file was produced from images produced  
by ,core ,historical ,literature in     
,agriculture 7,,chla71 ,cornell         
,university7       ,,chapters ,,in      
,,rural ,,progress   ,,the ,,university 
,,of ,,chicago ,,press ,,chicago1       
,,illinois   ,agents  ,,the ,,baker     
,,taylor ,,company ,,new ,,york  ,,the  
,,cunningham1 ,,curtiss  ,,welch        
,,company ,,los ,,angeles  ,,the        
,,cambridge ,,university ,,press        
,,london ,,and ,,edinburgh  ,,the       
,,maruzen-,,kabushiki-,,kaisha ,,tokyo1 
,,osaka1 ,,kyoto1 ,,fukuoka1 ,,sendai   
,,the ,,mission ,,book ,,company        
,,shanghai  ,,karl ,w4 ,,hiersemann     
,,leipzig     ,,chapters ,,in ,,rural   
,,progress  ,,by  ,,kenyon ,l4          
,,butterfield  ,president of the        
,massachusetts ,agricultural ,college   
,illustration3 ,publisher's logo  ,,the 
,,university ,,of ,,chicago ,,press     
,,chicago1 ,,illinois   ,,copyright     
#aijg ,,by ,,the ,,university ,,of      
,,chicago  ,all ,rights ,reserved       

,published ,february #aijh ,second      
,impression ,june #aiji ,third          
,impression ,may #aiaa ,fourth          
,impression ,february #aiac ,fifth      
,impression ,october #aiaf  ,composed   
and ,printed ,by ,the ,university of    
,chicago ,press ,chicago1 ,illinois1    
,u4,s4,a4                     ,,to ,,my 
,,father              ,,ira ,,howard    
,,butterfield       ,,whose ,,constant  
,,concern ,,for ,,rural ,,welfare       
,,and ,,life-,,long ,,service ,,to      
,,rural ,,interests            ,,have   
,,been ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,chief         
,,incentives ,,to ,,the ,,studies       
,,lying ,,behind ,,this ,,book          
,,preface   ,this book does not offer a 
complete analysis of the rural problem2 
but attempts1 in general1 to present    
some of the more significant phases of  
that problem1 and1 in particular1 to    
describe some of the agencies at work in
 solving it4 ,several of the chapters   
were originally magazine articles1 and1 
though all have been revised and in some

 cases entirely rewritten1 they have the
 limitations of such articles4 ,other   
chapters consist of more formal         
addresses4 ,necessarily there will be   
found some lack of uniformity in style  
and in method of presentation1 and      
occasional duplication of argument or   
statement4  ,for permission to use      
articles1 in whole or in part1 ,i have  
to thank the editors of the             
,chautauquan1 ,arena1 ,forum1 ,review of
 ,reviews1 ,popular ,science ,monthly1  
,michigan ,alumnus1 ,new ,england       
,farmer1 ,cornell ,countryman2 also     
,professor ,l4 ,r4 ,taft1 superintendent
 of ,farmers' ,institutes in ,michigan1 
and the officers of the ,american ,civic
 ,association4 ,two chapters comprise   
material heretofore unpublished4        
,,contents   ,,introduction   ,,chapter 
,,page     ,i4 ,the ,study of ,rural    
,life                        #c    ,,ii4
 ,the ,problems of ,progress            
#aa   ,,the ,,outlook  ,,iii4 ,the      
,expansion of ,farm ,life               

#de   ,,iv4 ,the ,new ,farmer           
#ec    ,v4 ,culture from the ,corn-,lot 
#ff   ,,agencies ,,of ,,progress        
,,vi4 ,education for the ,farmer        
#gg   ,,vii4 ,farmers' ,institutes      
#ib  ,,viii4 ,the ,hesperia ,movement   
#ajd    ,,ix4 ,the ,rural ,school and   
the ,community           #aba     ,x4   
,the ,grange                            
#acf    ,,xi4 ,opportunities for ,farm  
,women                 #afb   ,,xii4    
,the ,country ,church and ,progress     
#agj  ,,xiii4 ,a ,summary of ,recent    
,progress                 #ahc          
,,forward ,,steps   ,,xiv4 ,the ,social 
,side of the ,farm ,question            
#aii    ,,xv4 ,the ,needs of ,new       
,england ,agriculture         #bjd      
,,xvi4 ,an ,untilled ,field in ,american
 ,education      #baf  ,,xvii4          
,federation for ,rural ,progress        
#bcc     ,,introduction     ,,chapter ,i
  ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,rural ,,life     
,the ,american farm problem1            
particularly its sociological aspect1   

has not as yet had the attention that it
 deserves from students4 ,much less have
 the questions that concern rural social
 advancement found the popular mind2 in 
truth1 the general city public has not  
been deeply interested in the farmer4   
,but there seem to be recent indications
 that the sentiment is changing4 ,the   
heated discussions in ,new ,england     
about ,mr4 ,hartt's interesting clinic  
over a decadent hill-town1 the          
suggestive fast-day proclamation of     
,governor ,rollins of ,new ,hampshire a 
few years ago1 the marvelous development
 of agricultural education1 the renewed 
study of the rural school1 the          
widespread and growing delight in       
country life1 have all aroused an       
interest in and presage a new attention 
to rural conditions4 ,this is well4 ,the
 sociologist can hardly afford to omit  
the rural classes from the scope of his 
study1 especially if he desires to      
investigate the practical phases of his 
subject4 ,moreover1 no one with         

intelligent notions of affairs should be
 ignorant of the forces that control    
rural life4  ,in view of this apparent  
change in the attitude of people toward 
the farm problem1 it may not be idle to 
suggest some possible errors that should
 be avoided when we are thinking of     
rural society4 ,the student will        
doubtless approach his problem fortified
 against misconceptions--he probably has
 thoughtfully established his           
view-point4 ,but the average person in  
the city is likely to call up the image 
of his ancestral home of a generation   
ago1 if he were born in the country1 or1
 if not1 to draw upon his observations  
made on a summer vacation or on casual  
business trips into the interior4 ,or he
 takes his picture from ,shore ,acres   
and the ,old ,homestead4 ,in any case it
 is not improbable that the image may be
 faulty and as a consequence his        
appreciation of present conditions      
wholly inadequate4 ,let us consider some
 of these possible sources of           

misconception4  ,in the first place it  
is not fair to compare country life as a
 whole with the best city conditions4   
,this is often done4 ,the observer      
usually has education1 culture1 leisure1
 the experience of travel1 more or less 
wealth2 his acquaintance is mostly with 
people of like attainments4 ,when he    
fails to find a rural environment that  
corresponds in some degree to his own   
and that of his friends1 he is quick to 
conclude that the country has nothing to
 offer him1 that only the city ministers
 to the higher wants of man4 ,he forgets
 that he is one of a thousand in the    
city1 and does not represent average    
city life4 ,he fails to compare the     
average country conditions with the     
average city conditions1 manifestly the 
only fair basis for comparison4 ,or he  
may err still more grievously4 ,he may  
set opposite each other the worst       
country conditions and the better city  
conditions4 ,he ought in all justice to 
balance country slum with city slum2 and

 certainly so if he insists on trying to
 find palaces1 great libraries1 eloquent
 preachers1 theaters1 and rapid transit 
in each rural community4 ,city life goes
 to extremes2 country life1 while       
varied1 is more even4 ,in the country   
there is little of large wealth1 luxury1
 and ease2 little also of extreme       
poverty1 reeking crime1 unutterable     
filth1 moral sewage4 ,farmers are       
essentially a middle class and no       
comparison is fair that does not keep   
this fact ever in mind4  ,we sometimes  
hear the expression1 ,country life is so
 barren--that to me is its most         
discouraging aspect4 ,much country life 
is truly barren2 but much more of it is 
so only relatively and not essentially4 
,we must admit that civilization is at  
least partially veneer2 polish does     
wonders for the appearance of folks as  
well as of furniture4 ,but while the    
beauty of heart of oak is enhanced by   
its finish1 its utility is not destroyed
 by a failure to polish it4 ,now1 much  

of the so-called barrenness of country  
life is the oak minus the polish4 ,we   
come to regard polish as essential2 it  
is largely relative4 ,and not only may  
we apply the wrong standard to the      
situation1 but our eyes may deceive us4 
,to the uninitiated a clod of dry earth 
is the most unpromising of objects--it  
is cousin to the stone1 and the type of 
barrenness4 ,but to the elect it is     
pregnant with the possibilities of      
seed-time and harvest1 of a full        
fruitage1 of abundance and content for  
man and beast4 ,and there is many a farm
 home1 plain to an extreme1 devoid of   
the veneer1 a home that to the man of   
the town seems lacking in all the things
 that season life1 but a home which     
virtue1 intelligence1 thrift1 and       
courage transform into a garden of roses
 and a type of heaven4 ,i do not justify
 neglect of the finer material things of
 life1 nor plead for drab and homespun  
as passports to the courts of           
excellence2 but ,i insist that the      

plainness1 simple living1 absence of    
luxury1 lack of polish that may be met  
with in the country1 do not necessarily 
accompany a condition barren of the     
essentials of the higher life4          
,sometimes rural communities are        
ridiculed because of the trivial nature 
of their gossip1 interests1 and         
ambitions4 ,there may be some justice in
 the criticism1 though the situation is 
pathetic rather than humorous4 ,but is  
the charge wholly just8 ,in comparing   
country with town we are comparing two  
environments2 necessarily1 therefore1   
objects of gossip1 interests1 and       
ambitions differ therein4 ,we expect    
that4 ,it is no criticism to assert that
 fact4 ,the test is not that of an      
existing difference1 but of an essential
 quality4 ,is not ,ben ,bolt's new top  
buggy as legitimate a topic for         
discussion as is ,arthur ,john ,smythe's
 new automobile8 ,does not the price of 
wheat mean as much to the hard-working  
grower as to the broker who may never   

see a grain of it8 ,may not the grove at
 ,turtle ,lake yield as keen enjoyment  
as do the continental forests8 ,is the  
ambition to own a fine farm more ignoble
 than the desire to own shares in a     
copper mine8 ,it really does not matter 
so much what one gossips about or what  
one's delights are or what the carving  
of the rungs on ambition's ladder2 the  
vital question is the effect of these   
things on character4 ,do they stunt or  
encourage the inner life8 ,it must be   
admitted that country people do not     
always accept their environing          
opportunities for enjoying the higher   
life of mind and heart4 ,but do they    
differ in this respect from their       
cousins of the town8  ,we must remember1
 too1 that this is a large country1 and 
that a study of rural conditions in a   
certain community1 township1 county1    
state1 or section may not give us the   
correct basis upon which to determine   
the agricultural status of the country4 
,nor must we make the mistake of        

confusing conservatism and decadence4   
,that the city will in many particulars 
always progress more rapidly than the   
country is inevitable4 ,but speed is not
 the ultimate criterion of a full life4 
,again must we apply the test whether   
the gain is relative or essential4      
,telephones1 free mail delivery1        
electric car lines1 operas1 great       
libraries1 cathedrals--all come to the  
city first1 some of them solely to the  
city4 ,the country cannot hope to be    
other than inherently conservative as   
regards such institutions4 ,but may     
there not be found such adaptations of  
or substitutes for these institutions as
 shall not only preserve the rural      
community from decadence1 but1 indeed1  
build it up into strength1 beauty1 and  
purity8  ,comparative lack of identical 
resources need not mean poverty of      
attainment4 ,let us agree that          
relatively the country will lag behind  
the town4 ,is the country continually   
gaining in those things that are        

fundamentally important and that        
minister to its best life8 is the kernal
 question4  ,perhaps the most common    
error in studying rural conditions is   
the failure to distinguish the vital    
difference between the urban problem and
 the rural problem4 ,sociologically the 
city problem is that of congestion2 the 
rural problem is that of isolation4 ,the
 social conditions of country and city  
are wholly different4 ,institutions that
 succeed in alleviating social disorders
 in the town may or may not succeed in  
the country--in any event they must be  
adapted to country needs4 ,this applies 
to organizations1 schools1 libraries1   
social settlements4 ,and the adaptation 
must be one not only of form but of     
spirit4 ,in other words1 the farm       
problem is a peculiar problem1 demanding
 special study1 a new point of view1 and
 sometimes unique institutions4  ,those 
accustomed to large cities make a pretty
 broad classification of country4 ,a    
town of five thousand people is to them 

country4 ,but it is not country4 ,the   
problem of the village and the small    
town is not the rural problem1 take it  
the nation over4 ,the smaller the town1 
the more nearly it approaches to rural  
conditions1 but its essential problem is
 not that of the farm4  ,and1 finally1  
let no one suppose that philanthropy is 
the chief medicine for the social       
ill-health of the country4 ,the         
intelligent student who possesses the   
true spirit of helpfulness may find in  
the rural problem ample scope for both  
his brain and his heart4 ,but he will   
make a fundamental and irreparable error
 if he starts out with the notion that  
pity1 charity1 and direct gifts will win
 the day4 ,you may flatter the ,american
 farmer2 you cannot patronize him4 ,he  
demands and needs1 not philanthropy1 but
 simple justice1 equal opportunity1 and 
better facilities for education4 ,he is 
neither slave nor pauper4  ,to conclude3
 ,there is a farm problem1 and it is    
worth solving4 ,but it differs from the 

city problem4 ,and if1 as is to be      
hoped1 the recently renewed interest in 
this question is to be permanent1 we    
trust that those who desire to make it a
 special study1 as well as those whose  
interest in it is general and widely    
human1 may from the start avoid the     
errors that are likely to obscure rural 
conditions when viewed through city     
eyes4     ,,chapter ,,ii  ,,the         
,,problems ,,of ,,progress#a   ,it is   
impossible to acquire a keen and        
permanent interest in the rural problem 
unless one first of all is cognizant of 
its significance4 ,and lack of knowledge
 at this point may in part account for  
the fact already alluded to that in     
,america the farm problem has not been  
adequately studied4 ,so stupendous has  
been the development of our             
manufacturing industries1 so marvelous  
the growth of our urban population1 so  
pressing the questions raised by modern 
city life1 that the social and economic 
interests of the ,american farmer have1 

as a rule1 received minor consideration4
 ,we are impressed with the rise of     
cities like ,chicago1 forgetting for the
 moment that half of the ,american      
people still live under rural           
conditions4 ,we are perplexed by the    
labor wars that are waged about us1 for 
the time unmindful that one-third of the
 workers of this country make their     
living immediately from the soil4 ,we   
are astounded1 and perhaps alarmed1 at  
the great centralization of capital1    
possibly not realizing that the capital 
invested in agriculture in the ,united  
,states nearly equals the combined      
capital invested in the manufacturing   
and railway industries4 ,but if we pause
 to consider the scope and nature of the
 economic and social interests involved1
 we cannot avoid the conclusion that the
 farm problem is worthy of serious      
thought from students of our national   
welfare4  ,we are aware that agriculture
 does not hold the same relative rank   
among our industries that it did in     

former years1 and that our city         
population has increased far more       
rapidly than has our rural population4  
,we do not ignore the fact that urban   
industries are developing more rapidly  
than is agriculture1 nor deny the       
seriousness of the actual depletion of  
rural population1 and even of community 
decadence1 in some portions of the      
,union4 ,but these facts merely add to  
the importance of the farm question4    
,and it should not be forgotten that    
there has been a large and constant     
growth both of our agricultural wealth  
and of our rural population4 ,during the
 last half-century there was a gain of  
#ejj per cent4 in the value of farm     
property1 while the non-urban population
 increased #bej per cent4 ,agriculture  
has been one of the chief elements of   
,america's industrial greatness1 it is  
still our dominant economic interest1   
and it will long remain at least a      
leading industry4 ,the people of the    
farm have furnished a sturdy citizenship

 and have been the primary source of    
much of our best leadership in          
political1 business1 and professional   
life4 ,for an indefinite future1 a large
 proportion of the ,american people will
 continue to live in a rural            
environment4   ,,what ,,is ,,the ,,farm 
,,problem8  ,current agricultural       
discussion would lead us to think that  
the farm problem is largely one of      
technique4 ,the possibilities of the    
agricultural industry1 in the light of  
applied science1 emphasize the need of  
the farmer for more complete knowledge  
of soil and plant and animal1 and for   
increased proficiency in utilizing this 
knowledge to secure greater production  
at less cost4 ,this is a fundamental    
need4 ,it lies at the basis of success  
in farming4 ,but it is not the farm     
problem4  ,business skill must be added1
 business methods enforced4 ,the farmer 
must be not only a more skilful         
produce-grower1 but also a keener       
produce-seller4 ,but the moment we enter

 the realm of the market we step outside
 the individualistic aspect of the      
problem as embodied in the current      
doctrine of technical agricultural      
teaching1 and are forced to consider the
 social aspect as emphasized1 first of  
all1 in the economic category of price4 
,here we find many                      
factors--transportation cost1 general   
market conditions at home and abroad1   
the status of other industries1 and even
 legislative activities4 ,the farm      
problem becomes an industrial question1 
not solely one of technical and business
 skill4 ,moreover1 the problem is one of
 a successful industry as a whole1 not  
merely the personal successes of even a 
respectable number of individual        
farmers4 ,the farming class must        
progress as a unit4  ,but have we yet   
reached the heart of the question8 ,is  
the farm problem one of technique plus  
business skill1 plus these broad        
economic considerations8 ,is it not     
perfectly possible that agriculture as  

an industry may remain in a fairly      
satisfactory condition1 and yet the     
farming class fail to maintain its      
status in the general social order8 ,is 
it not1 for instance1 quite within the  
bounds of probability to imagine a good 
degree of economic strength in the      
agricultural industry existing side by  
side with either a peasant regime or a  
landlord-and-tenant system8 ,yet would  
we expect from either system the same   
social fruitage that has been harvested 
from our ,american yeomanry8  ,we       
conclude1 then1 that the farm problem   
consists in maintaining upon our farms a
 class of people who have succeeded in  
procuring for themselves the highest    
possible class status1 not only in the  
industrial1 but in the political and the
 social order--a relative status1       
moreover1 that is measured by the       
demands of ,american ideals4 ,the farm  
problem thus connects itself with the   
whole question of democratic            
civilization4 ,this is not mere         

platitude4 ,for we cannot properly judge
 the significance and the relation of   
the different industrial activities of  
our farmers1 and especially the value of
 the various social agencies for rural  
betterment1 except by the standard of   
class status4 ,it is here that we seem  
to find the only satisfactory philosophy
 of rural progress4  ,we would not for a
 moment discredit the fundamental       
importance of movements that have for   
their purpose the improved technical    
skill of our farmers1 better business   
management of the farm1 and wiser study 
and control of market conditions4       
,indeed1 we would call attention to the 
fact that social institutions are       
absolutely necessary means of securing  
these essential factors of industrial   
success4 ,in the solution of the farm   
problem we must deliberately invoke the 
influence of quickened means of         
communication1 of co-operation among    
farmers1 of various means of education1 
and possibly even of religious          

institutions1 to stimulate and direct   
industrial activity4 ,what needs present
 emphasis is the fact that there is a   
definite1 real1 social end to be held in
 view as the goal of rural endeavor4    
,the highest possible social status for 
the farming class is that end4  ,we may 
now1 as briefly as possible1 describe   
some of the difficulties that lie in the
 path of the farmers in their ambition  
to attain greater class efficiency and  
larger class influence1 and some of the 
means at hand for minimizing the        
difficulties4 ,a complete discussion of 
the farm problem should1 of course1     
include thorough consideration of the   
technical1 the business1 and the        
economic questions implied by the       
struggle for industrial success2 for    
industrial success is prerequisite to   
the achievement of the greatest social  
power of the farming class4 ,but we     
shall consider only the social aspects  
of the problem4   ,,rural ,,isolation   
,perhaps the one great underlying social

 difficulty among ,american farmers is  
their comparatively isolated mode of    
life4 ,the farmer's family is isolated  
from other families4 ,a small city of   
perhaps twenty thousand population will 
contain from four hundred to six hundred
 families per square mile1 whereas a    
typical agricultural community in a     
prosperous agricultural state will      
hardly average more than ten families   
per square mile4 ,the farming class is  
isolated from other classes4 ,farmers1  
of course1 mingle considerably in a     
business and political way with the men 
of their trading town and county seat2  
but1 broadly speaking1 farmers do not   
associate freely with people living     
under urban conditions and possessing   
other than the rural point of view4 ,it 
would be venturesome to suggest very    
definite generalizations with respect to
 the precise influence of these         
conditions1 because1 so far as the      
writer is aware1 the psychology of      
isolation has not been worked out4 ,but 

two or three conclusions seem to be     
admissible1 and for that matter rather  
generally accepted4  ,the well-known    
conservatism of the farming class is    
doubtless largely due to class          
isolation4 ,habits1 ideas1 traditions1  
and ideals have long life in the rural  
community4 ,changes come slowly4 ,there 
is a tendency to tread the well-worn    
paths4 ,the farmer does not easily keep 
in touch with rapid modern development1 
unless the movements or methods directly
 affect him4 ,physical agencies which   
improve social conditions1 such as      
electric lights1 telephones1 and        
pavements1 come to the city first4 ,the 
atmosphere of the country speaks peace  
and quiet4 ,nature's routine of sunshine
 and storm1 of summer and winter1       
encourages routine and repetition in the
 man who works with her4  ,a complement 
of this rural conservatism1 which at    
first thought seems a paradox1 but which
 probably grows out of these same       
conditions of isolation1 is the intense 

radicalism of a rural community when    
once it breaks away from its moorings4  
,many farmers are unduly suspicious of  
others' motives2 yet the same people    
often succumb to the wiles of the       
charlatan1 whether medical or political4
 ,farmers are usually conservative in   
politics and intensely loyal to party2  
but the ,populist movement indicates the
 tendency to extremes when the old      
allegiance is left behind4 ,old methods 
of farming may be found alongside       
ill-considered attempts to raise new    
crops or to utilize untried machines4   
,other effects of rural isolation are   
seen in a class provincialism that is   
hard to eradicate1 and in the           
development of minds less alert to seize
 business advantages and less           
far-sighted than are developed by the   
intense industrial life of the town4    
,there is time to brood over wrongs1    
real and imaginary4 ,personal prejudices
 often grow to be rank and              
coarse-fibered4 ,neighborhood feuds are 

not uncommon and are often virulent4    
,leadership is made difficult and       
sometimes impossible4 ,it is easy to    
fall into personal habits that may mark 
off the farmer from other classes of    
similar intelligence1 and that bar him  
from his rightful social place4  ,it    
would1 however1 be distinctly unfair to 
the farm community if we did not        
emphasize some of the advantages that   
grow out of the rural mode of life4     
,farmers have time to think1 and the    
typical ,american farmer is a man who   
has thought much and often deeply4 ,a   
spirit of sturdy independence is        
generated1 and freedom of will and of   
action is encouraged4 ,family life is   
nowhere so educative as in the country4 
,the whole family co-operates for common
 ends1 and in its individual members are
 bred the qualities of industry1        
patience1 and perseverance4 ,the manual 
work of the schools is but a makeshift  
for the old-fashioned training of the   
country-grown boy4 ,country life is an  

admirable preparation for the modern    
industrial and professional career4     
,nevertheless1 rural isolation is a real
 evil4 ,present-day living is so        
distinctively social1 progress is so    
dependent upon social agencies1 social  
development is so rapid1 that if the    
farmer is to keep his status he must be 
fully in step with the rest of the army4
 ,he must secure the social view-point4 
,the disadvantages of rural isolation   
are largely in the realm of the social  
relations1 its advantages mostly on the 
individual and moral side4 ,farm life   
makes a strong individual2 it is a      
serious menace to the achievement of    
class power4  ,a cure for isolation     
sometimes suggested is the gathering of 
the farmers into villages4 ,this remedy1
 however1 is of doubtful value4 ,in the 
first place1 the scheme is not          
immediately practicable4 ,about three   
and one-half billions of dollars are now
 invested in farm buildings1 and it will
 require some motive more powerful than 

that inspired by academic logic to      
transfer1 even gradually1 this          
investment to village groups4 ,moreover1
 it is possible to dispute the          
desirability of the remedy4 ,the farm   
village at best must be a mere hamlet4  
,it can secure for the farmer very few  
of the urban advantages he may want1    
except that of permitting closer daily  
intercourse between families4 ,and it is
 questionable if the petty society of   
such a village can compensate for the   
freedom and purity of rural family life 
now existing4 ,it may even be asserted  
with some degree of positiveness that   
the small village1 on the moral and     
intellectual sides1 is distinctly       
inferior to the isolated farm home4  ,at
 the present time rural isolation in    
,america is being overcome by the       
development of better means of          
communication among farmers who still   
live on their farms4 ,so successful are 
these means of communication proving    
that we cannot avoid the conclusion that

 herein lies the remedy4 ,improved wagon
 roads1 the rural free mail delivery1   
the farm telephone1 trolley lines       
through country districts1 are bringing 
about a positive revolution in country  
living4 ,they are curing the evils of   
isolation1 without in the slightest     
degree robbing the farm of its manifest 
advantages for family life4 ,the farmers
 are being welded into a more compact   
society4 ,they are being nurtured to    
greater alertness of mind1 to greater   
keenness of observation1 and the        
foundations are being laid for vastly   
enlarged social activities4 ,the problem
 now is to extend these advantages to   
every rural community--in itself a task 
of huge proportions4 ,if this can be    
done and isolation can be reduced to a  
minimum1 the solution of all the other  
rural social problems will become vastly
 easier4   ,,farmers' ,,organization    
,organization is one of the pressing    
social problems that ,american farmers  
have to face4 ,the importance of the    

question is intrinsic1 because of the   
general social necessity for            
co-operation which characterizes modern 
life4 ,society is becoming consciously  
self-directive4 ,the immediate phase of 
this growing self-direction lies in the 
attempts of various social groups to    
organize their powers for group         
advantage4 ,and if1 as seems probable1  
this group activity is to remain a      
dominant feature of social progress1    
even in a fairly coherent society1 it is
 manifest that there will result more or
 less of competition among groups4  ,the
 farming class1 if at all ambitious for 
group influence1 can hardly avoid this  
tendency to organization4 ,farmers1     
indeed more than any other class1 need  
to organize4 ,their isolation makes     
thorough organization especially        
imperative4 ,and the argument for       
co-operation gains force from the fact  
that relatively the agricultural        
population is declining4 ,in the old    
days farmers ruled because of mere mass4

