulate the masses of farmers to 

 closer study not only of their own problems, but of the problems 

 of the New Day. 



Rural Government. How can we make local government more 

 efficient, more honest? Probably we can do more for the people 

 of the community through the local machinery of government. 

 We already support schools and build roads. Can we not fur- 

 nish other facilities of community life? Can we not make legis- 

 lation, both in state and nation, more in keeping with the needs 

 of rural improvement? 



Health and Sanitation. We need a large program of educa- 



