Miscellaneous, 



550 



[December, 1909. 



crops, though an essential part, is only a 

 part of country life. Crop growing is 

 the essential foundation, but it is no 

 less essential that the farmer should get 

 an adequate return for what he grows, 

 and it is no less essential — indeed, it is 

 literally vital— that he and his wife and 

 his children shall lead the right kind 

 of life. 



For this reason it is of the first im- 

 portance that the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, through which as 

 prime agent the ideas the Commission 

 stands for must reach the people, should 

 become without delay, in fact, a depart- 

 ment of country life, fitted to deal not 

 only with crops, but also with all larger 

 aspects of life in the opeu country. 

 Three Needs of Country Life. 



Prom all that has been done and 

 learned three great general and imme- 

 diate needs of country life stand out : 



First. — Effective co-operation among farm- 

 ers to put them on a level with the organized 

 interests with which they do business. 



Second. — A new kind of schools in the 

 country which shall leach the children as 

 much outdoors as indoors and perhaps more, 

 so that they may prepare for country life 

 and not, as at present, mainly for life in 

 town. 



Third. — Better means of communication, 

 including good roads and a parcels post, 

 lohich the country people are everywhere, and 

 rightly, unanimous in demanding. 



To these may well be added better sanita- 

 tion, for easily preventable diseases hold 

 several millions of country people in the 

 slavery of continuous ill-health. 



Organization Necessary. 



The Commission points out — and I 

 concur in the conclusion— that the most 

 important help that the Government, 

 whether National or State, can give is 

 to show the people how to go about 

 these tasks of organization, education 

 and communication with the best and 

 quickest results. This can be done by 

 the collection and spread of informa- 

 tion. One community can thus be in- 

 formed of what other communities have 

 done, and one country of what other 

 countries have done. Such help by the 

 people's government would lead to a 

 comprehensive plan of organization, 

 education, and communication, and make 

 the farming country better to live in, 

 for intellectual and social reasons as 

 well as for purely agricultural reasons. 



The Government through the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture does nut cultivate 

 any man's farm for him, but it does put 

 at his service useful knowledge that 

 he would not otherwise get. In the 

 same way the National and State govern- 

 ments might put into the people's hands 



the new and right knowledge of school 

 work- The task of maintaining and 

 developing the schools would remain, as 

 now, with the people themselves. 

 Money for Expenses Asked. 



The only recommendation I submit is 

 that an appropriation of $25,000 be pro- 

 vided to enable the Commission to digest 

 the material it has collected and to 

 collect and to digest much more that is 

 within its reach and thus complete its 

 work. This would enable the Com- 

 mission to gather in the harvest of 

 suggestion which is resulting from the 

 discussion it has stirred up. The Com- 

 missioners have served without compen- 

 sation, and I do not recommend any 

 appropriation for their services, but 

 only for the expenses that will be 

 required to finish the task that they 

 have begun. 



To improve our system of agriculture 

 seems to me the most urgent of the tasks 

 which lie before us. But it cannot, in 

 my judgment, be effected by measures 

 which touch only the material and 

 technical side of the subject. The whole 

 business and life of the farmer must also 

 be taken into account. Such consider- 

 ation led me to appoint the Commission 

 on country life. Our object should be to 

 help develop in the country community, 

 the great ideals of community life as 

 well as of personal character. One of 

 the most important adjuncts to this end 

 must be the country Church, and I invite 

 your attention to what the Commission 

 says of the country church and of the 

 need of an extension of such work as 

 that of the Young Men's Christian 

 Association in country communities. 

 Let me lay special emphasis upon what 

 the Commission says at the very end of 

 its report on personal ideals and local 

 leadership. Everything resolves itself 

 in the end into the question of person- 

 ality. Neither society nor government 

 can do much for country lite unless there 

 is a voluntary response in the personal 

 ideals of the men and women who live 

 in the country. 



Plea For farmers' Wives. 



In the development of character the 

 home should be more important than the 

 school or than society at large. When 

 once the basic material needs have been 

 met, high ideals may be quite inde- 

 pendent of income, but they cannot be 

 realized without sufficient income to 

 provide adequate foundation, and where 

 the community at large is not financially 

 prosperous it is impossible to develop a 

 high average personal and community 

 ideal. In short, the fundamental facts 

 of human nature apply to men and 

 women who live in the country just as 