 ,that is no longer possible4 ,the naive
 statement that farmers must organize   
because other classes are organizing is 
really good social philosophy4  ,in the 
group competition just referred to there
 is a tendency for class interests to be
 put above general social welfare4 ,this
 is a danger to be avoided in           
organization1 not an argument against   
it4 ,so the farmers' organization should
 be guarded1 at this point1 by adherence
 to the principle that organization must
 not only develop class power1 but must 
be so directed as to permit the farmers 
to lend the full strength of their class
 to general social progress4            
,organization thus becomes a test of    
class efficiency1 and consequently a    
prerequisite for solving the farm       
problem4 ,can the farming class secure  
and maintain a fairly complete          
organization8 ,can it develop efficient 
leaders8 ,can it announce1 in sound     
terms1 its proposed group policy8 ,can  
it lend the group influence to genuine  

social progress8 ,if so1 the            
organization of farmers becomes a       
movement of pre-eminent importance4     
,organization1 moreover1 is a powerful  
educational force4 ,it arouses          
discussion of fundamental questions1    
diffuses knowledge1 gives practice in   
public affairs1 trains individuals in   
executive work1 and1 in fine1           
stimulates1 as nothing else can1 a class
 which is in special need of social     
incentive4  ,organization is1 however1  
difficult of accomplishment4 ,while it  
would take us too far afield to discuss 
the history of farmers' organizations in
 ,america1 we may briefly suggest some  
of the difficulties involved4 ,for forty
 years the question has been a prominent
 one among the farmers1 and these years 
have seen the rise and decline of       
several large associations4 ,there have 
been apparently two great factors       
contributing to the downfall of these   
organizations4 ,the first was a         
misapprehension1 on the part of the     

farmers1 of the feasibility of          
organizing themselves as a political    
phalanx2 the second1 a sentimental      
belief in the possibilities of business 
co-operation among farmers1 more        
especially in lines outside their       
vocation4 ,there is no place for class  
politics in ,america4 ,there are some   
things legislation cannot cure4 ,there  
are serious limitations to co-operative 
endeavor4 ,it took many hard experiences
 for our farmers to learn these truths4 
,but back of all lie some inherent      
difficulties1 as1 for instance1 the     
number of people involved1 their        
isolation1 sectional interests1         
ingrained habits of independent action1 
of individual initiative1 of suspicion  
of others' motives4 ,there is often lack
 of perspective1 and unwillingness to   
invest in a procedure that does not     
promise immediate returns4 ,the mere    
fact of failure has discredited the     
organization idea4 ,there is lack of    
leadership2 for the farm industry1 while

 it often produces men of strong mind1  
keen perception1 resolute will1 does    
not1 as a rule1 develop executive       
capacity for large enterprises4  ,it is 
frequently asserted that farmers are the
 only class that has not organized4     
,this is not strictly true4 ,the        
difficulties enumerated are real        
difficulties and have seriously retarded
 farm organization4 ,but if the progress
 made is not satisfactory1 it is at     
least encouraging4 ,on the purely       
business side1 over five thousand       
co-operative societies among ,american  
farmers have been reported4 ,in         
co-operative buying of supplies1        
co-operative selling of products1 and   
co-operative insurance the volume of    
transactions reaches large figures4 ,a  
host of societies of a purely           
educational nature exists among         
stock-breeders1 fruit-growers1 dairymen4
 ,it is true that no one general        
organization of farmers1 embracing a    
large proportion of the class1 has as   

yet been perfected4 ,the nearest        
approach to it is the ,grange1 which1   
contrary to a popular notion1 is in a   
prosperous condition1 with a really     
large influence upon the social1        
financial1 educational1 and legislative 
interests of the farming class4 ,it has 
had a steady growth during the past ten 
years1 and is a quiet but powerful      
factor in rural progress4 ,the ,grange  
is perhaps too conservative in its      
administrative policy4 ,it has not at   
least succeeded in converting to its    
fold the farmers of the great           
,mississippi ,valley4 ,but it has       
workable machinery1 it disavows partisan
 politics and selfish class interests1  
and it subordinates financial benefits1 
while emphasizing educational and       
broadly political advantages4 ,it seems 
fair to interpret the principles of the 
,grange as wholly in line with the      
premise of this paper1 that the farmers 
need to preserve their status1          
politically1 industrially1 and socially1

 and that organization is one of the    
fundamental methods they must use4 ,the 
,grange1 therefore1 deserves to succeed1
 and indeed is succeeding4  ,the field  
of agricultural organization is an      
extensive one4 ,but if the farm problem 
is to be solved satisfactorily1 the     
,american farmers must first secure     
reasonably complete organization4       
,,rural ,,education  ,it is hardly      
necessary to assert that the education  
of that portion of the ,american people 
who live upon the land involves a       
question of the greatest significance4  
,the subject naturally divides itself   
into two phases1 one of which may be    
designated as rural education proper1   
the other as agricultural education4    
,rural education has to do with the     
education of people1 more especially of 
the young1 who live under rural         
conditions2 agricultural education aims 
to prepare men and women for the        
specific vocation of agriculture4 ,the  
rural school typifies the first2 the    

agricultural school1 the second4 ,rural 
education is but a section of the       
general school question2 agricultural   
education is a branch of technical      
training4 ,these two phases of the      
education of the farm population meet at
 many points1 they must work in harmony1
 and together they form a distinct      
educational problem4  ,the serious      
difficulties in the rural school        
question are perhaps three3 first1 to   
secure a modern school1 in efficiency   
somewhat comparable to the town school1 
without unduly increasing the school    
tax2 second1 so to enrich the curriculum
 and so to expand the functions of the  
school that the school shall become a   
vital and coherent part of the community
 life1 on the one hand translating the  
rural environment into terms of         
character and mental efficiency1 and on 
the other hand serving perfectly as a   
stepping-stone to the city schools and  
to urban careers2 third1 to provide     
adequate high-school facilities in the  

rural community4  ,the centralization of
 district schools and the transportation
 of pupils will probably prove to be    
more nearly a solution of all these     
difficulties than will any other one    
scheme4 ,the plan permits the payment of
 higher wages for teachers and ought to 
secure better instruction2 it permits   
the employment of special teachers1 as  
for nature-study or agriculture2 it     
increases the efficiency of             
superintendence2 it costs but little1 if
 any1 more than the district system2 it 
leaves the school amid rural            
surroundings1 while introducing into the
 schoolroom itself a larger volume1 so  
to speak1 of world-atmosphere2 it       
contains possibilities for community    
service2 it can easily be expanded into 
a high school of reputable grade4       
,there are two dangers1 both somewhat   
grave1 likely to arise from an urgent   
campaign for centralization4 ,even if   
the movement makes as great progress as 
could reasonably be expected1 for a     

generation to come a large share1 if not
 a major portion1 of rural pupils will  
still be taught in the small1 isolated1 
district school2 there is danger that   
this district school may be neglected4  
,moreover1 increased school machinery   
always invites undue reliance upon      
machine-like methods4 ,centralization   
permits1 but does not guarantee1 greater
 efficiency4 ,a system like this one    
must be vitalized by constant and close 
touch with the life and needs and       
aspirations of the rural community      
itself4  ,wherever centralization is not
 adopted1 the consolidation of two or   
three schools--a modified form of       
centralization--may prove helpful4      
,where the district school still        
persists1 there are one or two          
imperative requirements4 ,teachers must 
have considerably higher wages and      
longer tenure4 ,there must be more      
efficient supervision4 ,the state must  
assist in supporting the school1        
although only in part4 ,the small       

schools must be correlated with some    
form of high school4 ,the last point is 
of great importance because of the      
comparative absence in country          
communities of opportunity near at hand 
for good high-school training4          
,agricultural education is distinctively
 technical1 not in the restricted sense 
of mere technique1 or even of applied   
science1 but in the sense that it must  
be frankly vocational4 ,it has to do    
with the preparation of men and women   
for the business of farming and for life
 in the rural community4  ,agricultural 
education should begin in the primary   
school4 ,in this school the point of    
view1 however1 should be broadly        
pedagogical rather than immediately     
vocational4 ,fortunately1 the wise      
teaching of nature-study1 the training  
of pupils to know and to love nature1   
the constant illustrations from the     
rural environment1 the continual appeal 
to personal observation and experience1 
absolute loyalty to the farm point of   

view1 are not only sound pedagogy1 but  
form the best possible background for   
future vocational study4 ,whether we    
call this early work nature-study or    
call it agriculture matters less than   
that the fundamental principle be       
recognized4 ,it must first of all       
educate4 ,the greatest difficulty in    
introducing such work into the primary  
school is to secure properly equipped   
teachers4  ,perhaps the most stupendous 
undertaking in agricultural education is
 the adequate development of secondary  
education in agriculture4 ,the          
overwhelming majority of young people   
who secure any agricultural schooling   
whatever must get it in institutions    
that academically are of secondary      
grade4 ,this is a huge task4 ,if        
developed to supply existing needs1 it  
will call for an enormous expenditure of
 money and for the most careful         
planning4 ,from the teaching view-point 
it is a difficult problem4 ,modern      
agriculture is based upon the sciences2 

it will not do1 therefore1 to establish 
schools in the mere art of farming4 ,but
 these agricultural high schools must   
deal with pupils who are comparatively  
immature1 and who almost invariably have
 had no preparation in science4 ,nor    
should the courses at these schools be  
ultra-technical4 ,they are to prepare   
men and women for life on the farm--men 
and women who are to lead in rural      
development1 and who must get some      
inkling at least of the real farm       
question and its solution4 ,the         
agricultural school1 therefore1 presents
 a problem of great difficulty4  ,a     
perennial question in agricultural      
education is3 ,what is the function of  
the agricultural college8 ,we have not  
time to trace the history of these      
colleges1 nor to elaborate the various  
views relative to their mission4 ,but   
let us for a moment discuss their proper
 function in the light of the           
proposition that the preservation of the
 farmers' status is the real farm       

problem2 for the college can be         
justified only as it finds its place    
among the social agencies helpful in the
 solution of the farm question4  ,in so 
far as the agricultural college1 through
 its experiment station or otherwise1 is
 an organ of research1 it should carry  
its investigations into the economic and
 sociological fields1 as well as pursue 
experiments in soil fertility and animal
 nutrition4  ,in the teaching of        
students1 the agricultural college will 
continue the important work of training 
men for agricultural research1          
agricultural teaching1 and expert       
supervision of various agricultural     
enterprises4 ,but the college should put
 renewed emphasis upon its ability to   
send well-trained men to the farms1     
there to live their lives1 there to find
 their careers1 and there to lead in the
 movements for rural progress4 ,a decade
 ago it was not easy to find colleges   
which believed that this could be done1 
and some agricultural educators have    

even disavowed such a purpose as a      
proper object of the colleges4 ,but the 
strongest agricultural colleges today   
have pride in just such a purpose4 ,and 
why not8 ,we not only need men thus     
trained as leaders in every rural       
community1 but1 if the farming business 
cannot be made to offer a career to a   
reasonable number of college-trained    
men1 it is a sure sign that only by the 
most herculean efforts can the farmers  
maintain their status as a class4 ,if   
agriculture must be turned over wholly  
to the untrained and to the             
half-trained1 if it cannot satisfy the  
ambition of strong1 well-educated men   
and women1 its future1 from the social  
point of view1 is indeed gloomy4  ,the  
present-day course of study in the      
agricultural college does not1 however1 
fully meet this demand for rural        
leadership4 ,the farm problem has been  
regarded as a technical question1 and a 
technical training has been offered the 
student4 ,the agricultural college1     

therefore1 needs socializing4           
,agricultural economics and rural       
sociology should occupy a large place in
 the curriculum4 ,the men who go from   
the college to the farm should          
appreciate the significance of the      
agricultural question1 and should be    
trained to organize their forces for    
genuine rural progress4 ,the college    
should1 as far as possible1 become the  
leader in the whole movement for solving
 the farm problem4  ,the farm home has  
not come in for its share of attention  
in existing schemes of agricultural     
education4 ,the kitchen and the         
dining-room have as much to gain from   
science as have the dairy and the       
orchard4 ,the inspiration of vocational 
knowledge must be the possession of her 
who is the entrepreneur of the family1  
the home-maker4 ,the agricultural       
colleges through their departments of   
domestic science--better1 of            
home-making--should inaugurate a        
comprehensive movement for carrying to  

the farm home a larger measure of the   
advantages which modern science is      
showering upon humanity4  ,the          
agricultural college must also lead in a
 more adequate development of extension 
teaching4 ,magnificent work has already 
been done through farmers' institutes1  
reading courses1 co-operative           
experiments1 demonstrations1 and        
correspondence4 ,but the field is so    
immense1 the number of people involved  
so enormous1 the difficulties of        
reaching them so many1 that it offers a 
genuine problem1 and one of peculiar    
significance1 not only because of the   
generally recognized need of adult      
education1 but also because of the      
isolation of the farmers4  ,it should be
 said that in no line of rural          
betterment has so much progress been    
made in ,america as in agricultural     
education4 ,merely to describe the work 
that is being done through nature-study 
and agriculture in the public schools1  
through agricultural schools1 through   

our magnificent agricultural colleges1  
through farmers' institutes1 and        
especially through the experiment       
stations and the federal ,department of 
,agriculture in agricultural research   
and in the distribution of the best     
agricultural information--merely to     
inventory these movements properly would
 take the time available for this       
discussion4 ,what has been said relative
 to agricultural education is less in   
way of criticism of existing methods    
than in way of suggestion as to         
fundamental needs4   ,,the ,,ethical    
,,and ,,religious ,,problem  ,wide      
generalizations as to the exact moral   
situation in the rural community are    
impossible4 ,conditions have not been   
adequately studied4 ,it is probably safe
 to say that the country environment is 
extremely favorable for pure family     
life1 for temperance1 and for bodily and
 mental health4 ,to picture the country 
a paradise is1 however1 mere silliness4 
,there are in the country1 as elsewhere1

 evidences of vulgarity in language1 of 
coarseness in thought1 of social        
impurity1 of dishonesty in business4    
,there is room in the country for all   
the ethical teaching that can be given4 
,nor is it easy to discuss the country  
church question4 ,conditions vary in    
different parts of the ,union1 and no   
careful study has been made of the      
problem4 ,as a general proposition1 it  
may be said that there are too many     
churches in the country1 and that these 
are illy supported4 ,consequently1 they 
have in many cases inferior ministers4  
,sectarianism is probably more divisive 
than in the city1 not only because of   
the natural conservatism of the people  
and a natural disinclination to change  
their views1 but because sectarian      
quarrels are perhaps more easily        
fomented and less easily harmonized than
 anywhere else4 ,moreover1 in the city a
 person can usually find a denomination 
to his liking4 ,in the country1 even    
with the present overchurched condition1

 this is difficult4  ,the ideal solution
 of the country church problem is to    
have in each rural community one strong 
church adequately supported1 properly   
equipped1 ministered to by an able      
man--a church which leads in community  
service4 ,the path to the realization of
 such an ideal is rough and thorny4     
,church federation1 however1 promises   
large results in this direction and     
should be especially encouraged4        
,whatever outward form the solution of  
the country church question may take1   
there seem to be several general        
principles involved in a satisfactory   
attempt to meet the issue4 ,in the first
 place1 the country church offers a     
problem by itself1 socially considered4 
,methods successful in the city may not 
succeed in the country4 ,the country    
church question must then be studied    
thoroughly and on the ground4  ,again1  
the same principle of financial aid to  
be utilized in the case of the schools  
must be invoked here4 ,the wealth of the

 whole church must contribute to the    
support of the church everywhere4 ,the  
strong must help the weak4 ,the city    
must help the country4 ,but this aid    
must be given by co-operation1 not by   
condescension4 ,the demand cannot be met
 by home missionary effort nor by       
church-building contributions2 the      
principle goes far deeper than that4    
,some device must be secured which binds
 together the whole church1 along       
denominational lines if must be1 for a  
full development of church work in every
 community in the land4  ,furthermore1  
there is supreme necessity for adding   
dignity to the country parish4 ,too     
often at present the rural parish is    
regarded either as a convenient         
laboratory for the clerical novice1 or  
as an asylum for the decrepit or        
inefficient4 ,the country parish must be
 a parish for our ablest and strongest4 
,the ministry of the most ,christlike   
must be to the hill-towns of ,galilee as
 well as to ,jerusalem4  ,there is still

 another truth that the country church  
cannot afford to ignore4 ,the rural     
church question is peculiarly interwoven
 with the industrial and social problems
 of the farm4 ,a declining agriculture  
cannot foster a growing church4 ,an     
active church can render especially     
strong service to a farm community1 in  
its influence upon the religious life1  
the home life1 the educational life1 the
 social life1 and even upon the         
industrial life4 ,nowhere else are these
 various phases of society's activities 
so fully members one of another as in   
the country4 ,the country church should 
co-operate with other rural social      
agencies4 ,this means that the country  
pastor should assume a certain          
leadership in movements for rural       
progress4 ,he is splendidly fitted1 by  
the nature of his work and by his       
position in the community1 to co-operate
 with earnest farmers for the social and
 economic1 as well as the moral and     
spiritual1 upbuilding of the farm       

community4 ,but he must know the farm   
problem4 ,here is an opportunity for    
theological seminaries3 let them make   
rural sociology a required subject4     
,and1 better1 here is a magnificent     
field of labor for the right kind of    
young men4 ,the country pastorate may   
thus prove to be1 as it ought to be1 a  
place of honor and rare privilege4 ,in  
any event1 the country church1 to render
 its proper service1 not alone must     
minister to the individual soul1 but    
must throw itself into the struggle for 
rural betterment1 must help solve the   
farm problem4   ,,federation ,,of       
,,forces  ,the suggestion that the      
country church should ally itself with  
other agencies of rural progress may be 
carried a step farther4 ,rural social   
forces should be federated4 ,the object 
of such federation is to emphasize the  
real nature of the farm problem1 to     
interest many people in its solution1   
and to secure the co-operation of the   
various rural social agencies1 each of  

which has its sphere1 but also its      
limitations4 ,the method of federation  
is to bring together1 for conference and
 for active work1 farmers--especially   
representatives of farmers'             
organizations1 agricultural educators1  
rural school-teachers and supervisors1  
country clergymen1 country editors2 in  
fact1 all who have a genuine interest in
 the farm problem4 ,thus will come      
clearer views of the questions at issue1
 broader plans for reform1 greater      
incentive to action1 and more rapid     
progress4   ,,conclusion  ,in this brief
 analysis of the social problems of     
,american farmers it has been possible  
merely to outline those aspects of the  
subject that seem to be fundamental4 ,it
 is hoped that the importance of each   
problem has been duly emphasized1 that  
the wisest methods of progress have been
 indicated1 and that the relation of the
 various social agencies to the main    
question has been clearly brought out4  
,let us leave the subject by emphasizing

 once more the character of the ultimate
 farm problem4 ,this problem may be     
stated more concretely1 if not more     
accurately1 than was done at the opening
 of the paper1 by saying that the ideal 
of rural betterment is to preserve upon 
our farms the typical ,american farmer4 
,the ,american farmer has been          
essentially a middle-class man4 ,it is  
this type we must maintain4 ,agriculture
 must be made to yield returns in       
wealth1 in opportunity1 in contentment1 
in social position1 sufficient to       
attract and to hold to it a class of    
intelligent1 educated ,american         
citizens4 ,this is an end vital to the  
preservation of ,american democratic    
ideals4 ,it is a result that will not   
achieve itself2 social agencies must be 
invoked for its accomplishment4 ,it     
demands the intelligent and earnest     
co-operation of all who love the soil   
and who seek ,america's permanent       
welfare4  ,,footnote3  #a ,the material 
for this chapter is taken from an       

address entitled ,social ,problems of   
,american ,farmers1 which was read      
before the ,congress of ,arts and       
,science1 section of ,the ,rural        
,community1 at ,st4 ,louis1 ,september1 
#aijd4     ,,the ,,outlook     ,,chapter
 ,,iii  ,,the ,,expansion ,,of ,,farm   
,,life   ,narrowness is perhaps the     
charge most often brought against       
,american farm life4 ,to a certain      
extent this charge may be just1 though  
the comparisons that usually lead up to 
the conclusion do not always            
discriminate4 ,it must be remembered    
that there are degrees of desirability  
in farm life1 and that at the least     
there are multitudes of rural           
communities where bright flowers still  
bloom1 where the shade is refreshing1   
and the waters are sweet4 ,but1 granting
 for the time that in the main rural    
life is less pleasant1 less rich1 less  
expansive than city life1 we shall urge 
that this era of restriction is rapidly 
drawing to a close4 ,there are forces at

 work that are molding rural life by new
 standards1 and the old regime is       
passing4 ,we shall soon be able to say  
of the country that old things have     
passed away2 all things have become new4
  ,this statement may seem too          
optimistic to some who can marshal an   
array of facts to prove that bigotry1   
narrowness1 and the whole family of ills
 begotten by isolation still thrive in  
the country4 ,it is true that our       
picture is not all of rose tints4 ,but  
what of that8 ,if it were not true there
 would be no farm problem2 the country  
would have to convert the town4 ,the    
fact remains that rural life is         
undergoing a rapid expansion4           
,materially1 socially1 and              
intellectually1 the farmer is           
broadening4 ,old prejudices are fading4 
,the plowman is no longer content to    
keep his eye forever on the furrow4 ,the
 revival has been in slow progress for  
some time and has not yet reached its   
zenith2 indeed1 the movement is but well

 under way4 ,for while the new day came 
long ago to some rural communities and  
they are basking in a noonday sun1 yet  
in far too many localities the faintest 
gray of dawn is all that rouses hope4   
,the fundamental change that is taking  
place is the gradual adoption of the new
 agriculture4 ,book-farmin' is still    
decried1 and many perfessers have a     
rocky road to travel in their attempts  
to guide the masses through the         
labyrinth of scientific knowledge that  
has been constructed during the last    
decade or two4 ,this difficulty has not 
been wholly the farmer's fault--the     
scientist would often have been more    
persuasive had his wings been clipped4  
,but there is a decided getting together
 nowadays--the farmer and the man of    
science have at last found common       
ground4 ,and while the pendulum of      
agricultural prosperity shall always    
swing to and fro1 there are1 to change  
the figure1 reasons for believing that  
an increasing number of farmers have    

rooted the tree of permanent success4   
,to enumerate some of these reasons3    
7#a7 ,thousands of farmers are farming  
on a scientific basis4 ,they use the    
results of soil and fertilizer analysis2
 they cultivate1 not to kill weeds so   
much as to conserve moisture2           
horticulturists spray their trees       
according to formulas laid down by      
experimenters2 dairymen use the ,babcock
 test for determining the fat content of
 milk2 stock-feeders utilize the        
scientists' feeding rations4 7#b7 ,the  
number of specialists among farmers is  
increasing4 ,this is a sign of progress 
surely4 ,more and more farmers are      
coming to push a single line of work4   
7#c7 ,new methods are being rapidly     
adopted4 ,fifteen years ago hardly a    
fruit-grower sprayed for insect and     
fungus pests2 today it is rare to find  
one who does not4 ,the co-operative     
creamery has not only revolutionized the
 character of the butter product made by
 the factory system1 but it has set the 

pace for thousands of private dairymen  
who are now making first-class dairy    
butter4 7#d7 ,in general the whole idea 
of intensive farming is gaining ground4 
,this specialization1 or                
intensification1 of agriculture makes a 
new demand1 upon those who pursue it1 in
 the way of mental and business         
training4 ,this training is being       
furnished by a multitude of agencies1   
and the younger generation of farmers is
 taking proper advantage of the         
opportunities thus offered4 ,what are   
some of these regular agencies8 7#a7 ,an
 alert farm press1 containing           
contributions from both successful      
farmers and scientific workers4 7#b7    
,farmers' institutes1 which are         
traveling schools of technical          
instruction for farmers4 7#c7 ,the      
bulletins issued by the government      
experiment stations located in every    
state1 and by the federal ,department of
 ,agriculture4 7#d7 ,special winter     
courses 7of from two to twelve weeks71  

offered at nearly all the agricultural  
colleges of the country1 for instruction
 in practical agriculture4 7#e7 ,regular
 college courses in agriculture at these
 same colleges4 7#f7 ,extension         
instruction by lectures and             
correspondence4 7#g7 ,a growing book    
literature of technical agriculture4    
7#h7 ,more encouraging than all else is 
the spirit of inquiry that prevails     
among farmers the country over--the     
recognition that there is a basis of    
science in agriculture4 ,no stronger    
pleas for the advancement of            
agricultural education can be found than
 those that have recently been          
formulated by farmers themselves4  ,if  
this regeneration of farm life were     
wholly material it would be worth       
noting2 for it promises a prosperity    
built on foundations sufficiently strong
 to withstand ordinary storms4 ,yet this
 is but a chapter of the story4 ,not    
only are our ,american farmers making a 
study of their business1 bringing to it 

the resources of advancing knowledge and
 good mental training1 and hence        
deriving from it the strong1 alert      
mental character that comes to all      
business men who pursue equally         
intelligent methods1 but the farmers are
 by no means neglecting their duty to   
broaden along general intellectual      
lines4 ,farmers have always been        
interested in politics2 there is no     
reason to think that their interest is  
declining4 ,the ,grange and other       
organizations keep their attention on   
current problems4 ,traveling libraries1 
school libraries1 and ,grange libraries 
are giving new opportunities for general
 reading1 and the farmer's family is not
 slow to accept the chance4 ,low prices 
for magazines and family papers bring to
 these periodicals an increasing list   
from the rural offices4 ,rural free mail
 delivery promises1 among many other    
results of vast importance1 to enlarge  
the circulation of daily papers among   
farmers not less than tenfold4  ,the    

really great lesson that farmers are    
rapidly learning is to work together4   
,they have been the last class to       
organize1 and jealousy1 distrust1 and   
isolation have made such organizations  
as they have had comparatively          
ineffective4 ,but gradually they are    
learning to compromise1 to work in      
harmony1 to sink merely personal views1 
to trust their own leaders1 to keep     
troth in financially co-operative       
projects4 ,there will be no ,farmers'   
,party organized2 but the higher        
politics is gaining among farmers1 and  
more and more independent voting may be 
expected from the rural precincts4      
,farmers are learning to pool such of   
their interests as can be furthered by  
legislation4  ,it is also true that the 
whole aspect of social life in the      
country is undergoing a profound        
evolutionary movement4 ,farmers are     
meeting one another more frequently than
 they used to4 ,they have more picnics  
and holidays4 ,they travel more4 ,they  

go sight-seeing4 ,they take advantage of
 excursions4 ,their social life is more 
mobile than formerly4 ,farmers have more
 comforts and luxuries than ever before4
 ,they dress better than they did4 ,more
 of them ride in carriages than         
formerly4 ,they buy neater and better   
furniture4 ,the newer houses are        
prettier and more comfortable than their
 predecessors4 ,bicycles and cameras are
 not uncommon in the rural home4 ,rural 
telephone exchanges are relatively a new
 thing1 but the near future will see the
 telephone a part of the ordinary       
furniture of the rural household2 while 
electric car lines promise to be the    
final link in the chain of advantages   
that is rapidly transforming rural      
life--robbing it of its isolation1      
giving it balance and poise1 softening  
its hard outlines1 and in general       
achieving its thorough regeneration4    
,this sketch is no fancy tale4 ,the     
movement described is genuine and       
powerful4 ,the busy city world may not  

note the signs of progress4 ,well-minded
 philanthropists may feel that the rural
 districts are in special need of their 
services4 ,even to the watchers on the  
walls there is much of discouragement in
 the advancement that isn't being made4 
,yet it needs no prophet's eye to see   
that a vast change for the better in    
rural life and conditions is now in     
progress4  ,no student of these         
conditions expects or desires that the  
evolution shall be ,acadian in its      
results4 ,it is to be hoped indeed that 
country sweets shall not lose their     
delights2 that the farmer himself may   
find in his surroundings spiritual and  
mental ambrosia4 ,but what is wanted1   
and what is rapidly coming1 is the      
breaking down of those barriers which   
have so long differentiated country from
 urban life2 the extinction of that     
social ostracism which has been the     
farmer's fate2 the obliteration of that 
line which for many a youth has marked  
the bounds of opportunity3 in fact1 the 

creation of a rural society whose       
advantages1 rewards1 prerogatives1      
chances for service1 means of culture1  
and pleasures are representative of the 
best and sanest life that the           
accumulated wisdom of the ages can      
prescribe for mankind4     ,,chapter    
,,iv  ,,the ,,new ,,farmer   ,all       
farmers may be divided into three       
classes4 ,there is the old farmer1 there
 is the new farmer1 and there is the    
mossback4 ,the old farmer represents the
 ancient regime4 ,the new farmer is the 
modern business agriculturist4 ,the     
mossback is a mediaeval survival4 ,the  
old farmer was in his day a new farmer2 
he was up with the times1 as the times  
then were4 ,the new farmer is merely the
 worthy son of a noble sire2 he is the  
modern embodiment of the old farmer's   
progressiveness4 ,the mossback is the   
man who tries to use the old methods    
under the new conditions2 he is not up  
with the present times1 but back with   
the old times4 ,though he lives and     

moves in the present1 he really has his 
being in the past4  ,the old farmer is  
the man who conquered the ,american     
continent4 ,his axe struck the crown    
from the monarchs of the wood1 and the  
fertile farms of ,ohio are the kingdom  
he created4 ,he broke the sod of the    
rich prairies1 and the tasseling        
cornfields of ,iowa tell the story of   
his deeds4 ,he hitched his plow to the  
sun1 and his westward lengthening       
furrows fill the world's granary4  ,the 
new farmer has his largest conquests yet
 to make4 ,but he has put his faith in  
the strong arm of science2 he has at his
 hand the commercial mechanism of a     
world of business4 ,he believes he will 
win because he is in league with the    
ongoing forces of our civilization4     
,the mossback cannot win1 because he    
prefers a flintlock to a ,mauser4 ,he   
has his eyes upon the ground1 and uses  
snails instead of stars for horses4     
,the old farmer was a pioneer1 and he   
had all the courage1 enterprise1 and    

resourcefulness of the pioneer4 ,he was 
virile1 above all things else4 ,he owned
 and controlled everything in sight4 ,he
 was a state-builder4 ,half a century   
ago1 in the ,middle ,west1 the strong   
men and the influential families were   
largely farmers4 ,even professional men 
owned and managed farms1 frequently     
living upon them4 ,the smell of the soil
 sweetened musty law books1 deodorized  
the doctor's den1 and floated as incense
 above the church altars4  ,the new     
farmer lives in a day when the nation is
 not purely an agricultural nation1 but 
is also a manufacturing and a trading   
nation4 ,he belongs no longer to the    
dominant class1 so far as commercial and
 social and political influence are     
concerned4 ,but none of these things    
move him4 ,for he realizes that out of  
this seeming decline of agriculture grow
 his best opportunities4 ,he discards   
pioneer methods because pioneering is   
not now an effective art4  ,the mossback
 sees perhaps clearly enough these      

