HaodliiM Illustration l«avof tha linpr««*len that th« Rural Youth mooting* woro falriy-woll 



LYLE SCHERTZ, 19, of Benson in 

 Woodford county was winner of 

 the annual Rural Youth Talk Fest, 

 high point of the Rural Youth 

 meeting held in conjunction with 

 the annual meeting of the Illinois Agri- 

 cultural Association in St. Louis. His 

 topic was "There is a Relationship Be- 

 tween Animal Health and Human Wel- 

 fare." 



Schertz was to represent Illinois in 

 the national Talk Fest held in conjunc- 

 tion with the American Farm Bureau 

 Federation convention in Chicago in De- 

 cember. 



Rural Youthers were out in front in 

 all their scheduled activities at the lAA 

 annual meeting and some of them had 

 time to look in on many of the activities 

 of the lAA's associated companies which 

 many of them no doubt will some day 

 have a hand in running. 



Even the party planned to entertain 

 members who arrived on the day previous 

 in order to be on hand for the Talk Fest 

 to begin at 9:30 a.m. the following day, 

 had a capacity crowd of 223 in the Steam- 

 boat Room at the Mark Twain Hotel. 



The Tuesday morning Talk Fest sched- 

 uled in the Gold Room at the JefiFerson 

 Hotel with 345 Rural Youth members 

 and 500 adults present, held the atten- 

 tion of the audience throughout the en- 

 tire 18 speeches. Five others, because 

 of scores dose to the top, were declared 

 topnotch speakers. They were: Bill 

 Mason, 23, La Salle; Mary Lee Holmes, 

 19, Pike; Elizabeth Cunningham, 26, 

 Perry; John S. Fisher, 21, Mercer; Ruby 

 Viere, 24, Madison. 



Those receiving honorable mention 

 were: Gavin Cross, Ogle; Maxine Roos- 

 evelt, Edwards; and Kathleen Coleman, 

 Williamson. 



While the Talk Fest was the center ot 

 attraction, it must be remembered that 

 nearly 1,000 Rural Youthers took part in 

 the local Talk Fests back in the counties. 

 This activity is developing local talent 

 throughout the state of Illinois, and Rural 

 Youthers are engaging in it with increas- 

 ing numbers each year. 



The Rural Youth conference on Tues- 

 day afternoon had as its main feature 

 a court trial. The aim in the trial was 

 to point out Rural Youth problems and 

 how they could be solved. Individual 

 Rural Youthers were placed on trial to 

 symbolize counties and their problems. 

 In each case, the counties which were 

 brought into court did not actually face 



the problems for which they were tried, 

 thus adding to the humor of the situa- 

 tion but at the same time looking square- 

 ly at problems which do come before 

 Rural Youth groups. 



The first dealt with membership drives 

 for county organization. Edward SchuUe, 

 Ogle, representing "Illinois" county was 

 placed oh trial and found "guilty." Judge 

 E. D. Lyon sentenced Illinois county to 

 one year of probation in which the guilty 

 was to keep membership constantly in 

 mind, and was to report to the court 

 one year hence and give an account of 

 membership campaigns and the results. 



Ray High, Christian, symbolizing 

 "Podunk" county was placed on trial for 

 failure to have a county Talk Fest. Al- 

 though Dr. Quack, Tom Kerley, Brown, 

 brought evidence that appearing in the 

 Talk Fest was a shock to the nervous 

 system to a point which effects peoples" 

 minds and actions, the judge, believing 

 that while some individuals might receive 

 a nervous shock from appearing in a Talk 

 Fest, pointed out that it was only by fac- 

 ing talkfesting squarely by t>articipation 

 that nervous reactions could be overcome 

 adequately. 



Ruth Huser, Tazewell, was placed on 

 trial because her county failed to show 

 adequate understanding of the relation- 

 ship of Rural Youth to the University of 

 Illinois and the Illinois Agricultural As- 

 sociation. Miss Huser was found "not 

 guilty." However, the judge pointed out 

 that an understanding of Rural Youth re- 

 lationships was a mark of broadminded- 

 ness on the part of Rural Youth menv 

 bers, and stated that each Rural Youth 

 member should be made to understand 

 that the University of Illinois and the Il- 

 linois Agricultural Association through 

 their Youth Departments are sponsoring 

 Rural Youth through the county Farm 

 and Home Bureau organizations. 



The prosecuting attorney, Burnell 

 Henert, Lee, and defense attorney, Eddie 

 Dew, Ogle, carried their parts well as 

 did the witnesses who appeared on the 

 stand; even including the bare- footed 



* 



J. R. Young, Honry county, woavos In and out of a lino of maricon during Illinois stats 

 safoty driving contest sponsorod by lAA during convontion In St. Louis. Young placed 



second 



22 



L A. A. BECORD 