changes1 but he does not understand     
their meaning1 nor does he know how to  
meet them4 ,he is dazzled by the        
romantic halo of the good old times1    
dumfounded by the electric energy of the
 present1 discouraged and distracted by 
the pressure of forces that crush his   
hopes and stifle his strength4          
,economically1 the old farmer was not a 
business man1 but a barterer4 ,the rule 
of barter still survives in the country 
grocery where butter and eggs are traded
 for sugar and salt4 ,the old farmer was
 industrially self-sufficient4 ,he did  
not farm on a commercial basis4 ,he     
raised apples for eating and for cider1 
not for market--there was no apple      
market4 ,he had very little ready money1
 he bought and sold few products4 ,he   
traded4 ,even his grain1 which afterward
 became the farmer's great cash crop1   
was raised in small quantities and      
ground at the nearest mill--not for     
export1 but for a return migration to   
the family flour-barrel4  ,the new      

farmer has always existed--because he is
 the old farmer growing4 ,he has kept   
pace with our industrial evolution4     
,when the regime of barter passed away1 
he ceased to barter4 ,when the world's  
market became a fact1 he raised wheat   
for the world's market4 ,as agriculture 
became a business1 he became a business 
man4 ,as agricultural science began to  
contribute to the art of farming1 he    
studied applied science4 ,as industrial 
education developed1 he founded and     
patronized institutions for agricultural
 education4 ,as alertness and enterprise
 began to be indispensable in commercial
 activity1 he grew alert and            
enterprising4  ,the mossback is the man 
who has either misread the signs of the 
times1 or who has not possessed the     
speed demanded in the two-minute class4 
,he is the old farmer gone to seed4 ,he 
tries to fit the old methods to the new 
regime4  ,but it is not sufficient to   
picture the new farmer4 ,you must       
explain him4 ,what is it that makes the 

new farmer8 ,who is he8 ,what are his   
tools8 ,in the first place1 you cannot  
explain the new farmer unless you know  
the old farmer4 ,you cannot have the new
 farmer unless you also have the        
mossback4 ,the new farmer is a          
comparative person1 as it were4 ,you    
have to define him in terms of the      
mossback4 ,the contrast is not between  
the old farmer and the new1 for that is 
merely a question of relative conditions
 in different epochs of time4 ,the      
contrast is between the new farmer and  
the mossback1 for that is a question of 
men and of their relative efficiency as 
members of the industrial order4 ,then1 
of course1 you must observe the         
individual traits that characterize the 
new farmer1 such as keenness1 business  
instinct1 readiness to adopt new        
methods1 and1 in fact1 all the qualities
 that make a man a success today in any 
calling4 ,for the new farmer1 in respect
 to his personal qualities1 is not a    
sport1 a phenomenon4 ,he does not stand 

out as a distinct and peculiar specimen4
 ,he is a successful ,american citizen  
who grows corn instead of making steel  
rails4  ,but you have not yet explained 
the new farmer4 ,these personal traits  
do not explain him4 ,it may be possible 
to explain an individual and his success
 by calling attention to his            
characteristics1 and yet you cannot     
completely analyze him and his career   
unless you understand the conditions    
under which he works--the industrial and
 social environment4 ,much less can you 
explain a class of people by describing 
their personal characteristics4 ,you    
must reach out into the great current of
 life that is about them1 and discern   
the direction and power of that current4
  ,now1 the conditions that tend to make
 the new farmer possible may be grouped 
in an old-fashioned way under two heads4
 ,in the old scientific phrases the two 
forces that make the new farmer are the 
struggle for life and environment1 or1  
to use other words1 competition and     

opportunity4  ,competition has pressed  
severely upon the farmer1 competition at
 home and competition from other        
countries4 ,at one time the heart of the
 wheat-growing industry of this country 
was near ,rochester1 ,n4 ,y41 in the    
,genesee ,valley2 but the canal and the 
railway soon made possible the          
occupation of the great granary of the  
west4 ,a multitude of ambitious young   
men soon took possession of that        
granary1 and the flour-mills were moved 
from ,rochester to ,minneapolis4 ,this  
is an old story1 but the same forces are
 still at work4 ,there has been         
developed a world-market4 ,the sheep of 
the ,australian bush have become        
competitors of the flocks that feed upon
 the green ,vermont mountains and the   
,ohio hills4 ,the plains of ,argentina  
grow wheat for ,london4 ,russia1        
,siberia1 and ,india pour a constant    
stream of golden grain into the         
industrial centers of ,western ,europe1 
and the price of ,american wheat is     

fixed in ,london4 ,these forces have    
produced still another kind of          
competition2 namely1 specialization     
among farmers4 ,localities particularly 
adapted to special crops are becoming   
centers where skill and intelligence    
bring the industry to its height4 ,the  
truck-farming of the ,south ,atlantic   
region1 the fruit growing of western    
,michigan1 the butter factories of      
,wisconsin and ,minnesota1 have crowded 
almost to suffocation the small         
market-gardener of the northern town1   
the man with a dozen peach trees1 and   
the farmer who keeps two cows and trades
 the surplus butter for calico4 ,these  
things have absolutely forced progress  
upon the farmer4 ,it is indeed a        
struggle for life4 ,out of it comes the 
survival of the fittest1 and the fittest
 is the new farmer4  ,but along with    
competition has come opportunity4       
,indeed1 out of these very facts that   
have made competition so strenuous      
spring the most marvelous opportunities 

for the progressive farmer4             
,specialization brings out the best that
 there is in the locality and the man4  
,it gives a chance to apply science to  
farming4 ,our transportation system     
permits the peach growers of ,grand     
,rapids to place their crops at a profit
 in the markets of ,buffalo and         
,pittsburg2 the rich orchards and       
vineyards of ,southern ,california find 
their chief outlet in the cities of the 
manufacturing ,northeast--three thousand
 miles away4 ,during the forty years1   
from #ahfj1 the exports of wheat from   
this country increased from four million
 bushels annually to one hundred and    
forty million bushels2 of corn1 from    
three and one-third million bushels to  
one hundred and seventy-five million    
bushels2 of beef products1 from twenty  
million pounds to three hundred and     
seventy million pounds2 of pork         
products1 from ninety-eight million     
pounds to seventeen hundred million     
pounds4 ,and not only do the grain and  

stock farmers find this outlet for their
 surplus products1 but we are beginning 
to ship abroad high-grade fruit and     
first-class dairy products in           
considerable quantities4 ,low rates of  
freight1 modern methods of              
refrigeration1 express freight trains1  
fast freight steamers--the whole        
machinery of the commercial and         
financial world are at the service of   
the new farmer4 ,science1 also1 has     
found a world of work in ministering to 
the needs of agriculture1 and in a      
hundred different ways the new farmer   
finds helps that have sprung up from the
 broadcast sowing of the hand of        
science4  ,but perhaps even more        
remarkable opportunities come to the new
 farmer in those social agencies that   
tend to remove the isolation of the     
country2 that assist in educating the   
farmer broadly2 that give farmers as a  
class more influence in legislature and 
congress1 and that1 in fine1 make rural 
life more worth the living4 ,the new    

farmer cannot be explained until one is 
somewhat familiar with the character of 
these rural social agencies4 ,they have 
already been enumerated and classified  
in a previous chapter2 they will be more
 fully described in subsequent chapters4
  ,it must not be supposed that every   
successful farmer is necessarily a      
supporter of all of these social        
agencies4 ,he may be a prosperous farmer
 just because he is good at the art of  
farming1 or because he is a keen        
business man4 ,but more and more he is  
coming to see that these things are     
opportunities that he cannot afford to  
disregard4 ,indeed1 some of these       
institutions are largely the creation of
 the new farmer himself4 ,he is using   
them as tools to fashion a better rural 
social structure4  ,but they also       
fashion him4 ,they serve to explain him1
 in great part4 ,competition inspires   
the farmer to his best efforts4 ,the    
opportunity offered by these new and    
growing advantages gives him the        

implements wherewith to make his        
rightful niche in the social and        
industrial system4  ,it would be        
erroneous to suppose that the new farmer
 is a rara avis4 ,he is not4 ,the spirit
 pervading the ranks of farmers is      
rapidly changing4 ,we have been in a    
state of transition in agriculture4 ,but
 the farther shore has been reached and 
the bridge is possible4 ,the army of    
rural advancement is being recruited    
with great rapidity4 ,the advance guard 
is more than a body of scouts1 it is an 
effective brigade4  ,i want also to make
 a plea for the mossback4 ,he must not  
be condemned utterly4 ,remember that    
competition among farmers has been      
intense2 that rural environment breeds  
conservatism4 ,remember also that the   
farmer cannot change his methods as     
rapidly as can some other business men4 
,remember1 too1 that there is           
comparatively small chance for          
speculation in agriculture2 that large  
aggregates of capital cannot be         

collected for farming1 and consequently1
 that the approved means for securing   
immense wealth1 great industrial        
advancement1 and huge enterprises are   
nearly absent in agriculture4 ,remember 
that the voices calling from the city   
deplete the country of many good farmers
 as well as of many poor ones4          
,moreover1 there are many men on farms  
who perhaps don't care for farming1 but 
who for some reason cannot get away4 ,on
 the farm a man need not starve2 he can 
make a livelihood4 ,doubtless this      
simple fact is responsible for a        
multitude of mossbacks4 ,they can live  
without strenuous endeavor4 ,possibly a 
good many of us are strenuous because we
 are pushed into it4 ,so ,i have a good 
deal of sympathy for the mossback1 and a
 mild sort of scorn for some of his     
critics1 who probably could not do any  
better than he is doing if they essayed 
the gentle art of agriculture4 ,i also  
have sympathy for the mossback          
particularly because he is the man that 

needs attention4 ,the new farmer takes  
the initiative4 ,he patronizes these    
opportunities that we have been talking 
about4 ,but the mossback1 because he is 
discouraged1 or because he is ignorant1 
or perhaps merely because he is         
conservative1 takes little interest in  
these things4 ,about one farmer in ten  
belongs to some sort of farmers'        
association4 ,thousands of farmers do   
not take an agricultural paper1 and     
perhaps millions of them have not read  
an agricultural book4 ,right here comes 
in another fact4 ,every new farmer when 
full grown competes with every mossback4
 ,the educated farmer makes it still    
harder for the ignorant farmer to       
progress4  ,the future of the ,american 
farmer is one of the most pregnant      
social problems with which we have to   
deal4 ,there is indeed an issue involved
 in the success of the new farmer that  
is still more fundamental than any yet  
mentioned4 ,the old farmer had a social 
standing that made him essentially a    

middle-class man4 ,he was a landholder1 
he was independent1 he was successful4  
,he was the typical ,american citizen4  
,the old farmer was father to the best  
blood of ,america4 ,his sons and his    
sons' sons have answered to the roll    
call of our country's warriors1         
statesmen1 writers1 captains of         
industry4  ,can the new farmer maintain 
the same relative social status8 ,and if
 he can1 is he to be an aristocrat1 a   
landlord1 a captain of industry1 and to 
bear rule over the mossback8 ,and is the
 tribe of mossbacks destined to increase
 and become a caste of permanent tenants
 or peasants8 ,is the future ,american  
farmer to be the typical new farmer of  
the present1 or are we traveling toward 
a social condition in which the tillers 
of the soil will be underlings8 ,is     
there coming a time when the man with   
the hoe will be the true picture of the 
,american farmer1 with a low standard of
 living1 without ideals1 without a      
chance for progress8  ,we must eliminate

 the mossback4 ,it is to be done largely
 by education and by co-operation4      
,there must be a campaign for rural     
progress4 ,there must be a union of the 
country school teacher1 of the          
agricultural college professor1 of the  
rural pastor1 of the country editor1    
with the farmers themselves1 for the    
production of an increased crop of new  
farmers4 ,anything that makes farm life 
more worth living1 anything that        
banishes rural isolation1 anything that 
dignifies the business of farming and   
makes it more prosperous1 anything that 
broadens the farmer's horizon1 anything 
that gives him a greater grasp of the   
rural movement1 anything that makes him 
a better citizen1 a better business man1
 or a better man1 means the passing of  
the mossback4     ,,chapter ,v          
,,culture ,,from ,,the ,,corn ,,lot#b   
,the question of questions that the     
college student asks himself is1 ,what  
am ,i going to be8 ,the surface query   
is1 ,what am ,i going to do8 ,but in his

 heart of hearts he ponders the deeper  
questions3 ,what may ,i become in real  
intellectual and moral worth8 ,how large
 a man1 measured by the divine          
standards1 will it be possible for me to
 grow into8  ,these are the great       
questions because growth is the great   
end of life4 ,that is what we are here  
for1 to grow4 ,to develop all our       
talents1 all our possibilities1 to      
increase our native powers of body1     
mind1 and soul--this is life4 ,it is    
important that we have a vocation4 ,we  
must do something1 and do it well4 ,but 
the real end is not in working at a     
profession but in developing our        
abilities4 ,our symmetrical growth is   
the measure of our success as human     
beings4  ,as the student looks out over 
the ocean of life and scans the horizon 
for signs of the wise course for him to 
take1 he should decide whether the      
particular mode of life that now appeals
 to him will yield the greatest possible
 measure of growth4 ,he must consult his

 tastes1 his talents1 his opportunities1
 his training4 ,and the test question   
is1 ,will this line of work yield me the
 growth1 the culture1 ,i desire8  ,but  
what are the elements that yield culture
 to an individual8 ,using culture in a  
very broad sense as a synonym for       
growth1 we may say that the things      
contributing most to the culture of the 
average person are his work1 his        
leisure1 and his service to others4 ,we 
may now try to answer the question we   
started with1 as it presents itself to  
many a student in the agricultural      
colleges of our country4 ,will          
agriculture as a business1 will the farm
 life and environment1 contribute to the
 growth which ,i desire for myself8 ,can
 ,i extract culture from the corn lot8  
,let us first see if the work or        
vocation of farming gives culture4 ,my  
answer would be that there is scarcely  
an occupation to be named that requires 
broader knowledge1 more accurate        
observation1 or the exercise of better  

judgment than does modern farming4 ,the 
farmer deals with the application of    
many sciences4 ,he must be an alert     
business man4 ,he requires executive    
talent of no mean order4 ,the study of  
his occupation in its wider phases leads
 him into direct contact with political 
economy1 social movements1 and problems 
of government4 ,the questions           
confronting him as a farmer relate      
themselves to the leading realms of     
human knowledge and experience4 ,i speak
 of course of the progressive farmer1   
who makes the best use of his           
opportunities4 ,he can hardly hope to   
become immensely wealthy1 but he can    
maintain that modest standard of living 
that usually is the lot of our most     
useful and cultured people and that     
ministers as a rule most fully to the   
ideal family life4 ,the truly modern    
farmer cannot help growing4  ,there is  
much hard work on the farm4 ,yet on the 
whole there is fully as much leisure as 
in most other occupations4 ,there is    

time to read1 and books are today so    
easily accessible that living in the    
country is no bar to the bookshelf4     
,better than time to read is time to    
think4 ,the farmer has always been a man
 who pondered things in his heart4 ,he  
has had a chance to meditate4 ,no       
culture is sound except it has been     
bought by much thinking2 all else is    
veneer4 ,farm life gives in good measure
 this time to think4 ,but it is in      
nature that the farmer finds or may find
 his most fertile field for culture4    
,here he is at home4 ,here he may revel 
if he will4 ,here he may find the       
sources of mind-liberation and of       
soul-emancipation4 ,he may be the envy  
of everyone who dwells in the city      
because he lives so near to nature's    
heart4 ,bird and flower1 sky and tree1  
rock and running brook speak to him a   
various language4 ,he may read ,god's   
classics1 listen to the music of divine 
harmonies1 and roam the picture         
galleries of the ,eternal4 ,so too in   

his dealings with his kind1 he lives    
close to men and women who are frank1   
virile1 direct1 clean1 independent4 ,the
 culture coming from such associations  
is above price4 ,one learns to pierce   
all shams1 to honor essential manhood1  
to keep pure the fountains of sympathy1 
ambition1 and love4 ,thus on the farm   
one may find full opportunity for that  
second means of culture1 leisure4       
,another powerful agency for cultivating
 the human soul is service4 ,indeed1    
service is the dynamic of life4 ,to be  
of use is the ambition that best        
stimulates real growth4 ,culture is the 
end of life1 the spirit of service the  
motive power4 ,so it is of this ,i would
 speak perhaps most fully1 not only     
because it is a vital means of culture1 
but because it is also peculiarly the   
privilege and duty of the college man   
and the college woman4 ,for let it be   
said that if any college student secures
 a diploma of any degree without having 
been seized upon by a high ambition to  

be of some use in the work of helping   
humanity forward1 then have that        
person's years of study been in vain1   
and his teaching also vain4 ,the college
 man comes not to be ministered unto but
 to minister4 ,he has been poorly taught
 if he leaves college with no thought   
but for his material success4 ,he must  
have had a vision of service1 his lips  
touched with a coal from the altar of   
social usefulness1 and his heart        
cultivated to respond to the call for   
any need he can supply1 ,here am ,i1    
send me4  ,i think it may safely be said
 that there is no field which offers    
better chance for leadership to the     
average college man or woman than does  
the farm4 ,take1 for instance1 politics4
 ,the majority of our states are        
agricultural states4 ,the majority of   
our counties are agricultural counties4 
,the agricultural vote is the           
determining factor in a large proportion
 of our elections4 ,it follows          
inevitably that honest1 strong farmers  

with the talent for leadership and the  
ability to handle themselves in         
competition with other political leaders
 have a marvelously fine chance for     
useful service4  ,so is it in           
educational questions4 ,nowhere may the 
citizen come into closer contact with   
the educational problems of the day than
 through service on the rural school    
board4 ,if he brings to this position   
trained intelligence1 some acquaintance 
with educational questions1 and a desire
 to keep in touch with the advancement  
of the times1 he can do for his         
community a service that can hardly be  
imagined4  ,take another field--that of 
organization for farmers1 constituting a
 problem of great significance4 ,as yet 
this class of people is relatively      
unorganized1 but the movement is growing
 and the need of well-trained leadership
 is vital4 ,i cannot speak too strongly 
of the chance here offered for active1  
intelligent1 masterful men and women in 
being of use as leaders and officials in

 the ,grange and other farmers'         
organizations4  ,so with the church     
question4 ,one of the reasons for the   
slow progress of the country church is  
the conservatism in the pews as well as 
in the pulpit4 ,the ardent member of the
 ,young ,men's ,christian ,association  
in college may feel that1 in the        
country1 there will be no outlet for his
 ambition to be of religious use to his 
fellow-men4 ,this is a mistake4 ,the    
work of the ,young ,men's ,christian    
,association itself in the country      
districts is just beginning1 and        
promises large growth4 ,wider service in
 the church1 a community federation or  
union of different churches1 the work of
 young people's societies and of the    
,sunday schools--all these afford       
abundant opportunity for the man or the 
woman qualified and willing4  ,there are
 other lines of usefulness4 ,although ,i
 have stated that on the farm the       
opportunities for personal culture are  
great1 it must be confessed that these  

opportunities are not fully utilized by 
the average farmer's family4 ,here then 
is a very wide field1 especially for the
 farmer's wife4 ,for if she is a        
cultivated college woman1 she can       
through the woman's club1 the ,grange1  
the school1 the nature-study club1 the  
traveling library1 and in scores of ways
 exercise an influence for good on the  
community that may have far greater     
results than would come from her efforts
 if expended in the average city4 ,the  
farm home too has latent capacities that
 are yet to be developed4 ,it ought to  
be the ideal home and1 in many cases1 it
 is4 ,but there are not enough of such  
ideal homes in the country4 ,no college 
woman with a desire to do her full      
service in the world ought for an       
instant to despise the chance for       
service as it exists on the farm4  ,all 
of these opportunities so briefly       
suggested might be enlarged upon almost 
indefinitely1 but the mere mention of   
them emphasizes the call for this       

service and this leadership4 ,nowhere   
are leaders more needed than in the     
country4 ,the country has been robbed of
 many of its strongest and best4 ,the   
city and perhaps the nation are gainers3
 but the country has suffered4 ,from one
 point of view1 the future of our       
farming communities depends upon the    
quality of leadership that we are to    
find there during the next generation4  
,so we come back to our question1 ,can  
the farm be made to yield to the man or 
woman1 residing upon it and making a    
living from it1 that measure of growth  
and all-round development that the      
ambitious person wishes to attain8 ,and 
our answer is1 ,yes4 ,in its work1 its  
leisure1 its field for service1 it may  
minister to sound culture4 ,if you love 
the life and work of the farm1 do not   
hesitate to choose that occupation for  
fear of becoming narrow or stunted4 ,you
 can live there the full1 free life4    
,you can grow to your full stature      
there4 ,you can get culture from the    

corn lot4  ,,footnote3  #b ,addressed to
 students in an agricultural college4   
,,the ,,agencies ,,of ,,progress        
,,chapter ,,vi  ,,education ,,for ,,the 
,,farmer   ,the two generations living  
subsequent to the year #ahge are to be  
witnesses of an era in ,american history
 that will be known as the age of       
industrial education4 ,these years are  
to be the boundaries of a period when   
the general principle that every        
individual shall be properly trained for
 his or her occupation in life is to    
receive its practical application4      
,future generations will doubtless      
extend marvelously the limits to which  
the principle can be pushed in its      
ministrations to human endeavor1 but we 
are in the time when the principle is   
first to receive general acceptation and
 is to be regarded as a fundamentally   
necessary fact of human progress4  ,we  
are already witnesses of the light4     
,even within the memory of young men has
 it come to pass that the old wine skins

 of the old educational institutions    
have been filled with the new wine of   
science and of knowledge and training   
applied to the industries and businesses
 of life4  ,agriculture has perhaps been
 slow to feel the current of the new    
wine as it flows from the wine press of 
fast-growing industrial and social need4
 ,but the least hopeful of us can1 ,i am
 sure1 already see signs of a vast      
awakening4 ,the farm1 as well as the    
pulpit1 the bar1 the schoolroom1 the    
shop1 the counting-room1 is breathing in
 the new idea that knowledge and        
training can be made of use to every    
man4  ,this awakening is due not merely 
to the desire of agriculturists to be in
 fashion1 nor to the efforts of         
agricultural pedagogues1 but to a real  
need4 ,it is common knowledge that in   
,america we have not farmed1 but have   
mined the soil4 ,we have skimmed the    
cream of fertility1 and passed on to    
conquer new areas of virgin soil4 ,this 
pioneer farming has required hard work1 

enterprise1 courage1 and all the noble  
traits of character that have made our  
,american pioneers famous and that have 
within a century subdued a wilderness to
 civilization4 ,but the farmer of today 
faces a new situation4 ,the fertile     
lands are fairly well occupied4 ,the old
 lands are depleted4 ,these old lands   
must be handled skilfully if they are to
 produce profitably4 ,they must be used 
because there is little else to use1 and
 because they are near the best markets4
 ,meantime1 scientists have been        
studying the deep things of nature1 and 
have been learning the laws that govern 
soil1 plant1 and animal4 ,thus we have  
the farmer's need met by the theorist's 
discoveries4 ,the farmer1 to avail      
himself of these discoveries must know  
their meaning and be able to apply the  
general principle to the specific case4 
,this means agricultural education4     
,then again1 the consumption of         
high-class products increases at least  
as rapidly as does our wealth4 ,the     

demand comes not alone from the rich1   
but from the middle classes of our      
cities4 ,skilled artisans are large     
consumers of choice meats1 fruits1 and  
vegetables4 ,to grow these high-grade   
products means skill1 and skill means   
training1 and training in the large     
sense means education4  ,the need for   
agricultural education1 is1 then1 a real
 and vital one4 ,it is pressed upon us  
by economic and social conditions4 ,it  
is in line with the movement of the age4
  ,in discussing agricultural education1
 we must not forget that the farmer is  
also a citizen and a man4 ,he should be 
an intelligent citizen1 and should      
therefore study questions of government4
 ,as a man1 he should be the equal of   
other men of his same social rank4 ,he  
therefore needs a good general          
education4 ,he is more than mere farmer4
 ,while as farmer he must connect his   
business with its environment and out of
 his surroundings gain sound culture2   
while he should know nature1 not only as

 its master1 but as its friend2 he      
should also be in sympathy with all that
 makes modern civilization worth while4 
,and even as mere farmer1 he finds      
himself face to face with grave social  
problems4 ,he must not only produce but 
he must sell1 and his selling powers are
 governed by conditions of the market1  
by transportation facilities and        
practices1 and are affected by the laws 
of the land4 ,hence he must be a student
 of these problems and must know the    
broad phases of agriculture and its     
relations to other industries4  ,no     
intelligent man doubts the need of      
agricultural education4 ,let us1 then1  
say a word about the kind of education  
demanded4 ,this question is settled very
 largely by the discussion we have just 
had about the need of this education4   
,first of all1 this education will give 
a fair mastery of the principles that   
govern proper soil management and plant 
and animal growth4 ,this is fundamental4
 ,the farmer is dealing with natural    

laws1 and he must know in them their    
applications4 ,he cannot be blind to    
their dominance4 ,they insist on        
recognition4 ,they are jealous masters  
and good servants4 ,nature serves only  
the man who obeys her4 ,to obey he must 
know4 ,the truth shall make him free4   
,how to secure larger crops of better   
products at less cost and still maintain
 soil fertility1 is the first demand of 
modern agriculture1 and its solution    
depends in large measure upon education4
  ,but education does not stop here4    
,the farmer is also a seller as well as 
a producer4 ,he is a business man4 ,he  
is manager of an industry4 ,he is an    
investor of capital4 ,so the question   
will arise1 ,can he get any help from   
education in the handling of the        
business phases of his farm8 ,he        
certainly can4 ,you cannot teach a man  
business in the sense of supplying him  
with good sense1 business judgment1     
ability to handle men1 and so on4 ,but  
you can study the general conditions    

that govern the business of agriculture1
 and you can report the results of your 
researches to the practical farmer2 and 
he1 if he is willing1 may learn much    
that will be helpful to him in deciding 
the many difficult questions that       
confront him as a business man4 ,farm   
administration in its largest sense     
will1 then1 be a most important phase of
 agricultural education4  ,it is quite  
possible for the individual farmer to   
succeed admirably if he is equipped with
 a sound training in the principles of  
production and in farm management4 ,but 
there are still larger questions that   
farmers as a class must meet if         
agriculture is to have its full success 
and if the farmer himself is to occupy  
the social position he ought to have4   
,agriculture is an industry among       
industries4 ,farmers are a class among  
classes4 ,as an industry1 agriculture   
has relations to other industries4 ,it  
is subject to economic laws4 ,it        
involves something more than growing and

 selling4 ,the nature of the market1    
railroad rates1 effects of the tariff   
and of taxation1 are questions vital to 
agriculture4 ,so with the farmers       
socially considered4 ,their             
opportunities for social life1 their    
school facilities1 their church         
privileges1 their associations and      
organizations--all these are important  
matters4 ,so agricultural education will
 not fail to call attention to these    
larger questions4  ,the well-educated   
farmer will1 then1 be trained in three  
lines of thought--first1 that which     
deals with the growth of products2      
second1 that which deals with the       
selling of products2 and third1 that    
which deals with agriculture as an      
industry and farmers as a class of      
people4  ,we may next discuss as briefly
 as possible the methods by which       
agricultural education may be advanced4 
,we may not consider all of them1 but   
rather attend only to some of those     
agencies that seem of peculiar interest 

just at this time4  ,there is one       
underlying requisite of successful      
agricultural education that is          
all-important4 ,it is faith in          
agriculture4 ,any man to succeed grandly
 must have absolute faith in his        
business4 ,so the farmer must believe in
 agriculture4 ,agriculture cannot attain
 its highest rank unless the men engaged
 in it believe in it most profoundly4   
,they must believe that a man can make  
money in farming4 ,they must love the   
farm life and surroundings4 ,they must  
believe that the best days of           
agriculture are ahead of us1 not behind 
us4 ,they must believe that men can find
 in agriculture a chance to use brains  
and to develop talents and to utilize   
education4 ,agricultural education rests
 on this faith4 ,give us a state filled 
with such farmers and we can guarantee a
 strong system of agricultural          
education4 ,but the seeds of education  
cannot grow in a soil barren of the     
richness of sentiment for and confidence

 in the farm4 ,our agricultural colleges
 have been criticized because they have 
graduated so few farmers4 ,but the fault
 is not all with the colleges4 ,the     
farmers also are to blame4 ,they have   
not had faith enough in the farm to     
advise young men to go to college to    
prepare for farming4 ,they admit the    
value of education for the law1 for     
building railroads1 but not for farming4
 ,this must be changed1 is being        
changed4 ,the last ten years have seen a
 revolution in this respect1 and the    
result is a mighty increase in          
agricultural educational interest4  ,one
 powerful means of agricultural         
education is the farmers' organization  
or association4 ,all our dairy1         
horticultural1 poultry1 and live-stock  
associations are great educators4 ,so of
 an organization like the ,grange1 its  
chief work is education4 ,it brings mind
 in contact with mind2 it gives chance  
for discussion and interchange of ideas2
 it trains in power of expression2 it   

teaches the virtue of co-operation4     
,farmers blunder when they fail to      
encourage organization4 ,sometimes1 out 
of foolish notions of independence1 they
 neglect to unite their forces4 ,they   
are utterly blind to their best         
interests when they do so4 ,they should 
encourage organization if for no other  
reason than for the splendid educational
 advantages that flow from it4          
,however1 our chief interest is1        
perhaps1 in those institutions that are 
formed purposely and especially for     
agricultural education and which are    
usually supported out of public funds4  
,there are three great fields of        
endeavor in which these institutions are
 working4 ,the first step is to know--to
 know the truth4 ,so in agriculture we  
must know4 ,know what8 ,know how nature 
works4 ,so the man of science studies   
the soil and finds out what plant-food  
it contains1 how the water acts in it1  
what heat and air do1 and the           
inter-relation of all these elements4   

,he studies the plant and its habits and
 tries to discover how it grows and how 
it can be improved for man's use4 ,he   
studies the animal and endeavors to     
learn what are the best foods for it and
 what laws govern its adaptation to     
human food4 ,he studies climate and     
tries to find out what plants and       
animals are most appropriate to         
different locations4 ,he studies        
injurious insects and diseases and      
devises remedies for them4 ,he          
discovers1 experiments4 ,so we have     
research as the first term in           
agricultural education4 ,the            
institutions of research are our        
experiment stations and ,united ,states 
,department of ,agriculture4 ,their work
 may be likened to the plowing of the   
field4 ,they strive to know how nature  
works1 and how man can make use of her  
laws in the growing of plant and animal4
  ,the next thing is to teach4 ,the     
farmer too must know4 ,knowledge        
confined to the scientist has little    

practical use4 ,it is the farmer who can
 use it4 ,moreover1 new teachers must be
 trained1 new experimenters equipped1   
and leaders in every direction prepared4
 ,so we have agricultural colleges and  
schools4 ,if experiment is to be likened
 to plowing1 the work of the schools may
 be compared to sowing and cultivating4 
,agricultural colleges have been in     
existence in ,america almost fifty      
years4 ,their careers have been both    
inspiring and disappointing4 ,they have 
had to train their own teachers1 create 
a body of knowledge1 break down the bars
 of educational prejudice4 ,this work   
has taken time4 ,the results justify the
 time and effort4 ,for today            
agricultural education is becoming      
organized1 the subjects of study are    
well planned1 and competent men are     
teaching and experimenting4 ,the        
disappointment is twofold4 ,they have   
not graduated as many farmers as they   
should have4 ,this is due not wholly to 
wrong notions in the colleges4 ,it is1  

as suggested before1 partly due to the  
lack of faith in agriculture on the part
 of the farmers themselves4 ,but the    
colleges are in part to blame4 ,many of 
them have not been in close touch with  
the farmers4 ,they have often been out  
of sympathy with the interests of the   
farmers4 ,they have too frequently been 
servile imitators of the traditions of  
the older colleges1 instead of striking 
out boldly on a line of original and    
helpful work for agriculture4 ,today1   
however1 we see a rapid change going on 
in most of our agricultural colleges4   
,they are seeking to help solve the     
farmers' difficulties4 ,they are        
training young men for farm life4 ,the  
farmers are responding to this new      
interest and are beginning to have great
 confidence in the colleges4  ,it is    
sometimes said that most farmers who get
 an agricultural education cannot be    
trained in the colleges4 ,doubtless this
 is true4 ,probably a very small        
proportion even of educated farmers can 

or will graduate from a full course in  
an agricultural college4 ,many will do  
so4 ,there is no reason why a large     
proportion of the graduates of our      
college courses in agriculture may not  
go to the farm4 ,i have no sympathy with
 the idea that those courses are too    
elaborate for those young men who want  
to farm4 ,it must be recognized1        
however1 that even if our agricultural  
colleges shall graduate hundreds and    
thousands every year who return to the  
farm1 it still leaves the great majority
 of farmers untouched in an educational 
way unless other means are devised4 ,but
 there are other means at hand4  ,we    
have first the agricultural school4 ,the
 typical agricultural high school gives 
a course of two or three years1 offering
 work of high-school grade in           
mathematics and ,english1 with about    
half the time devoted to teaching in    
agriculture4 ,many young men want to get
 an insight into the principles of      
modern agriculture1 but cannot afford   

time or money for college work4 ,this   
course fits their need4 ,a splendid     
school of this design has been in       
successful operation in ,minnesota for  
more than a dozen years1 and has nearly 
five hundred students4 ,in ,wisconsin   
there are two county schools of         
agriculture for a similar purpose4      
,other schools could be named4  ,the    
agricultural colleges also offer shorter
 courses of college grade1 perhaps of   
two years4 ,these are very practical and
 useful courses4 ,not only that1 but    
nearly all the colleges give special    
winter courses of from ten days to      
fourteen weeks4 ,these are patronized by
 thousands of young men4 ,so in many    
ways are the colleges meeting the need4 
,we all agree that it is desirable for a
 young man to take a full college       
course1 even in agriculture4 ,but it is 
better to have a half-loaf than no      
bread4 ,yes1 better to have a slice than
 no bread4 ,the colleges furnish the    
whole loaf1 the half-loaf1 and the      

slice4 ,and young men are nourished by  
all4  ,one reason why agricultural      
education has not made more rapid       
progress is because the children of the 
country schools have been taught in such
 a manner as to lead them to think that 
there is no chance for brains in        
farming4 ,both their home influence and 
their school atmosphere have1 in most   
cases perhaps1 been working against     
their choice of agriculture as a        
vocation4 ,it therefore becomes         
important that these children shall be  
so taught that they can see the         
opportunity in farming4 ,they must1     
moreover1 be so trained that they will  
be nature students2 for the farmer above
 all men must be a nature student4 ,so  
we see the need of introducing into our 
rural schools nature-study for the young
 pupils and elementary agriculture for  
the older ones4 ,this is being          
successfully accomplished in many cases1
 and is arousing the greatest interest  
and meeting with gratifying success4 ,we

 shall within ten years have a new      
generation of young men and women ready 
for college who have had their eyes     
opened as never before to the beauties  
of nature and to the fascination there  
is in the farmer's task of using nature 
for his own advantage4  ,but when we    
have increased the attendance at our    
agricultural colleges tenfold2 when we  
have hundreds of agricultural schools   
teaching thousands of our youth the     
fundamentals of agriculture2 when each  
rural school in our broad land is       
instilling into the minds of children   
the nearness and beauty of nature and is
 teaching the young eyes to see and the 
young ears to hear what ,god hath       
wrought in his many works of land and   
sea and sky1 in soil1 and plant1 and    
living animal--even when that happy day 
shall dawn will we find multitudes of   
men and women on our farms still        
untouched by agricultural education4    
,these people must be reached4 ,the mere
 fact that their school days are forever

 behind them is no reason why they shall
 not receive somewhat of the inspiration
 and guidance that flow from the        
schools4 ,so we have an imperative      
demand for the extension of agricultural
 teaching out from the schools to the   
farm community4 ,the school thus not    
only sheds its light upon those who are 
within its gates1 but sets out on the   
beautiful errand of carrying this same  
light into every farm home in the land4 
,this work is being done today by       
thousands of farmers' institutes1 by    
demonstrations in spraying and in many  
other similar lines1 by home-study      
courses and correspondence courses1 by  
co-operative experiments1 by the        
distribution of leaflets and bulletins1 
by lectures at farmers' gatherings1 by  
traveling schools of dairying4 ,these   
methods and others like them are being  
invoked for the purpose of bringing to  
the farmers in their homes and          
neighborhoods some of the benefits that 
the colleges and schools bestow upon    

their pupils4  ,we have seen something  
of the need of agricultural education1  
of the kind of education required1 and  
of the means used to secure it4 ,does   
not this discussion at least show the   
supreme importance of the question8     
,will not the farmers rally themselves  
to and league themselves with the men   
who are trying to forward the best      
interests of the farm8 ,shall we not all
 work together for the betterment both  
of the farm and of the farmer8          
,,chapter ,,vii  ,,farmers' ,,institutes
   ,a decade and a half ago1 there was a
 vigorous campaign for the establishment
 of university extension throughout the 
,united ,states4 ,generally speaking the
 campaign was a losing one--with but a  
few successes amid general failure4 ,but
 many years before this agitation1 there
 was begun a work among farmers1 which  
in form and spirit was university       
extension1 and which has constantly     
developed until it is today one of the  
most potent among the forces making for 

rural progress4 ,this work has been done
 chiefly by what are now universally    
known as farmers' institutes4  ,the     
typical farmers' institute is a meeting 
usually lasting two days1 held for the  
purpose of discussing subjects that     
relate to the interests of farmers1 more
 particularly those of a practical      
character4 ,as a rule1 the speakers to  
whom set topics are assigned are        
composed of two classes3 the first class
 is made up of experts1 either          
professors or experimenters in          
agricultural colleges and similar       
institutions1 or practical farmers who  
have made such a study of1 and such a   
conspicuous success in1 some branch of  
agriculture that they may well be called
 experts2 the second class comprises    
farmers living in the locality in which 
the institute is held4 ,the experts are 
expected to understand general          
principles or methods1 and the local    
speakers the conditions peculiar to the 
neighborhood4  ,the meeting usually     

begins in the forenoon and ends with the
 afternoon session of the second        
day--five sessions being held4 ,as a    
rule1 not over two or three separate    
topics are treated in any one session1  
and in a well-planned institute topics  
of a like character are grouped         
together1 so that there may be a fruit  
session1 a dairy session1 etc4 ,each    
topic is commonly introduced by a talk  
or paper of twenty to forty minutes'    
length4 ,this is followed by a general  
discussion in which those in the        
audience are invited to ask questions of
 the speaker relevant to the topic under
 consideration1 or to express opinions  
and give experiences of their own4      
,this is a rough outline of the average 
farmers' institute1 but of course there 
are many variations4 ,there are one-day 
meetings and there are three-day        
meetings1 and in recent years the       
one-day meetings have grown in favor2 in
 some states local speakers take little 
part2 in some institutes a question-box 

is a very prominent feature1 in others  
it is omitted altogether2 in some cases 
the evening programme is made up of     
educational topics1 or of home topics1  
or is even arranged largely for         
amusement2 in other instances the       
evening session is omitted4 ,in most    
institutes women are recognized through 
programme topics of special interest to 
them4  ,it is not important to trace the
 early history of the farmers' institute
 movement1 and indeed it is not very    
easy to say precisely when and where the
 modern institute originated4 ,farmers' 
meetings of various sorts were held     
early in the century4 ,as far back as   
#ahec the secretary of the              
,massachusetts ,board of ,agriculture   
recommended that farmers' institutes be 
made an established means of            
agricultural education4 ,by #ahga       
,illinois and ,iowa held meetings called
 farmers' institutes1 itinerant in      
character1 and designed to call together
 both experts and farmers1 but neither  

state kept up the work systematically4  
,both ,vermont and ,new ,hampshire have 
held institutes annually since #ahga1   
though they did not bear that name in   
the early years4 ,michigan has a unique 
record1 having held regularly1 since    
#ahgf1 annual farmers' institutes1 so   
known and designated1 which always have 
contained practically the essential     
features of the present-day institute4  
,the ,michigan legislature passed a law 
in #ahfa providing for lectures to      
others than students of the             
,agricultural ,college1 and has made    
biennial appropriations for institutes  
since #ahgg4 ,ohio1 in #ahha1 extended  
the institute idea to include every     
county in the state4  ,more important   
than the origin of the farmers'         
institute movement is the present       
status4 ,practically every state and    
territory in the ,union carries on      
institutes under some form or other4 ,in
 somewhat more than half the states1 the
 authorities of the land-grant colleges 

have charge of the work4 ,in the other  
states1 the board of agriculture or the 
department of agriculture has control4  
,in #aije-f there were held #c1ejj      
institutes1 in #de states and           
territories1 with a total reported      
attendance of #a1cjj1jjj people1 at a   
cost of nearly #cej1jjj4 ,the work is   
largely supported by the state          
treasuries1 some of the states showing a
 most generous spirit4 ,the annual state
 appropriations for the work in leading 
institute states are as follows3        
,pennsylvania1 #bj1ejj2 ,new ,york1     
#bj1jjj2 ,minnesota1 #ah1jjj2 ,illinois1
 #ag1aej2 ,ohio1 #af1gdg2 ,wisconsin1   
#ab1jjj2 ,indiana1 #aj1jjj4 ,in these   
states practically every county has     
annually from one to five institutes4   
,institutes in no two states are managed
 in the same way1 but the system has    
fitted itself to local notions and      
perhaps to local needs4 ,a rough        
division may be made--those states which
 have some form of central control and  

those which do not have4 ,even among    
states having a central management are  
found all degrees of centralization2    
,wisconsin and ,ohio may be taken as the
 extremes4 ,in ,wisconsin the director  
of institutes1 who is an employee of the
 university1 has practically complete   
charge of the institutes4 ,he assigns   
the places where the meetings are to be 
held1 basing his decision upon the      
location of former institutes in the    
various counties1 upon the eagerness    
which the neighborhoods seem to manifest
 toward securing the institute1 etc4 ,he
 arranges the programme for each        
meeting1 suiting the topics and speakers
 to local needs1 prepares advertising   
materials1 and sets the dates of the    
meeting4 ,a local correspondent looks   
after a proper hall for meeting1        
distributes the advertising posters1 and
 bears a certain responsibility for the 
success of the institute4 ,meetings are 
arranged in series1 and a corps of two  
or three lecturers is sent by the       

director upon a week's tour4 ,one of    
these lecturers is called a conductor4  
,he usually presides over the institute 
and keeps the discussions in proper     
channels4 ,practice makes him an expert4
 ,the state lecturers do most of the    
talking4 ,local speakers do not bear any
 large share in the programme4          
,questions are freely asked1 however4   
,ohio has an institute society in each  
county1 and this society largely        
controls its own institutes4 ,the       
secretary of the ,state ,board of       
,agriculture1 who has charge of the     
system1 assigns dates and speakers to   
each institute4 ,after that everything  
is in the hands of the local society1   
which chooses the topics to be presented
 by the state speakers1 advertises the  
meeting1 and the society president acts 
as presiding officer4 ,local speakers   
usually occupy half the time4  ,it does 
not seem as if either of these plans in 
its entirety were ideal--the one an     
extreme of centralized control1 the     

other an extreme of local management4   
,yet in practice both plans work well4  
,no states in the ,union have better    
institutes nor better results from      
institute work than ,wisconsin and      
,ohio4 ,skill1 intelligence1 and tact   
count for more than particular          
institutions4  ,new ,york may be said to
 follow the ,wisconsin plan4 ,minnesota 
goes even a step farther2 instead of    
holding several series of institutes    
simultaneously in different parts of the
 state1 attended by different crews1 the
 whole corps of state speakers attends  
every institute4 ,no set programmes are 
arranged4 ,everything depends upon local
 conditions4 ,this system is expensive1 
but under present guidance very         
effective4 ,michigan1 ,indiana1 and     
,pennsylvania have adopted systems which
 are a mean between the plan of         
centralization and the plan of          
localization4 ,illinois has a plan      
admirably designed to encourage local   
interest1 while providing for central   

management4  ,few other states have     
carried institute work so far as the    
states already named1 and in some cases 
there seems to be a prejudice against a 
well-centralized and fully-developed    
system--a feeling that each locality may
 be self-sufficing in institute work4   
,but this attitude is wearing away1 for 
experience serves to demonstrate fully  
the value of system4 ,the danger of     
centralization is bureaucracy2 but in   
institute work1 if the management fails 
to provide for local needs1 and to      
furnish acceptable speakers1 vigorous   
protests soon correct the aberration4   
,it has been stated that in ,america we 
have no educational system--that        
spontaneity is the dominant feature of  
,american education4 ,this is certainly 
true of farmers' institutes4 ,so it has 
transpired that numerous special        
features have come in to use in various 
states--features of value and interest4 
,it may be worth while to suggest some  
of the more characteristic of these     

features1 without attempting an exact   
category4  ,formerly the only way in    
which women were recognized at the      
institutes was by home and social topics
 on the programme1 though women have    
always attended the meetings freely4    
,some years ago ,minnesota and          
,wisconsin added women speakers to their
 list of state speakers1 and in the case
 of ,wisconsin1 at least1 held a        
separate session for women1             
simultaneously with one or two sessions 
of the regular institute1 with          
demonstration lectures in cooking as the
 chief features4 ,michigan holds women's
 sections in connection with institutes1
 but general topics are taken up4 ,in   
,ontario separate women's institutes    
have been organized4 ,in ,illinois a    
,state ,association of ,domestic        
,science has grown out of the           
institutes4 ,thus institute work has    
broadened to the advantage of farm      
women4  ,at many institutes there are   
exhibits of farm and domestic           

products--a sort of midwinter fair4     
,oftentimes the merchants of the town in
 which the institute is held offer      
premiums as an inducement to the        
farmers4  ,in ,wisconsin an educational 
feature of much value takes the form of 
stock-judging--usually at the regular   
autumn fairs4 ,the judges give their    
reasons for their decisions1 thus       
emphasizing the qualities that go to    
make up a perfect or desirable animal4  
,in several states there is held an     
annual state institute called a         
round-up1 closing institute1 or the     
like4 ,it is intended to be a largely   
attended and representative state       
convention of agriculturists1 for the   
purpose of discussing topics of general 
interest to men and women from the      
farms4 ,these meetings are frequently   
very large and enthusiastic gatherings4 
,the county institute society is a part 
of the organization in some instances   
very well developed4 ,it gives          
permanency to the work and arouses local

 interest and pride4  ,the development  
of men and women into suitable state    
speakers is an interesting phase4 ,as a 
rule the most acceptable speakers are   
men who have made a success in some     
branch of farming1 and who also have    
cultivated the gift of clear and simple 
expression4 ,not a few of these men     
become adepts in public speaking and    
achieve a reputation outside of their   
own states4 ,in several states there is 
held a normal institute--an autumn      
meeting lasting a week or two weeks1 and
 bringing together1 usually at the state
 college of agriculture1 the men who are
 to give the lectures at the institutes 
of the winter to follow4 ,the object of 
the gathering is to bring the lecturers 
into close contact with the latest      
things in agricultural science1 and to  
train them for more effective work4  ,a 
few years ago the ,united ,states       
,department of ,agriculture employed an 
experienced institute director to give  
all his time to the study and promotion 

of farmers' institutes4 ,this incident  
is suggestive of the important place    
which institutes have secured in the    
work for better farming4  ,the results  
of a generation of institute work are   
not easy to summarize4 ,it is safe to   
make a broad generalization by asserting
 that this form of agricultural         
education has contributed in a          
remarkable degree to better farming4    
,the best methods of farming have been  
advocated from the institute platform4  
,agricultural college professors1 and   
agricultural experimenters have talked  
of the relations of science to practical
 farming4 ,the farmers have come to     
depend upon the institute as a means for
 gaining up-to-date information4  ,and  
if institutes have informed1 they have  
also done what is still better--they    
have inspired4 ,they have gone into many
 a dormant farm community and awakened  
the whole neighborhood to a quicker     
life4 ,they have started discussions1   
set men thinking1 brought in a breath of

 fresh air4 ,they have given to many a  
farmer an opportunity for               
self-development as a ready speaker4    
,other educational agencies1 such as the
 agricultural colleges and experiment   
stations1 have profited by institutes4  
,no one thing has done more than the    
institutes to popularize agricultural   
education1 to stir up interest in the   
colleges1 to make the farmers feel in   
touch with the scientists4  ,farmers'   
institutes are a phase of university    
extension1 and it is as a part of the   
extension movement that they are bound  
to increase in value and importance4    
,reading-courses and                    
correspondence-courses are growing      
factors in this extension movement1 but 
the power of the spoken word is         
guarantee that the farmers' institute   
cannot be superseded in fact4 ,and it is
 worth noting again1 that while         
university extension has not been the   
success in this country which its       
friends of a decade ago fondly          

prophesied for it1 its humbler          
cousin--agricultural college            
extension--has been a conspicuous       
success1 and is acquiring a constantly  
increasing power among the educational  
agencies that are trying to deal with   
the farm problem4     ,,chapter ,,viii  
,,the ,,hesperia ,,movement   ,the gulf 
between parent and teacher is too common
 a phenomenon to need exposition4 ,the  
existence of the chasm is probably due  
more to carelessness1 to the pressure of
 time1 or to indolence than to any more 
serious delinquencies2 yet all will     
admit the disastrous effects that flow  
from the fact that there is not the     
close intellectual and spiritual        
sympathy that there should be between   
the school and the home4 ,it needs no   
argument to demonstrate the value of any
 movement that has for its purpose the  
bridging of the gulf4 ,but it is an omen
 of encouragement to find that there are
 forces at work designed to bring       
teacher and school patron into a closer 

working harmony4 ,a statement of the    
history and methods of some of these    
agencies may therefore well have a place
 in a discussion of rural progress4 ,for
 the movements to be described are      
essentially rural-school movements4 ,of 
first interest is an attempt which has  
been made in the state of ,michigan to  
bridge the gulf--to create a common     
standing-ground for both teacher and    
parent--and on that basis to carry on an
 educational campaign that it is hoped  
will result in the many desirable       
conditions which1 a priori1 might be    
expected from such a union4 ,at present 
the movement is confined practically to 
the rural schools4 ,it consists in the  
organization of a county ,teachers and  
,patrons' ,association1 with a          
membership of teachers and school       
patrons1 properly officered4 ,its chief 
method of work is to hold one or more   
meetings a year1 usually in the country 
or in small villages1 and the programme 
is designed to cover educational        

questions in such a way as to be of     
interest and profit to both teachers and
 farmers4  ,this movement was indigenous
 to ,michigan--its founders worked out  
the scheme on their own initiative1 and 
to this day its promoters have never    
drawn upon any resources outside the    
state for suggestion or plan4 ,but if   
the friends of rural education elsewhere
 shall be attracted by this method of   
solving one of the vexed phases of their
 problem1 ,i hope that they will        
describe it as the ,hesperia movement4  
,for the movement originated in         
,hesperia1 was developed there1 and its 
entire success in ,hesperia was the     
reason for its further adoption4        
,hesperia deserves any renown that may  
chance to come from the widespread      
organization of ,teachers and ,patrons' 
,associations4  ,and where is ,hesperia8
 ,it lies about forty miles north and   
west of ,grand ,rapids--a mere dot of a 
town1 a small country village at least  
twelve or fifteen miles from any        

railroad4 ,it is on the extreme eastern 
side of ,oceana ,county1 surrounded by  
fertile farming lands1 which have been  
populated by a class of people who may  
be taken as a type of progressive1      
successful1 intelligent ,american       
farmers4 ,many of them are of ,scotch   
origin4 ,partly because of their native 
energy1 partly1 perhaps1 because their  
isolation made it necessary to develop  
their own institutions1 these people    
believe in and support good schools1 the
 ,grange1 and many progressive          
movements4  ,for several years there had
 existed in ,oceana ,county the usual   
county teachers' association4 ,but1     
because ,hesperia was so far from the   
center of the county1 and because it was
 not easily accessible1 the teachers who
 taught schools in the vicinity could   
rarely secure a meeting of the          
association at ,hesperia2 and in turn   
they found it difficult to attend the   
meetings held in the western part of the
 county4 ,a few years ago it chanced    

that this group of teachers was composed
 of especially bright1 energetic1 and   
original young men and women4 ,they     
determined to have an association of    
their own4 ,it occurred to someone that 
it would add strength to their          
organization if the farmers were asked  
to meet with them4 ,the idea seemed to  
take1 and the meetings became quite     
popular4 ,this was during the winter of 
#ahhe-hf4 ,special credit for this early
 venture belongs to ,mr4 ,e4 ,l4        
,brooks1 still of ,hesperia and an      
ex-president of the present association1
 and to ,dr4 ,c4 ,n4 ,sowers1 of ,benton
 ,harbor1 ,mich41 who was one of the    
teachers during the winter named1 and   
who was elected secretary of the ,board 
of ,school ,examiners in #ahhg4 ,mr4    
,brooks writes3        ,the programmes  
were so arranged that the participants  
in      discussions and in the reading  
of papers were about equally divided    
between teachers and patrons4 ,an active
 interest was awakened from      the    

start4 ,for one thing1 it furnished a   
needed social gathering      during the 
winter for the farmers4 ,the meetings   
were held on      ,saturdays1 and the   
schoolhouse favored was usually well    
filled4 ,the      meetings were not held
 at any one schoolhouse1 but were made  
to      circulate among the different   
schools4 ,these gatherings were so      
successful that similar societies were  
organized in other portions      of the 
country4   ,in #ahib1 ,mr4 ,d4 ,e4      
,mc,clure1 who has since 7#ahif-aijj7   
been deputy superintendent of public    
instruction of ,michigan1 was elected   
county-school commissioner of ,oceana   
,county4 ,mr4 ,mc,clure is a man of     
great enthusiasm and made a most        
successful commissioner4 ,he conceived  
the idea that this union of teachers and
 patrons could be made of the greatest  
value1 in stimulating both teachers and 
farmers to renewed interest in the real 
welfare of the children as well as a    
means of securing needed reforms4 ,his  

first effort was to prepare a list of   
books suitable for pupils in all grades 
of the rural schools4 ,he also prepared 
a rural lecture-course1 as well as a    
plan for securing libraries for the     
schools4 ,all these propositions were   
adopted by a union meeting of teachers  
and farmers4 ,his next step was to unite
 the interests of eastern ,oceana       
,county and western ,newaygo ,county    
7,newaygo lying directly east of        
,oceana71 and in #ahic there was        
organized the ,oceana and ,newaygo      
,counties ,joint ,grangers and          
,teachers' ,association1 the word       
,granger being inserted because of the  
activity of the ,grange in support of   
the movement4 ,mr4 ,mc,clure has        
pardonable pride in this effort of his1 
and his own words will best describe the
 development of the movement3           
,this association meets ,thursday night 
and continues in session      until     
,saturday night4 ,some of the best      
speakers in ,america have      addressed

 the association4 ,dr4 ,arnold          
,tompkins1 in speaking before      the  
association1 said it was a wonderful    
association and the only      one of its
 character in the ,united ,states4      
,what was my ideal in organizing such   
associations8       #a4 ,to unite the   
farmers who pay the taxes that support  
the schools1      the home-makers1 the  
teachers1 the pupils1 into a            
co-operative work      for better       
rural-school education4       #b4 ,to   
give wholesome entertainment in the     
rural districts1 which      from        
necessity are more or less isolated4    
#c4 ,to create a taste for good         
,american literature in home and        
school1 and higher ideals of            
citizenship4       #d4 ,summed up in    
all1 to make the rural schools          
character-builders1      to rid the     
districts of surroundings which destroy 
character1 such      as unkept school   
yards1 foul1 nasty outhouses1 poor1     
unfit      teachers4 ,these reforms1 you

 understand1 come only through a        
healthy educational sentiment which is  
aroused by a sympathetic                
co-operation of farm1 home1 and school4 
,what results have ,i been able to      
discover growing out of this work8      
,ideals grow so slowly that one cannot  
measure much progress in a      few     
years4 ,we are slaves to conditions1 no 
matter how hard1 and we      suffer them
 to exist rather than arouse ourselves  
and shake them      off4 ,the immediate 
results are better schools1 yards1      
out-buildings1 schoolrooms1 teachers1   
literature for rural people      to     
read4       ,many a father and mother   
whose lives have been broken upon the   
wheel of labor have heard some of       
,america's orators1 have read some      
of the world's best books1 because of   
this movement1 and their      lives have
 been made happier1 more influential1   
more hopeful4       ,thousands of people
 have been inspired1 made better1 at the
      ,hesperia meetings4   ,in western 

,michigan the annual gathering at       
,hesperia is known far and wide as the  
big meeting4 ,the following extract from
 the ,michigan ,moderator-,topics       
indicates in the editor's breezy way the
 impression the meeting for #aijf made  
upon an observer3        ,hesperia      
scores another success4 ,riding over the
 fourteen miles      from the railroad  
to ,hesperia with ,governor ,warner and 
,d4 ,e4      ,mc,clure1 we tried to make
 the latter believe that the crowd would
      not be forthcoming on that first  
night of the fourteenth annual      big 
meeting4 ,it was zero weather and mighty
 breezy4 ,for such a      movement to   
succeed two years is creditable1 to hold
 out for five      is wonderful1 to last
 ten is marvelous1 but to grow bigger   
and      better for fourteen years is a 
little short of miraculous4 ,mc,clure   
is recognized as the father of the      
movement and his faith didn't      waver
 a hair's breadth4 ,and sure enough     
there was the      crowd--standing room 

only1 to hear the governor and see the  
great      cartoonist ,j4 ,t4           
,mc,cutcheon of the ,chicago ,tribune4  
,for three      evenings and two days   
the big hall is crowded with patrons1   
pupils      and teachers from the towns 
and country round4 ,during the fourteen 
years that these meetings have been     
held1 the country community has         
heard some of the world's greatest      
speakers4 ,the plan has been            
adopted by other counties in ,michigan  
and other states both east      and     
west4 ,its possibilities are well-nigh  
unlimited and its power      for good is
 immeasurable4 ,everyone connected with 
it may well feel      proud of the      
success attending the now famous        
,hesperia ,movement4   ,in #ahig1 ,kent 
,county1 ,michigan 7of which ,grand     
,rapids is the county seat71 organized a
 ,teachers and ,patrons' ,association   
that is worth a brief description1      
although in more recent years its work  
has been performed by other agencies4   

,it nevertheless serves as a good       
example of a well-organized association 
designed to unite the school and home   
interests of rural communities4 ,it was 
for several years signally successful in
 arousing interest in all parts of the  
county4 ,besides1 it made a departure   
from the ,oceana-,newaygo plan which    
must be considered advantageous for most
 counties4 ,the ,hesperia meeting is an 
annual affair1 with big crowds and      
abundant enthusiasm4 ,the ,kent ,county 
association was itinerant4 ,the         
membership included teachers1 school    
officers1 farmers generally1 and even   
pupils4 ,an attempt was made to hold    
monthly meetings during the school year1
 but for various reasons only five or   
six meetings a year were held4 ,the     
meetings usually occurred in some       
,grange hall1 the ,grange furnishing    
entertainment for the guests4 ,there    
were usually three sessions--,friday    
evening and ,saturday forenoon and      
afternoon4 ,the average attendance was  

nearly five hundred1 about one-tenth    
being teachers2 many teachers as well as
 farmers went considerable distances to 
attend4  ,the ,kent ,county association 
did not collect any fees from its       
members1 the ,teachers' ,institute fund 
of the county being sufficient to       
provide for the cost of lectures at the 
association meetings4 ,permission for   
this use of the fund was obtained from  
the state superintendent of public      
instruction4 ,some counties have a      
membership fee2 at ,hesperia1 the fee is
 #ej cents1 and a membership ticket     
entitles its holder to a reserved seat  
at all sessions4 ,the ,kent ,county     
association also suggested a            
reading-course for its members4  ,the   
success of the work in ,kent ,county was
 due primarily to the fact that the     
educators and the farmers and their     
leaders are in especially close         
sympathy4 ,and right there is the vital 
element of success in this work4 ,the   
initiative must be taken by the         

educators1 but the plan must be         
thoroughly democratic1 and teacher and  
farmer must be equally recognized in all
 particulars4 ,the results of the work  
in ,kent ,county were thus summarized by
 the commissioner of schools of the     
county3        ,to teachers1 the series 
of meetings is a series of mid-year     
institutes4 ,every argument in favor of 
institutes applies with all      its    
force to these associations4 ,to farmers
 they afford a near-by      lecture     
course1 accessible to all members of the
 family1 and of as      high grade as   
those maintained in the larger villages4
 ,to the      schools1 the value is in  
the general sentiment and interest      
awakened4 ,the final vote on any        
proposed school improvement is          
taken at the annual school meeting1 and 
the prevailing sentiment in      the    
neighborhood has everything to do with  
this vote4 ,and not only      this1 but 
the general interest of patrons may help
 and cheer both      teacher and pupils 

throughout the year4 ,on the other hand1
      indifference and neglect may      
freeze the life out of the most         
promising school4 ,there is no          
estimating the value to the schools     
in this respect4   ,the ,kent ,county   
association had a very simple           
constitution4 ,it is appended here for  
the benefit of any who may desire to    
begin this beneficent work of           
endeavoring to draw more closely        
together rural schools and country      
homes4        ,,article ,i4--,,name     
,this association shall be known as ,the
 ,kent ,county ,teachers and            
,patrons' ,association4        ,,article
 ,,ii4--,,membership       ,any person  
may become a member of this association 
by assenting to      this constitution  
and paying the required membership fee4 
,,article ,,iii4--,,objects       ,the  
object of this association shall be the 
promotion of better      educational    
facilities in all ways and the          
encouragement of social      and        

intellectual culture among its members4 
,,article ,,iv4--,,meetings       ,at   
least five meetings of the association  
shall be held each year1      during the
 months of ,october1 ,november1         
,january1 ,february1 and      ,march1   
the dates and places of meetings to be  
determined and      announced by the    
executive committee4 ,special meetings  
may be      called at the election of   
the executive committee4                
,,article ,v4--,,officers               
,,section #a4 ,the officers of the      
association shall be a president1 a     
vice-president1 a secretary1 a          
treasurer1 and an executive             
committee composed of five members to be
 appointed by the      president4       
,,sec4 #b4 ,the election of officers    
shall occur at the regular meeting      
of the association in the month of      
,october4       ,,sec4 #c4 ,the duties  
of each officer shall be such as        
parliamentary      usage assigns1       
respectively1 according to ,cushing's   

,manual4       ,,sec4 #d4 ,it shall be  
the duty of the executive committee to  
arrange      a schedule of meetings and 
to provide suitable lecturers and       
instructors for the same on or before   
the first day of ,september of      each
 year4 ,it shall be the further duty of 
this committee to devise      means to  
defray the expenses incurred for        
lecturers and      instructors4 ,all    
meetings shall be public1 and no charge 
for      admission shall be made1 except
 by order of the executive              
committee4        ,,article             
,,vi4--,,course ,,of ,,reading          
,,section #a4 ,the executive committee  
may also recommend a course of          
reading to be pursued by members1 and it
 shall be their duty to      make such  
other recommendations from time to time 
as shall have for      their object the 
more effective carrying out of the      
purposes of the      association4       
,whether the ,oceana ,county plan of a  
set annual meeting or the ,kent ,county 

plan of numerous itinerant meetings is  
the better one depends much on the      
situation4 ,it is not improbable that   
itinerant meetings1 with an annual      
round-up meeting of the popular type as 
the great event of the school year1     
would be very satisfactory4  ,other     
counties in the state have taken up the 
,hesperia idea4 ,in some cases          
associations similar to the ,kent       
,county association have been developed4
 ,more recently the work has frequently 
been carried on by the county           
commissioner of schools directly4       
,institutes on wheels have become a     
factor in the campaign for better rural 
schools4 ,one commissioner writes3      
,my aim has been to bring into very     
close relationship teachers1            
patrons1 and pupils4 ,this is done1 in  
part1 in the following      manner3 ,i  
engage1 for a week's work at a time1    
some educator of      state or national 
reputation to ride with me on my        
visitation of      schools4 ,through the

 day1 schools are visited1 pupils' work 
inspected1 and in the evening1 a rally  
is held in the locality      visited in 
that day4 ,a circuit is made during the 
week1 and ,friday      evening and the  
,saturday following a general round-up  
is held4 ,the      results of this work 
have been far reaching4 ,teachers1      
patrons1 and      pupils are brought    
into close relationship and a higher    
standard of      education is developed4
   ,the form of organization matters    
little4 ,the essential idea of the      
,hesperia movement was to bring together
 the teacher and the school patron on a 
common platform1 to a common            
meeting-place1 to discuss subjects of   
common interest4 ,this idea must be     
vitalized in the rural community before 
that progress in rural-school matters   
which we desire shall become a fact4    
,it is only fair to say that            
administrators of rural-school systems  
in several states are attempting in one 
way or another1 and have done so for    

some years1 to bring together teachers  
and school patrons4 ,in ,iowa there are 
mothers' clubs organized for the express
 purpose of promoting the best interests
 of the schools4 ,in many of the        
communities the county superintendent   
organizes excursions1 and holds school  
contests which are largely attended by  
patrons of the schools4  ,ohio has what 
is known as the ,ohio ,school           
,improvement ,federation4 ,its objects  
are3 7#a7 to create a wholesome         
educational sentiment in the citizenship
 of the state2 7#b7 to remove the school
 from partisan politics2 7#c7 to make   
teaching a profession1 protected and    
justly compensated4 ,county associations
 of the federation are being organized  
and the effort is being made to reach   
the patrons of the schools and to create
 the right public sentiment4 ,in many of
 the teachers' institutes there is one  
session devoted entirely to subjects    
that are of special interest to the     
school-board members and to the patrons 

of the schools4 ,educational rallies are
 held in many of the townships1 at which
 effort is made to get together all the 
citizens and have an exhibit of school  
work4  ,in ,minnesota1 a law was passed 
recently to the effect that school      
officers within a county may attend one 
educational convention a year upon call 
of the county superintendent4 ,they     
receive therefor1 three dollars for one 
day's services and five cents mileage   
each way for attendance4 ,already a     
number of very successful conventions   
have been held1 wherein all school      
districts in the counties have been     
represented4  ,the county institutes in 
,pennsylvania are largely attended by   
the public and are designed to reach    
patrons as well as teachers4  ,in       
,kansas1 county superintendents have    
organized school-patrons' associations  
and school-board associations1 both of  
which definitely purpose to bring       
together the school and the home and the
 officers of the school into one body   

and to co-operate with individuals for  
the purpose of bettering the school     
conditions4  ,doubtless other states are
 carrying on similar methods4  ,an      
interesting movement wholly independent 
of the ,hesperia plan has recently been 
put into operation under the leadership 
of ,principal ,myron ,t4 ,scudder of the
 ,state ,normal ,school1 ,new ,paltz1   
,n4 ,y4 ,he has organized a series of   
country-school conferences4 ,they grew  
out of a recognized need1 but were an   
evolution rather than a definite scheme4
 ,the school commissioner1 the teachers1
 and the ,grange people of the community
 have joined in making up the           
conference4 ,an attempt is also made to 
interest the pupils4 ,at one conference 
there was organized an athletic league  
for the benefit of the boys of the      
country school4 ,the practical phases of
 nature-study and manual training are   
treated on the programme1 and at least  
one session is made a parents' meeting4 
,there is no organization whatever4     

,dr4 ,a4 ,e4 ,winship1 of the ,journal  
of ,education1 ,boston1 had the         
following editorial in the issue of     
,june #ba1 #aijf3        ,it is now     
fourteen years since ,d4 ,e4 ,mc,clure  
spoke into being the      ,hesperia     
movement1 which is a great union of     
educational and farmer      forces1 in a
 midwinter ,chautauqua1 as it were4     
,twelve miles from      the railroad1 in
 the slight village of ,hesperia1 a     
one-street      village1 one side of the
 street being in one county and the     
other      side in another1 for three   
days and evenings in midwinter each     
year1 in a ramshackle building1 eight   
hundred people from all parts      of   
the two counties sit in reserved seats1 
for which they pay a      good price1   
and listen to one or two notable        
speakers and a number      of local     
functionaries4 ,one-half of the time is 
devoted to      education and the other 
to farm interests4       ,it is a great 
idea1 well worked out1 and after        

fourteen years it      maintains its    
lustiness1 but ,i confess to            
disappointment that the      idea has   
not spread more extensively4 ,it is so  
useful there1 and      the idea is so   
suggestive1 that it should have been    
well-nigh      universal1 and yet       
despite occasional bluffs at it1 ,i know
 of no      serious effort to adopt it  
elsewhere1 unless the midwinter meeting 
at ,shelby1 in one of these two         
counties1 can be considered a spread    
of the idea4 ,this child of the         
,hesperia movement1 in one of the two   
counties1 and only twenty miles away1   
had this year many more in              
attendance than have ever been at       
,hesperia4   ,this work of uniting more 
closely the interests1 sympathies1 and  
intelligence of the teachers and patrons
 of the rural school has had a test in  
,michigan of sufficient length to prove 
that it is a practicable scheme4 ,no one
 questions the desirability of the ends 
it is prepared to compass1 and          

experience in ,michigan shows not only  
that where the educators have sufficient
 enterprise1 tact1 enthusiasm1 and      
persistence the necessary organizations 
can be perfected1 but that substantial  
results follow4 ,for the sake of better 
rural schools1 then1 it is sincerely to 
be hoped that the ,hesperia movement may
 find expression in numerous teachers   
and patrons' associations in at least   
the great agricultural states4          
,,chapter ,,ix  ,,the ,,rural ,,school  
,,and ,,the ,,community   ,among the    
great phenomena of our time is the      
growth of the school idea--the          
realization of the part that the school 
plays in our civilization and in the    
training of our youth for life4 ,our    
,new ,england fathers started the school
 in order that their children might     
learn to read the ,scriptures1 and thus 
that they might get right ideas of their
 religious duty4 ,even after this aim   
was outgrown1 our schools for           
generations did little more than to     

teach the use of the mere tools of      
knowledge2 to read1 to write1 and to    
cipher were the great gains of the      
schoolroom4 ,even geography and grammar 
were rather late arrivals4 ,then came   
the idea that the school should train   
children for citizenship1 and it was    
argued that the chief reason why schools
 should be supported at public expense  
was in order that good citizens should  
be trained there4 ,history and civil    
government were put into the course in  
obedience to this theory4 ,another step 
was taken when physiology was added1    
because it was an acknowledgment that   
the schools should do something to train
 youth in the individual art of living4 
,still another step was taken when      
manual training and domestic science    
were brought into our city schools1     
because these studies emphasize the fact
 that the schools must do something to  
train workers4 ,and finally we have at  
present the idea gaining a strong       
foothold that the schools must train the

 child to fill its place in the world of
 men2 to see all the relations of life2 
to be fitted to live in human society4  
,this idea really embraces all of the   
other ideas4 ,it implies that the       
schools shall not only teach each       
individual the elements of knowledge1   
that they shall train for citizenship1  
that they shall train men in the art of 
living1 that they shall aid in preparing
 for an occupation1 but that they shall 
do all of these things1 and do them not 
merely for the good of the individual1  
but for the good of society as a whole4 
,and not only is there a feeling that   
the pupil in school can be brought into 
closer touch with the life of the       
community1 but that the school as an    
institution can be made more useful to  
the community as a whole4 ,this double  
thought has been expressed in the       
phrase1 ,make the school a social       
center1 and practically it is being     
slowly worked out in numerous city      
schools4 ,how far can this idea be      

developed in the country school8  ,the  
purpose of this chapter is not to deal  
in the theory of the subject1 nor to    
argue particularly for this view of the 
function of the school1 but rather to   
try to show some methods by which the   
rural school and the farm community     
actually can be brought into closer     
relations4 ,in this way we may perhaps  
indicate that there is a better chance  
for co-operation between the rural      
school and the farm community than we   
have been accustomed to believe1 and    
that this closer relation is worth      
striving for4 ,five methods will be     
suggested by which the rural school can 
become a social center4 ,some of these  
have already been tried in rural        
communities1 some of them have been     
tried in cities1 and some of them have  
not been tried at all4  #a4 ,the first  
means of making the rural school a      
social center is through the course of  
study4 ,it is here that the introduction
 of nature-study into our rural schools 

would be especially helpful4 ,this      
nature-study when properly followed     
approves itself both to educators and to
 farmers4 ,it is a pedagogical principle
 recognized by every modern teacher that
 in education it is necessary to        
consider the environment of the child1  
so that the school may not be to him a  
thing remote and foreign4 ,the value of 
nature-study is recognized not only in  
thus making possible an intelligent     
study of the country child's            
environment1 but in teaching a love of  
nature1 in giving habits of correct     
observation1 and in preparing for the   
more fruitful study of science in later 
years4 ,our best farmers are also coming
 to see that nature-study in the rural  
schools is a necessity1 because it will 
tend to give a knowledge of the laws    
that govern agriculture1 because it will
 teach the children to love the country1
 because it will show the possibilities 
of living an intellectual life upon the 
farm4 ,nature-study1 therefore1 will    

have a very direct influence in bringing
 the child into close touch with the    
whole life of the farm community4  ,but 
it is not so much a matter of           
introducing new studies--the old studies
 can be taught in such a way as to make 
them seem vital and human4 ,take1 for   
instance1 geography4 ,it used to be     
approached from the standpoint of the   
solar system4 ,it now begins with the   
schoolhouse and the pupils' homes1 and  
works outward from the things that the  
child sees and knows to the things that 
it must imagine4 ,history1 writing1     
reading1 the sciences1 and even other   
subjects can be taught so as to connect 
them vitally and definitely with the    
life of the farm community4 ,to quote   
,colonel ,parker1 who suggests the      
valuable results of such a method of    
teaching3        ,it would make a       
strong1 binding union of the home and   
the school1      the farm methods and   
the school methods4 ,it would bring the 
farm      into the school and project   

the school into the farm4 ,it would give
      parent and teacher one motive in  
the carrying out of which both          
could heartily join4 ,the parent would  
appreciate and judge fairly      the    
work of the school1 the teacher would   
honor1 dignify and      elevate the work
 of the farm4   ,the study of the       
landscape of the near-by country1 the   
study of the streams1 the study of the  
soils1 studies that have to do with the 
location of homes1 of villages1 the     
study of the weather1 of the common     
plants1 of domestic animals--all of     
these things will give the child a      
better start in education1 a better     
comprehension of the life he is to live1
 a better idea of the business of       
farming1 a better notion about the      
importance of agriculture1 and will tend
 to fit him better for future life      
either on the farm or anywhere else1    
than could any amount of the            
old-fashioned book knowledge4 ,is it not
 a strange fact that so many farmers    

will decry book knowledge when applied  
to the business of farming1 and at the  
same time set so much store by the book 
learning that is given in the common    
arithmetic1 the old-fashioned reader1   
and the dry grammar of the typical      
school8 ,of course anyone pleading for  
this sort of study in the rural schools 
must make it clear that the ordinary    
accomplishments of reading1 writing1 and
 ciphering are not to be neglected4 ,as 
a matter of fact1 pupils under this     
method can be just as well trained in   
these branches as under the old plan4   
,the point to be emphasized1 however1 is
 that a course of study constructed on  
this theory will tend to bring the      
school and the community closer         
together1 will make the school of more  
use to the community1 will give the     
community more interest in the school1  
while at the same time it will better   
prepare pupils to do their work in life4
  #b4 ,a second way of making the rural 
school a social center is through the   

social activities of the pupils4 ,this  
means that the pupils as a body can     
co-operate for certain purposes1 and    
that this co-operation will not only    
secure some good results of an immediate
 character1 results that can be seen and
 appreciated by everyone1 but that it   
will teach the spirit of                
co-operation--and there is hardly       
anything more needed today in rural life
 than this spirit of co-operation4 ,the 
schools can perform no better service   
than in training young people to work   
together for common ends4 ,in this work 
such things as special day programmes1  
as for ,arbor ,day1 ,washington's       
,birthday1 ,pioneer ,day2 the holding of
 various school exhibitions2 the        
preparation of exhibits for county      
fairs1 and similar endeavors1 are useful
 and are being carried out in many of   
our rural schools4 ,but the best example
 of this work is a plan that is being   
used in the state of ,maine1 and is     
performed through the agency of what is 

called a ,school ,improvement ,league4  
,the purposes of the league are3 7#a7 to
 improve school grounds and buildings2  
7#b7 to furnish suitable reading-matter 
for pupils and people2 7#c7 to provide  
works of art for schoolrooms4 ,there are
 three forms of the league1 the local   
leagues organized in each school2 the   
town leagues1 whose membership consists 
of the officers of the local leagues2   
and a state league1 whose members are   
delegates from the town leagues and     
members of the local leagues who hold   
school diplomas4 ,any pupil1 teacher1   
school officer1 or any other citizen may
 join the league on payment of the dues4
 ,the minimum dues are one cent a month 
for each pupil1 for other members not   
less than ten cents a term4 ,but these  
dues may be made larger by vote of the  
league4 ,each town league sends a       
delegate to the meeting of the state    
league4 ,each league has the usual      
number of officers elected for one term4
 ,these leagues were first organized in 

#ahih and they have already accomplished
 much4 ,they have induced school        
committees to name various rural schools
 for distinguished ,american citizens1  
as ,washington1 ,lincoln1 and so forth4 
,they give exhibitions and              
entertainments for the purpose of       
raising funds4 ,sometimes they use these
 funds to buy books for the schoolroom4 
,the books are then loaned to the       
members of the league2 at the end of the
 term this set of books is exchanged for
 another set of books from another      
school in the same township4 ,in this   
way1 at a slight expense1 each school   
may have the use of a large number of   
books every year4 ,the same thing is    
done with pictures and works of art1    
these being purchased and exchanged in  
the same way4 ,through the efforts of   
the league schoolhouses have been       
improved1 inside and out1 and the school
 grounds improved4 ,it is not so much   
the doing of new things that has been   
attempted by this league4 ,the important

 item is that the school has been       
organized for these definite purposes1  
and the work is carried on              
systematically from year to year4 ,it   
needs no argument to show the value of  
this sort of co-operation to the pupil1 
to the teacher1 to the school1 to the   
parents1 and ultimately to the community
 as a whole4  #c4 ,a third method is    
through co-operation between the home   
and the school1 between the teacher and 
pupils on one side1 and parents and     
taxpayers on the other side4 ,parents   
sometimes complain that the average     
school is a sort of mill1 or machine1   
into which their children are placed and
 turned out just so fast1 and in just   
such condition4 ,but if this is the     
case1 it is partly the fault of the     
parents who do not keep in close enough 
touch with the work of the school4 ,it  
is not that parents are not interested  
in their children1 but it is rather that
 they look at the school as something   
separate from the ordinary affairs of   

life4 ,now1 nothing can be more         
necessary than that this notion should  
be done away with4 ,there must be the   
closest co-operation between the home   
and school4 ,how can this co-operation  
be brought about8 ,frequently parents   
are urged to visit the schools4 ,this is
 all right and proper1 but it is not    
enough4 ,there must be a closer relation
 than this4 ,the teacher must know more 
about the home life of her pupils1 and  
the parents must know far more about the
 whole purpose and spirit1 as well as   
the method1 of the school4 ,a great deal
 of good has been done by the joint     
meeting of teachers and school officers4
 ,it is a very wise device1 and should  
be kept up4 ,but altogether the most    
promising development along this line is
 the so-called ,hesperia movement1      
described in another chapter4 ,these    
meetings of school patrons and teachers 
take up the work of the school in a way 
that will interest both teachers and    
farmers4 ,they bring the teachers and   

farmers into closer touch socially and  
intellectually4 ,they disperse fogs of  
misunderstanding4 ,they inspire to      
closer co-operation4 ,they create mutual
 sympathy4 ,they are sure to result in  
bringing the teacher into closer touch  
with community life and with the social 
problems of the farm4 ,and they are     
almost equally sure to arouse the       
interest of the entire community1 not   
only in the school as an institution and
 in the possibilities of the work it may
 do1 but also in the work of that       
teacher who is for the time being       
serving a particular rural school4  #d4 
,a fourth method is by making the       
schoolhouse a meeting-place for the     
community1 more especially for the      
intellectual and aesthetic activities of
 the community4 ,a good example of this 
kind of work is the ,john ,spry ,school 
of ,chicago4 ,in connection with this   
school there is a lecture course each   
winter2 there is a musical society that 
meets every ,tuesday evening2 there is a

 men's club that meets every two weeks  
to discuss municipal problems and the   
improvement of home conditions2 there is
 a woman's club to study for general    
improvement and social service2 there is
 a mothers' council meeting every two   
weeks2 there is a literary and dramatic 
society1 meeting every week1 composed of
 members of high-school age1 and        
studying ,shakespeare particularly2     
there is a dressmaking and aid society  
meeting two evenings a week1 to study   
the cutting of patterns1 garment-making1
 etc42 a food-study and cooking club1   
also meeting two evenings a week2 an    
inventive and mechanical club1 meeting  
two evenings a week1 and tending to     
develop the inventive and mechanical    
genius of a group of young men2 an art  
club2 and a boy's club1 with music1     
games1 reading-lessons1 reading of books
 and magazines1 intended for boys of    
fourteen or fifteen years of age4 ,these
 things are all under the direction of  
the school1 they are free1 they are     

designed to educate4 ,it will not be    
feasible for the rural school to carry  
out such a programme as this1 but do we 
realize how large are the possibilities 
of this idea of making the rural school 
a community center8 ,no doubt one of the
 advantages of the centralized rural    
school will be to give a central        
meeting-place for the township1 and to  
encourage work of the character that has
 been described4 ,of course1 the ,grange
 and farmers' clubs are doing much along
 these lines1 but is it not possible for
 the district school also to do some    
useful work of this character8          
,singing-schools and debating clubs were
 quite a common thing in the rural      
schools forty years ago1 and there are  
many rural schools today that are doing 
work of this very kind4 ,is there any   
reason1 for example1 why the country    
schoolhouse should not offer an evening 
school during a portion of the winter1  
where the older pupils who have left the
 regular work of the school can carry on

 studies1 especially in agriculture and 
domestic science8 ,there is need for    
this sort of thing1 and if our          
agricultural colleges1 and the          
departments of public instruction1 and  
the local school supervisors1 and the   
country teachers1 and the farmers       
themselves1 could come a little closer  
together on these questions the thing   
could be done6  #e4 ,fifth and last1 as 
a method for making the school a social 
center1 is the suggestion that the      
teacher herself shall become something  
of a leader in the farm community4 ,the 
teacher ought to be not only a teacher  
of the pupils1 but in some sense a      
teacher of the community4 ,is there not 
need that someone should take the lead  
in inspiring everyone in the community  
to read better books1 to buy better     
pictures1 to take more interest in the  
things that make for culture and        
progress8 ,there are special            
difficulties in a country community4    
,the rural teacher is usually a         

transient2 she secures a city school as 
soon as she can2 she is often poorly    
paid2 she is sometimes inexperienced2   
frequently the labor of the school      
absorbs all her time and energy4        
,unfortunately these things are so1 but 
they ought not to be so4 ,and we shall  
never have the ideal rural school until 
we have conditions favorable to the kind
 of work just described4 ,the country   
teacher ought to understand the country 
community1 ought to have some knowledge 
of the problems that the farmers have to
 face1 ought to have some appreciation  
of the peculiar conditions of farm life4
 ,every teacher should have some        
knowledge of rural sociology4 ,the      
normal schools should make this subject 
a required subject in the course1       
especially for country teachers4        
,teachers' institutes and               
reading-circles should in some way      
provide this sort of thing4 ,this is one
 of the most important means of bringing
 the rural school into closer touch with

 the farm community4 ,ten years ago     
,henry ,sabin1 of ,iowa1 one of the     
keenest students of the rural-school    
problem1 in speaking of the supervision 
of country schools1 said3        ,the   
supervisor of rural schools should be   
acquainted with the      material       
resources of his district4 ,he should   
know not only what      constitutes good
 farming1 but the prevailing industry of
 the region      should be so familiar  
to him that he can converse             
intelligently      with the inhabitants1
 and convince them that he knows        
something      besides books4 ,the      
object is not alone to gain influence   
over them1      but to bring the school 
into touch with the home life of the    
community about4 ,it is not to invite   
the farmer to the school1 but      to   
take the school to the farm1 and to show
 the pupils that here      before their 
eyes are the foundations upon which have
 been built      the great natural      
sciences4   ,the programme needed to    

unite rural school and farm community is
 then1 first1 to enrich the course of   
study by adding nature-study and        
agriculture1 and about these            
co-ordinating the conventional school   
subjects2 second1 to encourage the      
co-operation of the pupils1 especially  
for the improvement of the school and   
its surroundings2 third1 to bring       
together for discussion and acquaintance
 the teachers and the patrons of the    
school2 fourth1 so far as possible to   
make the schoolhouse a meeting-place for
 the community1 for young people as well
 as for older people1 where music1 art1 
social culture1 literature1 study of    
farming1 and in fact1 anything that has 
to do with rural education1 may be      
fostered2 and fifth1 to expect the      
teacher to have a knowledge of the      
industrial and general social conditions
 of agriculture1 especially those of the
 community in which her lot is cast4    
,,chapter ,x  ,,the ,,grange   ,the     
difficulty of uniting the farmers of    

,america for any form of co-operative   
endeavor long ago became proverbial4    
,the business of farming encouraged     
individualism2 comparative isolation    
bred independence2 and restricted means 
of communication made union physically  
difficult1 even among those who might be
 disposed to unite4 ,it was not strange1
 therefore1 that the agricultural masses
 developed a state of mind unfavorable  
for organization--that they became      
suspicious of one another1 jealous of   
leadership1 unwilling to keep the       
pledges of union1 and unable to sink    
personal views and prejudices4  ,it must
 not be supposed1 however1 that the     
farmers themselves have failed to       
realize the situation1 or that no       
genuinely progressive steps have been   
taken to remedy it4 ,during the last    
four decades at least1 the strongest men
 that the rural classes have produced   
have labored with their fellows1 both in
 season and out of season1 for union of 
effort2 and their efforts have been by  

no means in vain4 ,it is true that some 
of the attempts at co-operation have    
been ill-judged1 even fantastic4 ,it is 
true that much of the machinery of      
organization failed to work and can be  
found on the social junk-pile1 in       
company with other discarded implements 
not wholly rural in origin4 ,but it is  
also true that great progress has been  
made2 that the spirit of co-operation is
 rapidly emerging as a factor in rural  
social life2 and that the weapons of    
rural organization have a temper all the
 better1 perhaps1 because they were     
fashioned on the anvil of defeat4       
,among all these efforts to unite the   
farming classes1 by far the most        
characteristic and the most successful  
is the ,grange4 ,the truth of this      
statement will immediately be questioned
 by those whose memory recalls the early
 rush to the ,grange1 ,granger          
legislation1 and similar phenomena1 as  
well as by those whose impressions have 
been gleaned from reading the           

periodicals of the late seventies1 when 
the ,grange tide had begun to ebb4      
,indeed1 it seems to be the popular     
impression that the ,grange is not at   
present a force of consequence1 that    
long ago it became a cripple1 if not a  
corpse4 ,only a few years ago1 an       
intelligent magazine writer1 in         
discussing the subject of farmers'      
organizations1 made the statement1 ,the 
,grange is dead4 ,but the assertion was 
not true4 ,the popular impression must  
be revised4 ,the ,grange has            
accomplished more for agriculture than  
has any other farm organization4 ,not   
only is it at the present time active1  
but it has more real influence than it  
has ever had before2 and it is more     
nearly a national farmers' organization 
than any other in existence today4  ,the
 ,grange is also the oldest of the      
general organizations for farmers4      
,though the notion of organizing the    
farmers was undoubtedly broached early  
in the history of the country1 the germ 

idea that actually grew into the ,grange
 is about forty years old1 and should be
 credited to ,mr4 ,o4 ,h4 ,kelley1 a    
,boston young man who settled on a      
,minnesota farm in #ahdi4 ,he wrote     
considerably for the agricultural press2
 and this experience helped to bring him
 to the conclusion that the great need  
of agriculture was the education of the 
agriculturist4 ,he soon came to feel    
that existing agencies for this         
purpose--farm papers and fairs--were    
insufficient4 ,in #ahff1 as agent for   
the ,department of ,agriculture1 ,mr4   
,kelley made a tour of the ,south1 with 
the view of gaining a knowledge of the  
agricultural and mineral resources of   
that section4 ,on this tour he became   
impressed with the fact that politicians
 would never restore peace to the       
country2 that if it came at all1 it     
would have to come through fraternity4  
,as his thought ripened he broached to  
friends the idea of a secret society of 
agriculturists1 as an element to restore

 kindly feelings among the people4      
,thus the ,grange was born of two needs1
 one fundamental and the other          
immediate4 ,the fundamental need of     
agriculture was that farmers should be  
better educated for their business2 and 
the immediate need was that of          
cultivating the spirit of brotherhood   
between the ,north and the ,south4 ,the 
latter need no longer exists2 but the   
fundamental need still remains and is   
sufficient excuse for the ,grange's     
existence today4 ,mr4 ,kelley interested
 six other men in the new idea2 and in  
,december1 #ahfg1 these seven founders  
of the order organized the ,national    
,grange of ,patrons of ,husbandry4 ,mr4 
,kelley is the only one of these seven  
men now living4  ,thus was begun a      
movement for organization that had      
resulted by #ahgc in the formation of   
over #bj1jjj ,granges in #bh states1    
comprising not less than #gej1jjj       
members2 and in that year the ,national 
,grange1 as a representative body1 was  

officially organized4 ,for four or five 
years this unexampled prosperity        
continued2 then the reports show a      
feeling of weakness creeping in4 ,in    
fact1 the order as a whole steadily     
declined in numbers and prestige during 
the whole of the decade following #ahhj4
 ,the losses were most serious1 however1
 in the ,south and ,west2 for in ,new   
,england and the ,middle ,states it     
retained its vitality1 and1 indeed1 grew
 steadily4  ,during the last fifteen    
years there has been a widespread       
revival of interest in the organization 
and the outlook is exceedingly          
promising4 ,during the decade following 
#ahij the membership increased not less 
than #ge per cent4 ,during the last few 
years the rate of gain has been even    
greater4 ,the following table gives the 
official records in the five leading    
,grange states3                         
#aijj                  #aije            
----------------------------------------
--                    ,granges          

,members   ,granges    ,members         
----------------------------------------
----------------      ,new ,york        
#eej       #dc1jjj     #ehb             
#ff1ejj      ,maine           #bge      
#bi1jjj     #chg       #di1jjj          
,michigan        #dbj       #be1jjj     
#gca       #de1jjj      ,pennsylvania   
#ebf       #bj1jjj     #efj             
#cd1jjj      ,new ,hampshire   #bfj     
#bd1jjj     #bfc       #bh1jjj          
----------------------------------------
-----------------   ,these states lead1 
but the order is also active and strong 
in ,vermont1 ,connecticut1 ,ohio1       
,massachusetts4 ,thirty states pay dues 
to the ,national ,grange treasury1 and  
twenty-six were represented by delegates
 at the last ,national ,grange4 ,since  
#aije there has been substantial growth 
in most of these twenty-six states1 both
 in numbers of ,granges and in          
membership4  ,the official title of the 
,grange is ,patrons of ,husbandry1 of   
the members1 ,patrons1 and of the       

various divisions1 ,granges4 ,the       
subordinate ,grange1 or local lodge1 is 
the ,grange unit4 ,its area of          
jurisdiction has1 nominally1 a diameter 
of about five miles2 more roughly1 a    
,grange to a township is the working    
ideal among the organizers4 ,the        
membership consists of men and women1   
and of young people over fourteen years 
of age1 who may apply and by vote be    
accepted4 ,constitutionally1 those whose
 interests are not immediately with     
agriculture are ineligible to           
membership2 and care is also exercised  
that only those who are of good repute  
shall be recommended4 ,the presiding    
officer of each ,grange is the master2  
while among the twelve other officers   
the lecturer is the most important1 and 
virtually acts as programme committee1  
with charge of the educational work of  
the body4 ,meetings are held weekly or  
fortnightly4 ,each regular meeting has  
first its business session1 and then its
 lecturer's hour1 or literary session1  

usually with an intervening recess for  
social greetings1 etc4 ,the programmes  
are prepared by the lecturer1 and       
consist of general discussions1 essays1 
talks1 debates1 readings1 recitations1  
and music2 an attempt being made to suit
 the tastes and talents of all members1 
young and old4 ,many ,granges have built
 and own their halls1 which are usually 
equipped with kitchen and dining-room1  
in addition to audience rooms2 for      
periodical feasts are as regular a      
feature of the association as are the   
initiations of new members4  ,the       
,granges of a county or other given     
district often organize themselves into 
a ,pomona ,grange4 ,the ,state ,grange  
is a delegate body1 meeting annually2   
delegates being chosen by the           
subordinate and ,pomona ,granges4 ,the  
,national ,grange is composed of the    
masters of ,state ,granges and their    
wives1 and is also an annual gathering4 
,the ,national ,grange is the           
legislative body of the order1 and has  

full authority in all matters of        
doctrine and practice4 ,but to ,state   
,granges is left the determination of   
policy and administration for the       
states4 ,the ,state ,granges1 in turn1  
legislate for the subordinate ,granges1 
while also passing down to them ample   
local powers4 ,the machinery is thus    
strongly centralized1 and subordinate   
,granges are absolutely dependent units 
of a great whole4 ,yet the principle of 
home rule pervades the organization2 and
 local associations are responsible for 
their own methods and the results of    
their work1 though their officers       
usually work in harmony with the ,state 
and ,national ,granges4  ,perhaps the   
clearest conception of what the order   
originally meant to do can be gained    
from a few quotations from the          
,declaration of ,purposes of the        
,national ,grange1 which was promulgated
 over thirty years ago1 and is still in 
force3        ,we shall endeavor to     
advance our cause by laboring to        

accomplish      the following objects3  
,to develop a better and higher manhood 
and womanhood among      ourselves4 ,to 
enhance the comfort and attractions of  
our homes and      to strengthen our    
attachments to our pursuits4 ,to foster 
mutual      understanding and           
co-operation4 ,to maintain inviolate our
 laws1 and      to emulate each other in
 labor1 to hasten the good time coming4 
,to      reduce our expenses1 both      
individual and corporate4 ,to buy less  
and      produce more1 in order to make 
our farms self-sustaining4 ,to          
diversify our crops and crop no more    
than we can cultivate4 ,to      condense
 the weight of our exports1 selling less
 in the bushel and      more on hoof and
 in fleece2 less in lint and more in    
warp and woof4      ,to systematize our 
work1 and calculate intelligently on    
probabilities4 ,to discountenance the   
credit system1 the mortgage      system1
 the fashion system1 and every other    
system tending to      prodigality and  

bankruptcy4       ,we propose meeting   
together1 talking together1 working     
together1      buying together1 selling 
together1 and1 in general1 acting       
together      for our mutual protection 
and advancement1 as occasion may        
require4      ,we shall avoid           
litigation1 as much as possible1 by     
arbitration in      the ,grange4 ,we    
shall constantly strive to secure entire
 harmony1      good will1 vital         
brotherhood1 among ourselves1 and to    
make our      order perpetual4 ,we shall
 earnestly endeavor to suppress         
personal1      local1 sectional1 and    
national prejudices1 all unhealthy      
rivalry1      all selfish ambition4     
,faithful adherence to these principles 
will      insure our mental1 moral1     
social1 and material advancement4       
,for our business interests we desire to
 bring producers and      consumers1    
farmers and manufacturers1 into the most
 direct and      friendly relations     
possible4 ,hence we must dispense with a

 surplus      of middle-men1 not that we
 are unfriendly to them1 but we do not  
need them4 ,their surplus and their     
exactions diminish our profits4         
,we wage no aggressive warfare against  
any other interests whatever4      ,on  
the contrary1 all our acts and all our  
efforts1 so far as      business is     
concerned1 are not only for the benefit 
of the producer      and consumer1 but  
also for all other interests that tend  
to bring      these two parties into    
speedy and economical contact4 ,hence we
 hold      that transportation companies
 of every kind are necessary to our     
success1 that their interests are       
intimately connected with our           
interests4       ,we are opposed to such
 spirit and management of any           
corporation or      enterprise as tends 
to oppress the people1 and rob them of  
their      just profits4 ,we are not    
enemies to capital1 but we oppose the   
tyranny of monopolies4 ,we long to see  
the antagonism between      capital and 

labor removed by common consent1 and by 
an enlightened      statesmanship worthy
 of the nineteenth century4 ,we are     
opposed to      excessive salaries1 high
 rates of interest1 and exorbitant      
per-cent4 profits in trade4       ,we   
shall advance the cause of education    
among ourselves and for our             
children1 by all just means within our  
power4 ,we especially      advocate for 
our agricultural and industrial colleges
 that      practical agriculture1       
domestic science1 and all the arts which
      adorn the home be taught in their 
courses of study4       ,we emphatically
 and sincerely assert the oft-repeated  
truth taught      in our organic law1   
that the ,grange--national1 state1 or   
subordinate--is not a political or party
 organization4 ,no ,grange1      if true
 to its obligations1 can discuss        
political or religious      questions1  
or call political conventions1 or       
nominate candidates1      or even       
discuss their merits at its meetings4   

,we always bear in mind that no one1 by 
becoming a ,patron of      ,husbandry1  
gives up that inalienable right and duty
 which belongs      to every ,american  
citizen1 to take a proper interest in   
the      politics of his country4 ,on   
the contrary1 it is his duty to do all  
he can in his own party to put down     
bribery1 corruption1 and      trickery2 
to see that none but competent1         
faithful1 and honest men1      who will 
unflinchingly stand by our industrial   
interests1 are      nominated for all   
positions of trust2 and to have carried 
out the      principle which should     
characterize every ,patron1 that the    
office      should seek the man1 and not
 the man the office4   ,to enumerate the
 achievements of the ,grange would be to
 recall the progress of agriculture     
during the past third of a century4 ,it 
has been a motor force in many helpful  
movements1 and in many ways has         
organized and incorporated the best     
thought of the most intelligent farmers1

 about means for rural advancement4 ,it 
has been an integral part of1 and a most
 potent factor in1 the expansion of     
,american farm life4  ,the greatest     
achievement of the order is that it has 
taught the farmers of ,america the value
 of co-operation and the power of       
organized effort4 ,the lesson has not   
been fully learned1 it is true2 but the 
success of the institution testifies    
that it is possible for farmers to work 
in harmony4 ,it is worth observing that 
this result has been achieved on        
conservative lines4 ,it is comparatively
 easy to organize on radical lines2 easy
 to generate enthusiasm by promising    
some great reform2 easy to inflame      
self-interest by picturing millennial   
conditions1 especially when the pocket  
is touched4 ,but quite different is it  
to arouse and sustain interest in a     
large popular organization whose object 
is education1 whose watchword is        
self-culture4 ,of course1 it would be   
but a half-truth to assert that the     

order places all its emphasis on the    
sober problems of education4 ,agitation 
has had its place2 the hope of better   
things for the farmer1 to be achieved   
through legislation and business        
co-operation1 has been an inspiration to
 activity2 but the noteworthy fact      
remains that it has secured a fair      
degree of organization and co-operation 
among farmers chiefly by appeals to     
their larger and nobler interests4      
,that the association has vastly        
improved the social opportunities of    
farmers is a trite saying among old     
observers of its work4 ,it forces       
isolation out of the saddle4 ,the       
regular meetings of the local bodies    
rapidly and surely develop the social   
instinct among the members4 ,pomona     
,granges bring together members from all
 parts of the county and make them      
acquainted with one another4 ,the ,state
 ,grange draws its membership from every
 corner of the state2 and as its        
personnel changes each year1 thousands  

are in the course of a few years given  
the wider outlook1 the more extended    
acquaintance1 and the broader view that 
participation in such a gathering       
affords4 ,special social features add   
their influence4  ,as an educator on    
public questions the ,grange has done a 
noble work4 ,at nearly every meeting in 
this country1 some topic of public      
concern is brought up by essay1 talk1   
general discussion1 or formal debate4   
,the views of the village ,hampdens may 
not always be economically scientific or
 scholarly4 ,but it might surprise many 
people to see how well read the members 
are and how clearly they can express    
their ideas4 ,their discussions are not 
seldom informative1 and that they make  
public opinion in rural communities is  
beyond cavil4 ,the persistent advocacy  
of specific reforms has directed the    
thought of the members toward the larger
 issues that so often rise above the    
haze of partisan politics4  ,the order  
has prepared the soil for adequate      

agricultural education4 ,while the      
agricultural colleges formerly had many 
enemies among the farmers1 and received 
scornful opprobrium from those whom they
 were endeavoring to help1 almost       
without exception the ,granges have     
praised the colleges1 welcomed their    
work1 and urged farmers to educate their
 sons at these institutions4 ,farmers'  
institutes1 the agricultural experiment 
stations1 and the federal ,department of
 ,agriculture have been equally welcomed
 by the ,grange sentiment4 ,the ,grange 
has always taught the need of better    
rural education4 ,it has also tended to 
develop its members1 so that they may   
not only appreciate education1 but that 
they may be themselves living examples  
of the value of such education4         
,farmers' institute lecturers frequently
 say1 ,you can always tell when you     
reach a community where a ,grange       
exists4 ,in that meeting will be found  
men who have read and thought on farm   
and public themes1 men who are not only 

ready in discussion1 apt in statement1  
and eager to question1 but men          
acquainted with parliamentary law1 who  
know how such assemblages should be     
conducted1 and who can preside with     
dignity and grace4  ,the order has      
undoubtedly aided materially in         
obliterating sectionalism4 ,that        
achievement was one of its avowed       
objects4 ,there is no question but it   
assisted in cementing ,north and ,south2
 and that it has brought ,east and ,west
 into closer sympathy is equally true4  
,other farm organizations have found    
their incentive in the order4 ,these it 
has never frowned on1 though believing  
and always hoping that it might attract 
the majority of farmers to its own      
ranks1 and by this unity become a more  
powerful factor in securing the rights  
and developing the opportunities of the 
rural classes of ,america4 ,it has      
always discountenanced the credit       
system2 and that cash payments by       
farmers to merchants are far more common

 than a quarter-century ago may be      
fairly credited1 in part at least1 to   
its influence4  ,to describe the many   
specific legislative achievements which 
the ,granges of the nation and of the   
several states have accomplished would  
be tedious4 ,merely to enumerate a few  
of them must suffice here4 ,a convenient
 summary is made from an official       
circular recently issued by the         
,national ,grange4 ,the order has had a 
large influence in securing the         
following3 ,the separation of certain   
agricultural colleges from universities 
which were receiving the land-grant     
funds1 but were not1 in the opinion of  
the farmers1 duly contributing to       
agricultural education2 the confining of
 the appropriations under the second    
,morrill act of #ahij strictly to       
instruction in agriculture and          
mechanical arts2 the ,hatch ,act of     
#ahhg1 establishing an experiment       
station in each state and territory2    
making the head of the ,department of   

,agriculture a cabinet official2 the    
agitation resulting in the famous ,iowa 
court decision1 that railroad franchises
 are subject to the power that created  
them2 the establishment of the          
,inter-,state ,commerce ,commission2 tax
 reform in many states2 laws favoring   
pure food and dairy products2 preventing
 extension of patents on sewing         
machines2 the establishment of rural    
free mail delivery4  ,the methods of    
work are many and varied4 ,in addition  
to the regular literary and social      
programmes previously mentioned1 socials
 are held at the homes of members1      
entertainments of various kinds occur at
 the ,grange hall1 and in many ways the 
association becomes the center of the   
social and intellectual interest of the 
community4 ,it is debating society1     
club1 lecture course1 parliamentary     
society1 theater1 and circulating       
library4 ,in fact1 it lends itself to   
almost any function that will instruct1 
entertain1 benefit1 or assist its       

members financially1 morally1           
intellectually1 or socially4 ,of course1
 not every ,grange is awake to its      
opportunities2 but as a rule1 where a   
live one exists it is the acknowledged  
leader in social movements4  ,it is not 
uncommon for ,granges to hold fairs for 
the exhibition of agricultural and      
domestic products4 ,the ,state ,fair of 
,new ,hampshire has been largely managed
 by the ,grange4 ,in many cases ,granges
 as organizations will exhibit at the   
ordinary county or district fair4       
,picnics and field meetings are coming  
to be very popular in some states4 ,they
 are held during the summer season1 at a
 time when work is least pressing1 and  
are usually attended by speakers of     
prominence in the order4 ,many          
subordinate ,granges give public lecture
 courses during the winter1 securing    
speakers on general themes4 ,they also  
arrange for entertainments of a popular 
character4  ,the order also participates
 in activities that are not strictly    

,grange work4 ,for instance1 in         
,michigan1 the ,state ,grange for       
several years carried on a ,fresh-,air  
,work1 by which over #a1jjj             
working-girls1 children1 and            
hard-working mothers with babies1 from  
the larger cities1 were given a         
two-weeks' vacation in country homes4   
,the philanthropic agencies of the      
cities arranged for transportation and  
secured the beneficiaries1 while the    
,grange obtained the places for them4   
,granges are always active in the       
organization of farmers' institutes1    
agricultural fairs1 etc4 ,in ,michigan  
they have assisted in the organization  
of associations which are designed to   
bring together both teachers and parents
 for discussion of rural-school         
problems4  ,on two important matters the
 ,grange has been misunderstood1 not    
only by the public1 but more            
unfortunately1 sometimes by its own     
members4 ,in his ,division and ,reunion1
 ,president ,woodrow ,wilson speaks of  

it under the sub-title of ,new ,parties4
 ,professor ,alexander ,johnston1 in his
 ,american ,politics was more           
discriminating1 for he said of it3 ,in  
its nature it is not political4 ,but he 
also said3 ,its object is co-operation  
among farmers1 in purchasing and in     
other business interests4 ,the first    
conception of the character of the order
 is wholly misleading2 the second is    
inadequate4  ,the ,grange is not a      
party4 ,it never was a party4 ,during   
the ,granger legislation period1 many   
members doubtless misconceived the true 
function of the ,grange1 and abused the 
power organization gave them1 while the 
popular mind credited the association   
with many notions for which it was not  
responsible4 ,it has never organized    
itself as a farmers' party4 ,the        
,national ,grange has endeavored to keep
 strictly aloof from partisan politics4 
,it is possible that in some states the 
influence of the organization was1 in   
the early days1 used for partisan       

purposes2 but the penalty was fully paid
 in the disruption of the order in those
 states4 ,the ,grange today regards     
partisanship as poisonous to its life1  
and does not allow it on its shelves4   
,this is not to say that the ,grange    
makes no appeal to legislation4 ,it is  
possible that in some cases it places   
too much faith in law as a means of     
emancipation from economic bondage2 but1
 in the main1 its legislative point of  
view is sane and conservative4 ,it      
believes that such ills as are due to   
bad or imperfect legislation can be1 at 
least partly1 relieved by good or more  
perfect legislation4 ,nor does it limit 
its interest to measures that concern   
the farmer alone4 ,it is unalterably    
opposed to class legislation1 and aims  
to keep its own skirts clear--to avoid  
even the suspicion of offence in this   
particular4  ,it may be asked1 ,how does
 the order manage to advocate public    
measures without becoming involved in   
partisan squabbles8 ,simply by ceasing  

to discuss a question the moment it     
becomes a party football4 ,for instance3
 the monetary policy of the government  
was warmly discussed until the          
conventions of #ahif made it clear that 
it was to be a party issue4 ,again3 the 
,grange has consistently urged the      
construction and ownership of the       
,interoceanic ,canal by the ,united     
,states government2 but it was silent on
 the larger question of imperialism1 not
 because the question was not of        
importance1 but because it became a     
subject of party controversy4 ,this     
neutral policy as to party questions    
imposes certain limitations on the      
influence of the organization2 but      
experience has demonstrated that this1  
more than any other thing1 is           
responsible for the fact that the       
,grange still lives and thrives4  ,the  
other misconception lies in the sentence
 quoted from ,professor ,johnston1 that 
the ,grange has for its object          
co-operation among farmers in purchasing

 and in other business interests2 the   
implication being that business was the 
chief function4 ,it is generally        
admitted that in the early days         
thousands joined the order for what     
there was in it2 believing that the     
organization furnished a means for      
abolishing the middlemen1 and putting   
ready money into the pockets of the     
farmers4 ,when these sordid souls were  
disillusioned1 their enthusiasm went    
down to the zero of activity4 ,they     
misunderstood1 or interpreted too       
radically1 a well-defined1 conservative1
 legitimate purpose of the ,grange to   
co-operate on business lines4 ,the order
 did believe that farmers could do      
without the surplus of middlemen2 it did
 purpose to aid the farmer financially1 
though this purpose was not its main    
function4 ,in the earlier period ,grange
 stores were organized4 ,a few of these 
are in successful operation today1 but  
the policy as a whole has been          
abandoned4  ,another plan1 discussed    

over thirty years ago1 has during the   
past decade come to assume practical    
importance as a method of co-operation  
on business lines4 ,the plan1 in brief1 
is that various ,state ,granges contract
 with manufacturing and jobbing houses  
to furnish members of the order with    
goods at practically wholesale rates4   
,goods are ordered by the subordinate   
,granges1 under seal of the order2 are  
purchased on a cash basis2 and are      
shipped to the purchasing agent of the  
,grange1 and by him distributed to the  
individual buyers4 ,such materials as   
binder twine1 salt1 harness1 ,paris     
green1 all kinds of farm implements1    
vehicles1 sewing-machines1 and fruit    
trees are purchased advantageously4     
,even staple groceries1 etc41 are       
sometimes bought in this way4 ,members  
often save enough in single purchases to
 pay all their expenses for the ,grange4
 ,there is no capital invested2 there   
are no debts imposed upon himself by the
 purchaser2 and there has not been      

extreme difficulty in securing favorable
 contracts4 ,the plan seems destined to 
continued enlargement and usefulness as 
a legitimate phase of business          
co-operation4 ,michigan ,granges        
purchased not less than #cej1jjj worth  
of goods during #aije1 under such a     
plan4 ,the estimate for ,maine is over  
half a million dollars4  ,in several    
states the organization successfully    
conducts mutual fire insurance          
companies2 active membership in the     
,grange being an essential requisite for
 membership in the insurance company4   
,wherever these companies have become   
well established1 it is asserted that   
they maintain a lower rate of assessment
 than even the popular farmers' mutuals4
 ,in ,new ,york there are twenty-three  
,grange companies1 with policies        
aggregating #he1jjj1jjj1 the average    
cost for the year #aije being #a4if per 
thousand4 ,single companies claim to    
have secured even better rates4 ,this   
insurance not only pays individuals1 but

 it attracts and holds members4 ,in ,new
 ,hampshire a fairly successful ,grange 
life insurance company exists4  ,in     
co-operative selling1 the order has so  
far accomplished very little1 except    
locally and among individuals or        
,granges4 ,there is a supreme difficulty
 in the way of successful transfers     
among patrons themselves1 as members    
desiring to buy wish the very lowest    
prices2 those desiring to sell1 the very
 highest prices4 ,arbitration under such
 circumstances is not easy4 ,the        
fundamental obstacle to members selling 
together on the general market is that1 
in most cases1 all members do not have  
the same things to sell4 ,a co-operative
 creamery1 for instance1 is organized on
 the basis of a product--butter2 the    
,grange is organized on the basis of    
manhood--and each man may have his crop 
or stock specialty4 ,this difficulty1   
though grave1 is not1 perhaps1          
insuperable1 and will tend to disappear 
as membership enlarges4 ,but it is only 

fair to state that1 so far1 the ,grange 
has not been able to devise any         
successful plan for co-operative        
selling1 applicable on a large scale4   
,there are two or three features that   
deserve further mention4 ,one is the    
position of the family in the ,grange4  
,it is stated that the ,grange was the  
first secret organization to place woman
 on a plane of perfect equality with    
man4 ,in every association each female  
member has a vote4 ,woman has four      
special offices assigned to her sex1 and
 is eligible to any office in the gift  
of the order4 ,the majority of          
subordinate lecturers are women2 many   
subordinate and even ,pomona masters are
 women2 ,michigan's state lecturer is a 
woman who is revolutionizing the        
educational work of the order in that   
state2 while ,minnesota had for some    
years a competent and earnest woman as  
state master4 ,every delegate to every  
,state ,grange is a dual delegate--man  
and wife4 ,the state master and his wife

 are delegates to the ,national ,grange4
 ,women serve on all committees in these
 gatherings1 and a woman's voice is     
frequently heard in debates4 ,and not   
only the wife1 but1 as previously       
stated1 the children above fourteen     
years of age may attain full membership4
 ,a large proportion of every healthy   
,grange consists of young people1 who   
have their share in the active work4    
,thus it will be seen that the order    
conserves the family life4 ,it is       
doubtful if any other social institution
 in rural communities1 not excepting the
 church1 so completely interests the    
entire family4  ,the organization is    
also a conservator of morals4 ,while    
sectarian discussions are as foreign to 
its purposes as is partisan politics1   
and while it does not even pretend to   
take the place of the church1 it is     
built on a truly religious foundation4  
,its ritual is permeated1 in word and in
 sentiment1 by the religious spirit4    
,every meeting opens and closes with    

prayer4 ,moral character is constantly  
eulogized and glorified in ,grange      
esoteric literature4 ,the membership    
comes almost exclusively from that large
 class of farmers who are moral1        
high-minded1 ,god-fearing men and women4
  ,the ,grange has been opposed1 both by
 farmers and by others1 because secrecy 
is not a desirable attribute2 but the   
experience of forty years and the       
uniform testimony of all leaders in the 
work declare that this was a wise       
provision4 ,no influential member has1  
so far as it is known1 proposed that the
 order should be dismantled of its      
secret features4 ,the ritualistic work  
is not burdensome4 ,occasionally the    
processes of initiation may take time   
that ought to be allotted to educational
 work2 but1 if the initiation is        
properly conducted1 it has of itself a  
high educational value4  ,the financial 
status of the ,grange itself is worth   
noting4 ,the fees for joining are merely
 nominal1 while the dues are only ten   

cents a month per member4 ,these fees   
and dues support the subordinate        
,granges1 the ,state ,grange1 and the   
,national ,grange4 ,there are no        
high-salaried officials in the order1   
and few salaried positions of any kind4 
,the ,national ,grange today has nearly 
#ajj1jjj in its treasury1 and several   
,state ,granges have substantial        
reserves4 ,this policy is pursued1 not  
for the love of hoarding1 but because it
 is believed that it tends to the       
permanency and solidarity of the order4 
,the ,grange is a live institution2 it  
has within itself the capacity for      
satisfying a great need in rural        
society2 and it is destined to growth   
and larger and more permanent           
usefulness4 ,it is based on correct     
principles3 organization1 co-operation1 
education4 ,it is neither a political   
party nor a business agency4 ,it is     
progressively conservative--or          
conservatively progressive4 ,it is      
neither ultra-radical nor forever in the

 rut4 ,its chief work is on cultural    
lines4 ,it includes the entire family4  
,it is now growing1 and there is every  
reason for thinking that this growth is 
of a permanent character4  ,the ,grange 
is ambitious to take its place beside   
the school and the church1 as one of a  
trinity of forces that shall mold the   
life of the farmer on the broadest      
possible basis--material1 intellectual1 
social1 and ethical4 ,is there any good 
reason why this ambition is not worthy1 
or why its goal should not be won8      
,,chapter ,,xi  ,,opportunities ,,for   
,,farm ,,women   ,while rural life is   
often supposed to be fatally deficient  
in facilities for growth because of its 
isolation1 the women living on our farms
 are thought to be the especial victims 
of this lack of social opportunity4 ,no 
doubt there is much of truth in the     
popular opinion4 ,modern city life      
unquestionably tends to enliven1 to     
sharpen1 to put a razor-edge on         
capacity4 ,naturally the women as well  

as the men of the city are thus         
stimulated4 ,an instance of the         
opportunities constantly presented to   
the city women is the rapid             
multiplication of women's clubs1 which1 
especially in smaller towns1 are        
absolutely revolutionizing the life of  
womankind4 ,but have not the women of   
the country some resources of a similar 
character8 ,can they not in some way    
break the bonds of isolation8 ,are there
 not for them some of the blessings that
 come from a highly organized society8  
,are there not1 in the country also1    
opportunities for the co-operation of   
mind and heart for common service8 ,i   
think all these questions can be        
answered in the affirmative4 ,it is at  
least worth while to endeavor to        
describe several means by which the     
woman of the farm can keep pace with her
 urban sister1 and under conditions not 
so discouraging as many may suppose4    
,probably no movement has had such a    
profound significance for the farm women

 of ,america as has the ,grange         
movement4 ,we have already discussed the
 general aspects of ,grange work4 ,it   
must be remembered that the farmer's    
wife is practically equal with her      
husband in ,grange law and practice4    
,she votes1 she may hold office1 even   
the higher executive offices4 ,a        
delegate to the ,state ,grange is always
 two--a man and his wife if he has one4 
,the wife serves on committees and votes
 as she pleases4 ,this equality extends 
throughout the order4 ,the woman bears  
her share of work2 she reads papers2 she
 directs the social phases of the       
,grange2 she talks on farm topics if she
 wants to2 she debates school affairs2  
she visits neighboring ,granges4 ,all   
this means education1 and education of a
 very valuable sort1 the effects of     
which permeate so thoroughly those      
communities where the ,grange has long  
been established that one hardly        
realizes the work that has been         
accomplished4 ,for it is not at all an  

exaggeration to assert that a positive  
revolution often comes about from the   
planting of a ,grange in a neighborhood 
where no such organization has ever     
existed4 ,it finds most of the women    
diffident1 many of them with restricted 
views1 few of them with the instinct for
 social service developed beyond the    
needs of friendly neighbors4 ,in the    
,grange these women find new            
acquaintances1 learn the power of       
concerted action1 meet the              
responsibility of office1 get to their  
feet for a few words--unheard-of        
courage6 ,such speech is usually brief  
and perhaps not ready1 but it is likely 
to be cogent1 because it is born of     
experience and stops when through4      
,county and perhaps ,state ,granges add 
their experiences4 ,and so on through   
the years these shy1 reserved1 possibly 
narrow1 lives come to flower4 ,and the  
,grange has furnished the dynamic4      
,strong leaders among farm women have   
been developed by the opportunities the 

,grange has afforded them4 ,and         
thousands of other women in all parts of
 the country have by this same means    
grown out of their narrowness1          
discovered themselves1 and become       
comparatively cultured1 well read1 able 
to take a woman's place in this day of  
woman's power as a public factor4 ,it is
 safe to say that the ,grange has been  
the greatest single influence in        
,america with respect to the development
 of the women of the farm4  ,another    
factor in the life of farm women which  
has arisen in more recent years is the  
farmers' institute4 ,the audiences in   
some cases are largely of men1 but as a 
rule the attendance of women averages   
one-third to one-half4 ,until very      
recent years the women joined with the  
men in all sessions of the institute1   
and their presence was recognized by    
appropriate subjects on the programme1  
frequently presented by women           
themselves4 ,several years ago          
,minnesota and ,wisconsin initiated     

separate meetings for women1 held       
simultaneously with the main meeting1   
for purposes of instruction in domestic 
science4 ,michigan1 a little later1     
developed the women's section of the    
farmers' institute4 ,this is held one   
afternoon of the usual two-day session  
of the institute in a hall separate from
 the general meeting1 and only women    
attend4 ,two topics are presented for   
discussion1 one by a woman sent by the  
state1 the other by a woman from the    
town or a neighboring farm4 ,topics     
concerning child-training1 making       
housework easier1 home life on the farm1
 and even themes relating to the        
problems that center about the sex      
question1 are thoroughly discussed4     
,women take part much more freely than  
they do in the general sessions of the  
institute4 ,across the border1 in       
,ontario1 the women have formed separate
 institutes1 as they have also in       
,indiana4  ,all this means a new        
opportunity for the farm woman4 ,the    

,grange is an organization1 and its     
members gain all the development that   
comes from engaging in the work required
 to maintain a semi-literary and social 
organization4 ,the institute1 on the    
other hand1 is an event1 and there      
cluster about it all the inspiration and
 suggestion that can come from any      
notable convention for which one will   
sacrifice not a little in order to      
attend4 ,institute work for women is in 
its beginnings4  ,so far we have found  
that existing institutions for women in 
rural districts bring together merely   
the women of the farm4 ,in the women's  
section of the institutes half the      
audience is usually from the town4 ,this
 meeting occurs1 however1 but once a    
year1 and the social effect of the      
commingling of city and farm women can  
prove only suggestive of the            
desirability of further opportunity for 
similar gatherings4 ,at a ,michigan     
institute some years ago this desire    
fructified1 and the product was a ,town 

and ,country ,club4 ,this club secured a
 majority of its membership1 of some    
ninety1 from among women residing on    
farms4 ,its meetings are bi-weekly4 ,it 
is to be hoped that this sort of club   
may be organized in large numbers4 ,it  
represents another step in the          
emancipation of the farm woman1 because 
it brings her into contact with her city
 sister--and contact that is immediate1 
vital1 inspiring1 continuous1 and       
mutually helpful4 ,it may be thought    
unnecessary to form a new set of clubs  
for the purpose indicated1 but the fact 
seems to be that the ordinary women's   
club even in small towns has failed to  
reach the woman who makes her home upon 
the farm4  ,another feature of this idea
 of the ,town and ,country ,club is the 
rest room for farmers' wives4 ,in a     
number of cases where this has been     
tried1 the women of the village or town 
provide a room as near the shopping     
center of the town as possible1 where   
the country women can find a place to   

rest1 to lunch1 and to leave their      
children4 ,these rooms are fitted up in 
a neat but inexpensive manner with the  
necessary conveniences1 and are entirely
 free to those for whom they were       
intended4 ,if these rooms are well      
managed1 they offer not only a very     
practical form of assistance to the     
women of the farm1 but they may be the  
means of developing a form of           
co-operation between the women of the   
village and the farm1 and eventually    
leading to some permanent scheme of     
mutual work4 ,possibilities of this sort
 of thing are easily recognized4  ,in   
the realms of higher education the girl 
who is to stay upon the farm has not    
been wholly neglected4 ,in ,kansas1     
,iowa1 ,connecticut1 ,illinois1 ,ohio1  
and ,michigan1 at least1 and in         
connection with the agricultural        
colleges of those states1 courses for   
women 7including domestic science7 have 
been provided4 ,they are well patronized
 by girls from the farm4 ,many of these 

girls do not marry farmers2 many of them
 do4 ,and their college training having 
thus been secured in an atmosphere more 
or less agricultural1 they must         
inevitably take rank among their sisters
 of the farm as leaders in demonstrating
 what farm life for women may be4  ,nor 
should it be forgotten that the         
tremendous movement of recent years     
which has so multiplied standard        
reading-matter1 both periodicals and    
books1 has reached the farm4 ,a census  
of country post-offices will reveal the 
fact that the standard magazines go     
regularly to thousands of farm homes4   
,agricultural papers1 religious papers1 
and even dailies find multitudes of     
intelligent readers among farmers4      
,with the advent of better highways1    
electric car lines1 rural free delivery1
 and the rural telephone1 each of which 
is looming on the horizon as an         
important feature of ,american farm     
life2 with the ,grange or similar       
organization in every school district2  

with the development of courses for     
women at all our colleges of            
agriculture1 and the logical complement 
of such courses in the form of college  
extension--farmers' institutes1         
reading-courses1 traveling libraries1   
lecture and correspondence courses--we  
shall find farm life taking on a new    
dress1 and perhaps farmers' wives may   
come to enjoy the envy of those women   
who are unfortunate enough not to have  
married farmers4     ,,chapter ,,xii    
,,the ,,country ,,church ,,and          
,,progress   ,the only way to an        
understanding of the relation of the    
church to rural progress is through an  
appreciation of the place which the     
church as a social institution may have 
among other social institutions         
affecting rural life4 ,moreover1 to know
 the value of these institutions one    
must first know the rural social needs4 
,may we not then1 even at the risk of   
repetition1 take a brief survey of these
 needs and institutions1 in order that  

we may more clearly attain the proper   
point of view8  ,at the outset let us be
 sure that we have sympathy with the    
countryman as such4 ,it is often argued 
that the rural question1 or any phase of
 it1 as for instance the question of the
 rural church1 is important because the 
country supplies the best blood to the  
city--and a roll-call of the famous     
country-born is read to prove the point4
 ,this may be all true4 ,but it is only 
a partial view1 for it places the       
emphasis upon the leaving of the farm1  
whereas the emphasis should be placed   
upon the farm and those who stay there4 
,we may praise the country because it   
furnishes brain and brawn for the       
world's work2 we may argue for country  
life because it possesses a good        
environment in which to rear a family2  
we may demand a school system that shall
 give the country child as good a chance
 as the city child has4 ,in all this we 
do well4 ,but we do not yet stand face  
to face with the rural problem4  ,for   

the rural problem is the problem of     
those who farm4 ,it is the problem of   
the man behind the plow4 ,it is he that 
is the center of interest4 ,his         
business1 his success1 his manhood1 his 
family1 his environment1 his education1 
his future--these constitute the problem
 of the farm4 ,half our people make     
their living from the brown soil4 ,in   
virtue1 in intelligence1 in real worth1 
this half compare favorably with the    
other half who saw wood1 and shovel     
sand1 and pull throttles1 and prepare   
briefs1 and write sermons4 ,the business
 of agriculture provides directly for   
the material welfare of nearly forty    
millions of our people4 ,it supports    
gigantic railway systems1 fills the     
hulls of immense ships1 furnishes raw   
material for thousands of industries4   
,this rural hemisphere of ,american     
economic and social life is surely      
worthy the thought of the captain of    
industry1 of the statesman1 of the      
economist1 of the educator1 of the      

preacher4 ,we may also1 without danger  
of being put to confusion1 assume that  
the tiller of the soil is in essential  
character very much like other people4  
,farmer nature is usually a fair        
specimen of human nature4 ,nevertheless 
the environment of the farmer is a      
peculiar one4 ,individually as well as  
socially he is comparatively isolated4  
,he meets but little social friction4   
,the class to which he belongs is       
largely a segregated class1 physically  
and socially4  ,all these things give to
 the rural social problem a distinctive 
character and give rise to the great    
social needs of the farmer4 ,what are   
these needs8 ,i name three3 7#a7        
,completer organization4 ,farmers do not
 co-operate easily4 ,they never had to  
co-operate largely under the old regime1
 for pioneer farming placed a premium on
 individualism4 ,the present century    
however1 with its emphasis upon         
organization and co-operation1 calls the
 farmer to the task with the warning cry

 that unless he does organize he is in  
danger of losing his present industrial1
 political1 and social status4 7#b7     
,better education4 ,the rural schools   
may not be so deficient as to deserve   
all the scorn heaped upon them by       
educational reformers2 but it is little 
enough to say that they can be vastly   
improved4 ,they are not keeping up with 
city schools4 ,the country is especially
 lacking in good high-school privileges4
 ,of technical training too1 in spite of
 forty years of agricultural colleges1  
the country is sadly in need4 ,neither  
in primary grades1 in high schools1 in  
special schools1 is there an adequate   
amount of study of the principles of    
agriculture--principles which an age of 
science demands must be mastered if the 
independent farmer is to be a success4  
7#c7 ,quicker communication4 ,isolation 
has been the bugbear of farm life4 ,it  
must be overcome partly by physical     
means4 ,there must be a closer touch    
between individuals of the class1 and   

between farmers and the dwellers in the 
town and city4  ,these social needs are 
in some degree met by the farmers'      
organizations1 by the rural and         
agricultural schools1 and by the        
development of new means of             
communication4 ,there is a host of minor
 agencies4 ,in other chapters ,i have   
tried to show how these various         
institutions are endeavoring to meet    
these rural needs4 ,so important are    
these factors of rural life that we may 
now raise the question1 ,what should be 
the relation of the rural church to     
these needs and to the agencies designed
 to meet them8 ,in dealing with this    
phase of the subject1 we may best speak 
of the church most frequently in terms  
of the pastor1 for reasons that may     
appear as we go on4  ,there are three   
things the country pastor may do in     
order to bring his church into vital    
contact with these great sociological   
movements4 ,of course he may ignore     
them1 but that is church suicide4 7#a7  

,he may recognize them4 ,this means     
first of all to understand them1 to     
appreciate their influence4 ,there is a 
law of the division of labor that       
applies to institutions as well as to   
individuals4 ,this law helps us to      
understand how such institutions as the 
,grange and farmers' institutes are     
doing a work that the church cannot do4 
,they are doing a work that needs doing4
 ,they are serving human need4 ,no      
pastor can afford to ignore them1 much  
less in sneer at them as unclean2 he may
 well apply the lesson of ,peter's      
vision1 and accept them as ministers of 
the kingdom4 7#b7 ,he may encourage and 
stimulate them4 ,the rural pastor may   
throw himself into the van of those who 
strive for better farming1 for a quicker
 social life1 for more adequate         
educational facilities4 ,he can well    
take up the role of promoter--a promoter
 of righteousness and peace through     
so-called secular means4 ,thus shall he 
perform the highest function of the     

prophet--to spiritualize and glorify the
 common4 ,but the rural pastor can go   
even farther4 7#c7 ,he may co-operate   
with them4 ,he may thus assist in       
uniting with the church all of those    
other agencies that make for rural      
progress1 and thus secure a federation1 
if not of the world1 at least of all the
 forces that are helping to solve the   
farm problem2 and he may thus found a   
parliament1 if not of man1 at least of  
all who believe that the rural question 
is worth solving and that no one        
movement is sufficient to solve it4  ,we
 come now to the most practical part of 
our subject1 which is1 how the proposed 
relation between church and other rural 
social forces may be secured4 ,there are
 four suggestions along this line4  #a4 
,sociological study by the rural pastor4
 ,this is fundamental4 ,in general it   
means a fairly comprehensive study of   
sociological principles1 some study of  
sociological problems1 and some practice
 in sociological investigation4 ,as it  

relates to the rural pastor1 it means   
also a knowledge of rural sociology4 ,it
 implies a grasp of the principles and  
significance of modern agricultural     
science1 an understanding of the        
history1 status1 and needs of rural and 
agricultural education1 an appreciation 
of and sympathy for the co-operative    
movements among farmers4 ,does one say1 
this is asking too much of the burdened 
country pastor with his meager salary   
and widespread parish8 ,let me ask if   
the pastor has any other road to power  
except to know8 ,moreover1 the task is  
not so formidable as first appears4 ,the
 pastor is supposed to be a trained     
student1 and since he needs to know     
these things only in broad lines1 the   
acquiring of them need not compel the   
midnight oil4 ,i would1 however1 urge   
that every pastor have a course in      
general sociology1 either in college or 
in seminary1 and if he has the slightest
 intimation that his lines will be cast 
in country places1 that he add a course 

in rural sociology4 ,inasmuch as the    
latter course is at present offered in  
few academic institutions in the ,united
 ,states1 it might well be urged that   
brief courses in rural sociology be     
offered at the many summer schools4     
,but sociological study by the pastor   
means more than knowledge of the general
 principles of sociology and of the     
problems of rural sociology2 it means a 
minute and comprehensive sociological   
study of his particular parish4 ,this in
 its simplest form consists of a        
religious canvass such as is frequently 
made both in country and city4 ,but even
 this is not enough4 ,it should at once 
be supplemented by a very careful and   
indeed a continuous sociological        
canvass1 in which details about the     
whole business and life of the farm     
shall be collected and at last          
assimilated into the vital structure of 
the pastor's knowledge of his problem4  
#b4 ,the second suggestion looks toward 
the establishment of a social-service   

church1 or an institutional church1 or  
again1 as one has phrased it1 a country 
church industrial4 ,there seems to be a 
growing feeling that the country church 
may become not only the distinctively   
religious center of the neighborhood1   
but also the social1 the intellectual1  
and the aesthetic center4 ,no doubt     
there is untold power in such an idea4  
,no doubt the country church has a      
peculiarly rich and inviting field for  
community service4 ,it would be         
gratifying if every country pastor would
 study the possibilities of this idea   
and endeavor to make an experiment with 
it4 ,i have1 however1 a supplemental    
suggestion1 at this point4 ,it is not   
possible to make of every rural church  
an institutional church4 ,the church is 
notably a conservative institution4 ,the
 rural church is in this respect to the 
manner born4 ,rural church members are  
likely to be ultra-conservative1        
especially as to means and methods4     
,even if this were not true1 we might   

well lament any attempt to establish a  
social-service church that endeavored to
 make the church the sole motive power  
in rural regeneration1 that failed to   
recognize1 to encourage1 and to         
co-operate with the other social forces 
which we have mentioned4 ,but if every  
country pastor cannot have a            
social-service church1 is it not        
possible that every country church shall
 have a social-service pastor8 ,there   
are some things the church cannot do2   
there is nothing it may not through its 
pastor inspire4 ,there are some uses to 
which the country church cannot be put2 
there are no uses to which the country  
pastor may not be put--as country       
pastors know by experience4 ,the pastor 
ought to be an authority on social      
salvation as well as on personal        
salvation4 ,he ought to be guide1       
philosopher1 and friend in community    
affairs as well as in personal affairs4 
,is he not indeed the logical candidate 
for general social leadership in the    

rural community8 ,he is educated1 he is 
trained to think1 he is supposed to have
 broad grasp of the meaning of affairs1 
he usually possesses many of the        
qualities of leadership4 ,he is         
relatively a fixture4 ,he is less       
transient than the teacher4 ,he is the  
only man in the community whose tastes  
are sociological and who is at the same 
time a paid man--all this aside from the
 question of the munificence of his     
stipend4 ,let us then have the          
social-service rural church if we can2  
but let us have the social-service rural
 pastor at all hazards1 as the first    
term in the formula for solving the     
sociological problem of the country     
church4  #c4 ,co-operation among rural  
churches4 ,the manifest lack of         
co-operation among churches seems to    
many laymen to result in a tremendous   
waster of power4 ,of course it is a very
 hard problem4 ,but is it insoluble8 ,it
 would seem not4 ,one would think that  
the plan of union suggested by ,dr4     

,strong in ,the ,new ,era is wholly     
practicable4 ,but the burden of the     
suggestion at this point is this3       
,cannot the churches unite sufficiently 
for a thorough religious and            
sociological canvass8 ,if they cannot   
federate on a theological platform1 can 
they not unite on a statistical         
platform8 ,if they cannot unite for     
religious work1 can they not join hands 
long enough to secure a more intelligent
 basis for their separate work8 ,it     
seems to me that this sort of union is  
worth while1 and that it is something in
 which there could be full union1 in    
which there is neither ,jew nor ,greek1 
there is neither bond nor free4  #d4    
,the pastor may aid if not lead in the  
federation of rural social forces4 ,the 
idea involved is substantially this3    
,given a farmers' organization that     
ministers chiefly to industrial and     
economic ends1 though incidentally to   
moral and educational ones2 a school    
system that feeds chiefly the accepted  

educational needs1 though acting perhaps
 as a moving force in industrial and    
social betterment2 a church which is    
chiefly a religious institution1 but    
which touches the life of the community 
at many other points--given these things
 and the obvious next step is           
co-operation among them all1 in order   
that a well-balanced kind of social     
progress may result4 ,this form of      
federation means the attempt to solve   
the farm problem at all points4 ,it     
suggests that the army of rural progress
 shall march with the wings abreast the 
center4 ,it means that the farmer1 the  
editor1 the educator1 the preacher--all1
 shall see the work that needs doing1 in
 all its fulness1 and1 seeing1 shall    
resolve to push ahead side by side4  ,to
 sum up3 ,the rural problem is a        
neglected but exceedingly important     
question4 ,out of the peculiar          
environment of the farmer grow his      
peculiar social needs1 namely1 better   
organization1 fuller and richer         

education1 quicker communication4 ,to   
meet these supreme needs we find a      
growing and already powerful coterie of 
farmers' organizations1 somewhat        
heterogeneous but rapidly developing    
plans of agricultural education1 and a  
marvelous evolution of the means of     
transportation for body1 voice1 and     
missive4 ,these needs and these agencies
 are selected as the conspicuous and    
vital element in the sociological       
problem that confronts the rural pastor4
 ,what shall be his attitude toward     
them8 ,he may ignore them2 but we assume
 that he will seek to work with them and
 to use them for the greater glory of   
,god4 ,he must then recognize them1     
encourage them1 and co-operate with     
them4 ,to do this successfully he must  
first be a student of sociology2 he can 
then well afford to meditate upon the   
possibilities of making his church in   
some measure a social-service church or 
at least of making of himself a         
social-service pastor2 he can work for  

church union at least on sociological   
lines2 and finally he can do his best to
 secure an active federation of all the 
forces involved in the rural problem4   
,,chapter ,,xiii  ,a ,,summary ,,of     
,,recent ,,progress   ,in some respects 
the most notable recent advance in rural
 matters consists in the improved means 
of communication in rural districts4    
,the country is relatively isolated1 and
 it is this isolation in its extreme    
forms that is the bane of country       
living4 ,undue conservatism1 lack of    
conformity to progressive views1 undue  
prominence of class feeling1 and a      
tendency to be less alert are things    
that grow out of this isolation2 but    
better means of communication decrease  
these difficulties1 and the last few    
years have seen a remarkable advance in 
this respect4 ,for instance1 the rural  
free mail delivery system is only ten   
years old1 and yet today there are more 
than twenty-five thousand routes of this
 character in the ,united ,states       

serving possibly twenty million people  
with daily mail1 a great proportion of  
whom before had very irregular mail     
service4 ,results are patent and marked4
 ,time is saved in going for mail2      
market reports come daily2 farmers are  
more prompt in their business dealings2 
roads are kept in better shape2 there is
 an increased circulation of papers and 
magazines4 ,thus the farmer is in closer
 touch with affairs and much more alert 
to business opportunities1 to political 
activities1 and to social movements4    
,the circulation of daily papers in     
country districts has increased at a    
marvelous rate4 ,the amount of          
letter-writing has increased4 ,rural    
delivery of mail arouses the spirit of  
being in the world4 ,its results have   
been almost revolutionary4  ,so1 too1   
the rural telephone4 ,recent            
investigation in the states of ,ohio1   
,michigan1 and ,indiana showed that out 
of #bjj1jjj subscribers to the          
independent telephone companies of those

 states about one-sixth were in farm    
homes4 ,a few years ago1 hardly a       
telephone could be found in a farmer's  
family4 ,this business is constantly    
increasing4 ,the established telephone  
companies are pushing their work into   
the country districts1 small local      
exchanges are being formed1 and soon the
 farmers1 in the ,north at least1 will  
be almost as well served by the         
telephone as are people of the smaller  
cities4  ,interurban electric railways  
are being built very rapidly and their  
advantage to the farmer is obvious4 ,it 
is doubtful if their effect has been    
quite so far-reaching as some have      
suggested4 ,at present they very largely
 parallel existing steam railways1 and  
while they give better freight and      
passenger service and assist materially 
in diminishing rural isolation in the   
areas which they traverse1 their        
influence does not extend very far from 
the line itself1 and they reach         
relatively small areas of the country4  

,however1 their value to the farmer is  
very large1 and1 as they increase in    
number and in efficiency of service1    
they will become a powerful factor in   
rural progress4  ,the good-roads        
movement is beginning to take on large  
proportions4 ,it is1 however1 a         
complicated question4 ,to make          
first-class roads is a costly business1 
and while a few such roads are of great 
value in a general social way1 they do  
not quite make general country          
conditions ideal4 ,to accomplish this1  
every road in the country should be a   
good road the year through1 and this is 
an ideal very difficult of realization4 
,however1 in general1 the roads are     
improving and as rapidly as the wealth  
of the country will permit the road     
system of the ,united ,states will be   
developed4 ,of course1 good roads are a 
prime requisite for rural betterment4   
,in general1 it may be said that during 
the past decade the improvement of means
 of communication in rural districts has

 gone forward at a marvelously rapid    
pace4 ,nor is it exaggerating to say    
that the movements named are re-creating
 farm life4  ,during this same period1  
there has been an almost equally        
wonderful advance in the means of       
agricultural education4 ,just twenty    
years ago the experiment-station system 
of this country was established4 ,it    
took ten years for the stations to      
organize their work and to gain the     
confidence of the farmers4 ,at present  
however1 they are looked upon with great
 favor by the farming class and are     
doing a magnificent work4 ,their        
function is that of research chiefly1   
although they attempt some control      
service1 such as inspection of          
fertilizers1 stock foods1 etc4 ,in      
research they aim both to study the more
 intricate scientific questions that    
relate to agriculture and to carry on   
experiments that are of more obvious and
 more immediate practical application to
 existing conditions in the various     

states4 ,there is one of these stations 
in each state and territory1 besides a  
number of stations supported by state   
funds4 ,the ,department of ,agriculture 
at ,washington has also developed during
 the last ten years until it is         
performing very large service for       
agriculture4 ,its annual expenditures   
aggregate eight or ten million dollars1 
and it has in its employment hundreds of
 experts carrying on laboratory and     
field research1 scouring the world for  
plants and seeds that may be of economic
 value1 and assisting to control plant  
and animal diseases4 ,it is also        
distributing a vast amount of practical 
information1 put in readable form and   
adapted to the average farmer4 ,its work
 of seeking to extend the markets of our
 agricultural products is one of its    
notable successes4  ,agricultural       
schools have been talked about for a    
century1 and during the early part of   
the last century several were started4  
,the first permanent agricultural       

college was opened in #aheg1 in         
,michigan4 ,the ,morrill ,act of #ahfb  
gave rise to a system of such colleges  
and today there will be found one in    
every state and territory1 besides      
several for the colored people of the   
,south4 ,up to #ahij1 these colleges had
 been not wholly satisfactory and the   
farming class was not patronizing very  
fully their agricultural courses4 ,the  
fault belonged both to the college and  
to the farmers4 ,the farmers were       
skeptical of the value of agricultural  
education1 and the colleges were often  
out of sympathy with the real needs of  
the farmers1 and in fact found it       
difficult to break away from the        
pedagogical ideals of the old           
educational regime4 ,since #ahij1       
however1 there has been a complete      
change of sentiment in this respect1    
particularly in the ,middle ,west4      
,there the land-grant colleges1 whether 
separate colleges or whether organized  
as colleges of state universities1 are  

securing magnificent buildings for      
agriculture1 are offering fully equipped
 courses1 and are enrolling as students 
some of the best men in college1 whom   
they are educating not only for         
agricultural teachers and experimenters 
but also for practical farmers4 ,of     
course1 there are many grave problems   
connected with this subject1 many       
farmers who do not yet respond to the   
call for educated agriculturists1 and   
some colleges that do not yet appreciate
 their opportunity4 ,but the change for 
the better has been so marked that all  
agricultural educators are extremely    
optimistic4  ,one of the most difficult 
and most important phases of            
agricultural education is that of a     
secondary grade4 ,the great proportion  
of educated farmers will probably be    
trained for their business in secondary 
schools4 ,this problem is being         
approached from many standpoints4 ,the  
,university of ,minnesota established1  
some fourteen years ago1 a school of    

agriculture1 which now enrols several   
hundred pupils of both sexes4 ,wisconsin
 is trying the experiment of two county 
schools of agriculture4 ,occasionally   
the public high school will be found    
offering a course in agriculture4       
,several states are experimenting in one
 or more of these lines1 and during the 
next few years we shall see a large     
development of this phase of            
agricultural education4  ,one of the    
most interesting movements in           
agricultural education has been an      
attempt to introduce nature-study and   
even the elements of agriculture into   
the country schools4 ,cornell           
,university has taken the lead in       
advocating nature-study purely1 for the 
schools2 and the ,university of         
,missouri has perhaps been the leader in
 advocating that the work be made even  
more definite and practical1 and that   
the country pupils shall be taught1     
during their early years even1 the      
elements of agriculture4 ,both plans are

 being worked out with a fair degree of 
success1 and many other states are      
carrying out the work in some form or   
other4 ,of course the idea is not a new 
one1 but its present practical          
application is a timely one1 and it will
 not be long before this branch of      
agricultural education will become a    
prominent factor in rural betterment4   
,a most suggestive phase of agricultural
 education is college extension work4   
,university extension has had a rather  
meteoric career in this country1 in so  
far as it has been connected with       
educational institutions2 although the  
extension idea is spreading rapidly and 
is being worked out through home study  
and correspondence courses of all sorts4
 ,but ,i think there is scarcely any    
field in which the real college         
extension idea is today being more      
successfully applied than in            
agriculture4 ,the work started with     
farmers' institutes1 which were         
instituted about twenty-five years ago  

and which have been adopted in          
practically all the states of the       
,union4 ,it has broadened within ten    
years1 until now it is carried on not   
only by farmers' institutes1 but through
 home-correspondence courses1 the       
introduction of millions of pamphlets   
into farm homes1 demonstrations in      
spraying1 butter-making1 soil testing1  
milk testing1 and so on4  ,ontario      
presents a good illustration of how a   
new agriculture can be created1 in a    
dozen years1 by co-operating methods of 
agricultural education4 ,her provincial 
department of agriculture1 her          
experiment station1 her agricultural    
college1 her various forms of extension 
work1 and her various societies of      
agriculturists have all worked together 
with an unusual degree of harmony for   
the deliberate purpose of inducing      
,canadian agriculturists to produce the 
things that will bring the most profit4 
,the results have been most astonishing 
and most gratifying4  ,the recent       

progress in the organization of farmers 
has been less marked than has been the  
development of rural communication and  
agricultural education4 ,organization is
 a prime requisite for farmers4 ,they   
feel this truth themselves4 ,for the    
last forty years1 many attempts--some   
large1 some small1 some successful1 some
 great failures--have been made to this 
end4 ,the problem is an extremely       
difficult one4 ,business co-operation   
among farmers is especially difficult   
and1 while co-operation has developed   
quite largely--so much so that the      
,department of ,agriculture was able to 
report1 a year ago1 a list of five      
thousand co-operative societies of      
various kinds among farmers--still it   
cannot be said that the farmers are     
co-operating industrially in a          
relatively large way4 ,they have1       
however1 a multitude of associations and
 societies4 ,they have also the ,grange1
 which is the most successful of all the
 general organizations of farmers in the

 country4 ,contrary to public belief1   
the ,grange is not defunct1 but has been
 growing at a very rapid pace during the
 last few years and has a large         
influence especially in the ,east and   
,middle ,west4 ,it has practically no   
existence in the far ,west and in the   
,south4 ,it has a national organization1
 however1 representing some twenty-six  
states4 ,its influence in ,congress is  
said to be marked4 ,the local ,granges  
are doing a very large work1 socially1  
educationally1 and sometimes            
financially4 ,the ,grange seems to      
understand itself now4 ,its ideals have 
been worked out pretty carefully1 and   
its future growth is quite certain4  ,we
 have suggested that the significant    
rural social movements of the past few  
years have been the improvement of rural
 communication1 the wonderful           
development of agricultural education1  
and the fairly satisfactory development 
of organization among farmers4 ,it seems
 also apparent that there is a fourth   

line of development that might be       
mentioned as being significant1 and it  
may be expressed in a somewhat general  
statement that the interest in          
agricultural questions has increased in 
a very marked way4 ,there is undoubtedly
 a new emphasis upon country life       
generally4 ,the people of the cities    
have been going to the country more than
 ever before4 ,a walk1 the length of    
,beacon ,street in ,boston1 at any time 
from the middle of ,june to late autumn1
 convinces one that the majority of the 
people are somewhere in the country4    
,all over the ,north1 city people are   
making country homes for at least a     
portion of the year4 ,there is also a   
growing interest in the farm and farm   
problems among the general public4 ,just
 now the country schools are attracting 
special attention from the educators--so
 much so that the late ,president       
,harper stated1 not long ago1 that the  
rural-school question is the coming     
question in education4 ,even the country

 church is being made a subject of      
discussion in religious circles4 ,it is 
conceded that agriculture presents      
problems4 ,and while the throbbing1     
busy1 intense life of the city brings   
perplexing questions to our             
civilization1 our people are coming to  
realize that the agricultural population
 and the agricultural industry are still
 tremendous factors in our national life
 and success1 and that both social and  
industrial conditions in the country are
 such that there also are grave         
questions to be settled4  ,in view of   
the facts which have been given1 ,i     
think if one were asked to give a direct
 answer to the question1 ,is the farmer 
keeping up8 one could reply1 ,yes4 ,in  
some sections of the country1 the       
farmers have not responded to these     
forward movements4 ,the countryman is   
naturally conservative4 ,not only that1 
but there are some serious questions    
that he has to meet in his business and 
in his life4 ,he finds it extremely and 

increasingly difficult to get adequate  
labor4 ,he has not been able to take    
sufficient advantage of the power of    
co-operation4 ,the industrial and social
 development of the city has lured away 
his children4 ,and yet one cannot help  
feeling that these really remarkable    
advances of the past decade are         
prophetic of a steady improvement in    
rural conditions1 of a larger           
development of rural life1 of a greater 
prosperity for agriculture4  ,with      
regard to the future1 it seems to me    
that1 on the social side1 the progress  
of the next few years is to be along the
 lines1 indicated above1 which have     
characterized the past ten or a dozen   
years4 ,still further improved means of 
communication will tend to banish       
isolation and its drawbacks4            
,realization of the benefits of         
organization and ability to co-operate  
will vastly strengthen class power4 ,the
 means of agricultural education will be
 developed very rapidly1 with the ideal 

in mind of being able to furnish some   
sort of agricultural training for every 
individual who lives upon the farm4 ,the
 country question1 as a whole1 will     
attract increasing attention4 ,gradually
 it will be seen that the rural problem 
is one of the greatest interest to all  
our citizens4 ,the spirit of            
co-operation will grow until not only   
the farmers themselves unite for their  
own class interests but the various     
social agencies--industrial1 religious1 
educational--ministering to rural       
betterment will find themselves also    
co-operating4 ,thus1 it seems to me1 the
 outlook for the future is full of hope4
 ,a genuine forward movement for rural  
betterment has had its beginning1 is now
 gathering volume1 and will soon attain 
very large proportions4     ,,forward   
,,steps     ,,chapter ,,xiv  ,,the      
,,social ,,side ,,of ,,the ,,farm       
,,question   ,there is a proverb in     
,grange circles which expresses also the
 fundamental aim of all agricultural    

education--,the farmer is of more       
consequence than the farm and should be 
first improved4 ,the first term in all  
agricultural prosperity is the man      
behind the plow4 ,improved agriculture  
is a matter of fertile brain rather than
 of fertile field4 ,mind culture must   
precede soil culture4  ,but if the      
improved man is the first term in       
improved agriculture1 if he is the      
effective cause of rural progress1 he is
 also the last term and the choice      
product of genuine agricultural         
advancement4 ,we may paraphrase the     
sordid1 raise more corn to feed more    
hogs to buy more land to raise more     
corn1 etc41 into the divine1 train      
better farmers to make better farming to
 grow better farmers1 etc4 ,we want     
trained men that we may have an         
advancing agricultural art1 that we may 
make every agricultural acre render its 
maximum4 ,the improved acre1 however1   
must yield not only corn but            
civilization1 not only potatoes but     

culture1 not only wheat but effective   
manhood4  ,but we may carry the point a 
step farther4 ,the individual farmer is 
the starting-point and the end of       
agriculture1 it is true4 ,but the lone  
farmer is an anomaly1 either as a cause 
or as a product1 as the lone man is     
everywhere4 ,as an effective cause we   
must have co-operating individuals1 and 
as an end we desire an improved         
community and a higher-grade class of   
farmers4  ,the farm question then is a  
social question4 ,valuable as are the   
contributions of science to the problems
 of soil and plant and animal1 the      
ultimate contribution comes from the    
development of improved men4 ,so the    
real end is not merely to utilize each  
acre to its utmost1 nor to provide cheap
 food for the people who do not farm1   
nor yet to render agriculture           
industrially strong4 ,the gravest and   
most far-reaching consideration is the  
social and patriotic one of endeavoring 
to develop and maintain an agricultural 

class which represents the very best    
type of ,american manhood and womanhood1
 to make the farm home the ideal home1  
to bring agriculture to such a state    
that the business will always attract   
the keen and the strong who at the same 
time care more for home and children and
 state and freedom than for millions4   
,in other words1 the maintenance of the 
typical ,american farmer--the man who is
 essentially middle class1 who is       
intelligent1 who keeps a good standard  
of living1 educates his children1 serves
 his country1 owns his medium-sized     
farm1 and who at death leaves a modest  
estate--the maintenance of the typical  
,american farmer is the real            
agricultural problem4  ,if this analysis
 is a correct one1 it will vitally      
affect our plans for agricultural       
training4 ,the student will be taught   
not only soil physics1 but social       
psychology4 ,he will learn not only the 
action of bacteria in milk fermentation1
 but the underlying causes of the social

 ferment among the farmers of the last  
thirty years4 ,he will concern himself  
with the value of farmers' organizations
 as well as with the co-operating       
influences of high-bred corn and        
high-bred steers4 ,the function and     
organization of the rural school will be
 as serious a problem to him as the     
building and management of the          
co-operative creamery4 ,the country     
church and its career will interest him 
fully as much as does the latest        
successful device for tying milch cows  
in the stable4 ,he will want to get at  
the kernel of the political questions   
that confront agriculture just as fully 
and thoroughly as he wishes to master   
the formulae for commercial fertilizers4
 ,no man will have acquired an adequate 
agricultural education who has not been 
trained in rural social science1 and who
 does not recognize the bearing of this 
wide field of thought upon the business 
of farming as well as upon ,american    
destiny4  ,research1 too1 will be       

touched with the social idea4 ,the men  
who study conditions existing in rural  
communities which have to do with the   
real life of the people--the effects of 
their environment1 the tendencies of    
their habits and customs--will need as  
thorough preparation for their work1 and
 the result of their efforts will be as 
useful as that of the men who labor in  
field and laboratory4  ,but the most    
profound consequence of recognizing the 
social side of the farm question will be
 the new atmosphere created at the      
agricultural colleges4 ,these           
institutions are fast gaining leadership
 in all the technical questions of      
agriculture--leadership gladly granted  
by progressive farmers whenever the     
institution is managed with intelligence
 and in the spirit of genuine sympathy  
with farming4 ,but these colleges must  
minister to the whole farmer4 ,they must
 help the farmer solve all his problems1
 whether these problems are scientific1 
or economic1 or social1 or political4   

,and let it be said in all earnestness  
that in our rapidly shifting industrial 
order1 the farmer's interest in the     
political1 social1 and economic problems
 of his calling is fully as great as it 
is in those purely scientific and       
technical4 ,and rightly so4 ,a prime    
steer is a triumph4 ,but it will not of 
itself keep the farmer free4 ,the       
#ej-;bushels-of-wheat acre is a grand   
business proposition provided the       
general industrial conditions favor the 
grower as well as the consumer4 ,when   
our agricultural colleges enter into the
 fullest sympathy with all the rural    
problems1 when the farm home and the    
rural school and the country church and 
the farmer's civic rights and duties and
 all the relations of his business to   
other industries--when these questions  
are in the air of our agricultural      
colleges1 then and then alone will these
 colleges fulfil their true mission of  
being all things to all farmers4        
,,chapter ,,xv  ,,the ,,needs ,,of ,,new

 ,,england ,,agriculture   ,one might   
name a score of important activities    
that should be encouraged in order to   
better ,new ,england agriculture4 ,but  
the two fundamental needs are 7#a7      
adaptation and 7#b7 co-operation4  ,by  
adaptation is meant such development of 
agriculture as shall more fully utilize 
existing physical and commercial        
conditions4 ,the ,west has for          
seventy-five years pressed hard upon    
,new ,england farming4 ,but along with  
this western competition has come a new 
opportunity for the eastern farmer4 ,new
 ,england farmers as a whole have not   
quickly enough responded to this new    
opportunity4 ,many of their troubles may
 be traced to the failure to adapt      
themselves to the new conditions4 ,the  
men in ,new ,england who have met the   
new opportunity are succeeding4  ,what  
does this adaptation consist in8 ,it    
means1 first1 the adaptation of the ,new
 ,england farmer to his markets4 ,in    
most parts of the country the type of   

farming is perhaps more dependent upon  
physical conditions of soil and climate 
than upon the immediate market4 ,in ,new
 ,england the reverse is now true1 and  
the type of ,new ,england farming must  
be adapted1 absolutely and completely1  
to the demands of its market4 ,new      
,england farmers have the most superb   
markets in the country4 ,of the six     
million people in ,new ,england1        
approximately #ge per cent4 live in the 
cities and villages4 ,there are1 in ,new
 ,england1 thirty cities having a       
population of twenty-five thousand or   
more4 ,the great majority of these      
cities are manufacturing cities peopled 
by the best class of consumers in the   
world--the ,american skilled artisan4   
,they constitute a nearby market that   
demands fresh products which cannot be  
transported across a continent4 ,new    
,england is also especially favored in  
its nearness to the ,european market4   
,the ,new ,england farmer then must     
adapt his crops1 his methods1 and his   

style of farming to his peculiar market4
  ,in the second place1 this adaptation 
must be one of soil1 just as anywhere   
else1 only the problem here becomes more
 complicated because of the varied      
character of the farming lands4 ,how to 
make the valleys and the hills1 the     
rocky ridges and the sand plains of ,new
 ,england yield their largest           
possibilities in agriculture is a       
problem of the greatest scientific and  
industrial interest1 and it is the      
problem that ,new ,england agriculture  
has to face4 ,in this connection comes  
also the need of special varieties      
adapted not only to the market but to   
the soil and climate4  ,this principle  
of adaptation is the industrial key to  
future agricultural development in ,new 
,england4 ,but to achieve this          
adaptation1 to make the key work1 there 
is needed the force of social           
organization4 ,the farmer must be       
reached before the farm can be improved4
 ,the man who treads the furrow is a    

greater factor than nitrogen or potash4 
,how is this man to be reached1         
inspired1 instructed8 ,largely by some  
form of organization4 ,the second and   
greater need therefore is co-operation4 
,co-operation means faith in            
agriculture--a faith too seldom found in
 the ,israel of ,new ,england's         
yeomanry4 ,co-operation means           
ideals--ideals of rural possibilities   
too seldom dreamed of in the philosophy 
of the ,yankee farmer4 ,co-operation    
means power--power that cannot be       
acquired by the lone man1 not even by   
the resolute individualism so dominant  
in ,new ,england character4  ,there are 
three forms of co-operation1 all of     
which are desirable and even essential  
if the most rapid agricultural progress 
in ,new ,england is to be               
secured--co-operation among individuals1
 among organizations1 among states4     
,the farmers of ,new ,england must work 
together4 ,the ,grange is stronger in   
,new ,england than in any other portion 

of the country of similar area--yet not 
one farmer in ten belongs to the        
,grange4 ,we need not dwell on this     
point1 for it is a truth constantly     
preached through the ,grange and through
 other means4 ,let me suggest two ideas 
relative to co-operation which have not 
received so much attention4  ,each      
organization has its peculiar work4 ,the
 school is to train the young1 the      
agricultural college to prepare the     
youth1 the farmers' institute to        
instruct and inspire the middle-aged and
 mature4 ,the experiment station seeks  
to discover the means by which nature   
and man may better work together4 ,the  
producers' unions endeavor to secure a  
fair price for their goods4 ,the ,grange
 enlarges the views of its members and  
brings the power which comes from       
working together1 buying together1      
meeting together1 talking together1     
acting together4 ,boards of agriculture 
control conditions of health and disease
 among animals and plants4 ,the country 

fair educates and interests4 ,the church
 crowns all in its ministrations of     
spiritual vision1 moral uplift1 and     
insistence upon character as the supreme
 end of life4  ,but no institution can  
do the work of the others4 ,they are    
members one of another4 ,the hand cannot
 say to the foot1 ,i have no need of    
thee4 ,all these things make for rural  
progress4 ,none can be spared4 ,the     
,grange cannot take the place of the    
church4 ,the institute cannot supplant  
the ,grange4 ,the college course cannot 
reach the adult farmer4 ,the experiment 
station cannot instruct the young4 ,the 
church cannot secure reforms in         
taxation4  ,these agencies may however  
co-operate4 ,indeed the most rapid and  
most secure rural progress1 the broadest
 and soundest agricultural growth1 can  
not take place unless there be this form
 of co-operation4 ,there will come added
 interest1 increased efficiency1 larger 
views1 greater ambitions in our         
agricultural development1 if1 in each   

state1 all of these forces work         
together4  ,we may therefore welcome    
most cordially the proposed plan of     
federating the various agricultural     
societies of each state into one grand  
committee organized for the purpose of  
forwarding all the agricultural         
interests of that state4 ,let there be1 
moreover1 a ,league for ,rural          
,progress1 in each state or1 at least1  
an annual conference on rural progress1 
in each state1 in which the             
representatives of the farmers'         
societies1 of the schools1 of the       
churches1 and indeed all other people   
who have the slightest interest in rural
 advancement may meet to discuss plans  
and methods which shall better          
agriculture and the farmer4  ,but this  
is not enough4 ,there ought to be       
co-operation among these various social 
institutions without respect to state   
lines4 ,the farm problem in ,new        
,england is one problem1 although       
differing in details1 it is true1 in    

different states4 ,co-operation should  
not stop with the federating of the     
organizations of a state4 ,there is no  
reason1 for instance1 why the           
agricultural colleges and experiment    
stations of ,new ,england should not    
co-operate4 ,it is not practicable to   
prevent all duplication of work4 ,i do  
suggest the desirability and the        
feasibility of genuine co-operation4    
,why should not those in charge of the  
rural schools of all ,new ,england meet 
together and discuss the difficulties   
and achievements as they exist in       
different states8 ,why not have a ,new  
,england ,society for ,agricultural     
,education1 in which all organizations  
and all individuals who are interested  
in any phase of this subject may meet   
for discussing ,new ,england problems8  
,could not boards of agriculture        
co-operate to some extent1 especially in
 farmers' institute work with general   
plans and ideas8 ,certainly conferences 
between these boards ought to yield most

 valuable results4 ,is the idea of a    
genuine ,new ,england fair a mere dream8
  ,cannot the ,granges of ,new ,england 
profitably co-operate more fully8 ,it is
 true that there is considerable        
intervisitation1 and yet the rank and   
file of members in one state know       
comparatively little of the progress and
 methods of the ,grange in an adjoining 
state2 this knowledge is confined to a  
few leaders4 ,would it not be worth     
while to attempt an occasional ,new     
,england assemblage of ,grange members1 
a representative gathering for          
discussing ,grange work and for         
enthusing the ,grange people of ,new    
,england with the possibilities of still
 further ,grange development8  ,the idea
 of ,new ,england as a unit of interest 
in church matters is already exemplified
 by the appointment of a ,new ,england  
secretary of the federation of churches4
 ,it is not too much to expect that1 in 
the near future1 all the means for      
church federation in ,new ,england shall

 work together1 because it is evident   
that co-operation and unity are demanded
 by the nature of the field4  ,and      
finally1 is it idle to think that there 
might be a ,new ,england ,league for    
,rural ,progress or1 at least1 a ,new   
,england ,conference on ,rural          
,progress1 which shall bring from every 
corner of ,new ,england representatives 
of the agricultural colleges1 of the    
,granges1 of the country church1 of the 
rural school1 of the country press1 and 
all other individuals who believe in the
 possibilities of ,new ,england         
agriculture1 and in the efficiency of   
the fullest and freest co-operation8    
,there are several powerful reasons why 
an attempt to better ,new ,england      
agriculture will be greatly aided by    
co-operation that includes every inch of
 ,new ,england soil from ,boston harbor 
to the ,berkshires1 and from ,mt4       
,katahdin to ,point ,judith4  7#a7 ,the 
importance of ,new ,england agriculture4
 ,in the appended table is attempted a  

comparison between ,new ,england as a   
unit1 the state of ,michigan            
representing an average agricultural    
state1 and the state of ,iowa           
representing the foremost agricultural  
state4 ,the figures1 taken from the     
,census of #aijj1 are given in round    
numbers4 ,such a table is not conclusive
 as to agricultural conditions4 ,but it 
is very suggestive as to the importance 
of ,new ,england agriculture both       
industrially and socially4 ,it will be  
seen that1 with an area only a little   
larger than ,michigan1 ,new ,england    
compares in every respect favorably with
 that average state and1 in some        
respects1 excels it1 while it excels    
both ,michigan and ,iowa by #fe per     
cent4 in gross value of product per acre
 of improved land4  7#b7 ,agricultural  
conditions all over ,new ,england are   
quite similar4 ,speaking broadly1 the   
soil and climate of one state are the   
soil and climate of another4 ,the people
 are of the same stock1 the same views1 

the same habits1 the same traditions4   
,the demand of the market is fairly     
uniform for different sections4 ,the    
,new ,england city is the ,new          
,englander's special possession as a    
market4 ,farm labor conditions are much 
the same4 ,in fact1 there is hardly a   
portion of our country1 of the same     
area1 which in all these respects yields
 itself more completely to the idea of  
unity4  7#c7 ,the hopefulness of the    
farm problem4 ,nearly four millions of  
city people live in ,new ,england4 ,they
 must be fed4 ,the nearness of the      
market means high-class products4 ,this 
means intensive agriculture4 ,intensive 
agriculture means education and         
intelligence4 ,the cities are growing4  
,their power of consumption is steadily 
and rapidly increasing4  7#d7 ,the      
unusual social equipment4 ,it must be   
remembered that in an area but little   
larger than ,iowa1 which has one        
agricultural college and one            
agricultural experiment station and no  

,granges to speak of1 ,new ,england has1
 in comparison1 six agricultural        
colleges1 six experiment stations1 six  
boards of agriculture1 over a thousand  
,granges1 and numerous agricultural     
societies4 ,the means of agricultural   
education in ,new ,england are more     
numerous and may be more efficient than 
in any other portion of this country of 
similar area4 ,moreover1 the cities are 
now in a position to help solve the     
problem in ,new ,england4 ,they have    
leaders4 ,there are in them men with    
leisure and talent who are interested in
 this problem and who are willing to    
help solve it4  7#e7 ,the sentimental   
side4 ,a campaign for rural progress1   
with ,new ,england as the unit1 ought to
 arouse the pride and enthusiasm of all 
the sons and daughters of ,new ,england 
who still have the privilege of living  
within her borders1 as well as the      
interest and sympathy of all her        
grandsons who1 though living under      
western skies1 still cherish in their   

hearts the deepest affection for their  
,fatherland4 ,shall not the idea of     
uniting all the forces of agricultural  
betterment that exist in ,new ,england  
be a stimulus to every farmer in the six
 states1 and1 indeed1 attract the       
sympathy and practical aid of every     
lover of ,new ,england soil8            
,adaptation1 co-operation3 these are the
 primary needs of ,new ,england         
agriculture2 an adaptation of the farmer
 and his farm to existing conditions1 a 
co-operation that unites individual     
farmers into various associated efforts1
 that federates the work and influence  
of the different social agencies within 
the state1 and that ultimately secures  
the unity of all ,new ,england in a     
great movement for rural advancement4   
,new ,england    ,michigan         ,iowa
                                        
----------------------------------------
---------------------------    ,total   
land area--                             
square miles              #fb1jjj       

#eg1ejj          #ee1ejj    ,number of  
farms            #aib1jjj       #bjc1jjj
         #bbi1jjj    ,acreage in farms  
#bj1ejj1jjj    #ag1ejj1jjj              
#cd1fjj1jjj    ,acres of improved       
land                   #h1ace1jjj       
#aa1hjj1jjj      #bi1ijj1jjj    ,value  
of farms        #fdj1jjj1jjj            
#fij1jjj1jjj  #a1hce1jjj1jjj    ,value  
of farm                                 
products            #agj1jjj1jjj        
#adg1jjj1jjj    #cfe1jjj1jjj    ,persons
 engaged in                             
agriculture              #bij1jjj       
#cab1jjj         #cgb1jjj    ,rural     
population         #a1ejj1jjj           
#a1bjj1jjj       #a1bfj1jjj    ,value of
 products per                           
acre of improved                        
land                        #bj         
#ab             #ab    ,number of       
,granges           #a1bjj           #gbe
      ,number of ,grange                
members                 #abj1jjj        
#de1jjj                                 

----------------------------------------
---------------------------             
,,chapter ,,xvi  ,,an ,,untilled ,,field
 ,,in ,,american ,,education            
,agricultural education in this country 
has thus far been an attempt to apply a 
knowledge of the laws of the so-called  
natural sciences to the practical       
operations of the farm4 ,comparatively  
little attention has been paid to the   
application of the principles of the    
social sciences to the life of the      
farmer4 ,all this is partly explained by
 the fact that the natural sciences were
 fairly well developed when the needs of
 the farmer called the scientist to work
 with and for the man behind the plow1  
when a vanishing soil fertility summoned
 the chemist to the service of the grain
 grower1 when the improvement of breeds 
of stock and races of plants began to   
appeal to the biologist4 ,moreover1     
these practical applications of the     
physical and biological sciences are1   
and always will be1 a fundamental       

necessity in the agricultural question4 
,but in the farm problem we cannot      
afford to ignore the economic and       
sociological phases4 ,while it may be   
true that the practical success of the  
individual farmer depends largely upon  
his business sense and his technical    
education1 it is folly to hope that the 
success of agriculture as an industry   
and the influence of farmers as a class 
can be based solely upon the ability of 
each farmer to raise a big crop and to  
sell it to advantage4 ,general          
intelligence1 appreciation of the trend 
of economic and social forces1 capacity 
to co-operate1 ability to voice his     
needs and his rights1 are just as vital 
acquirements for the farmer as knowing  
how to make two blades of grass grow    
where but one grew before4 ,it finally  
comes to this1 that the ,american farmer
 is obliged to study the questions that 
confront him as a member of the         
industrial order and as a factor in the 
social and political life of the nation1

 with as much zeal and understanding as 
he is expected to show in the study of  
those natural laws governing the soil   
and the crops and the animals that he   
owns4  ,in this connection it is        
significant to note that farmers        
themselves are already quite as         
interested in the social problems of    
their particular calling and in the     
general economic and political questions
 of the day1 as they are in science     
applied to their business of tilling the
 soil4 ,not necessarily that they       
minimize the latter1 but they seem      
instinctively to recognize that social  
forces may work them ill or work them   
good according to the direction and     
power of those forces4 ,this statement  
is illustrated by the fact that the     
aims1 purposes1 labors1 and discussions 
of the great farmers' organizations like
 the ,grange are social in character1   
having to do with questions that are    
political1 economic1 sociological4      
,when1 however1 we turn to those public 

educational agencies that are intended  
to assist in the solution of the farm   
problem1 we discover that they are      
giving slight attention to the social   
side of the question4 ,an examination of
 the catalogues of the agricultural     
colleges1 whether separate institutions 
or colleges of state universities1      
reveals the fact that1 beyond elementary
 work in economics1 in civics1 and      
occasionally in sociology1 little       
opportunity is given students to study  
the farm question from its social       
standpoint4 ,with a few exceptions1     
these institutions offer no courses     
whatever in rural social problems1 and  
even in these exceptional cases the work
 offered is hardly commensurate with the
 importance of the subject4 ,nearly all 
our other colleges and universities are 
subject to the same comment4 ,the       
average student of problems in economics
 and sociology and education gains on   
conception whatever of the importance   
and character of the rural phases of our

 industrial and social life4  ,it may be
 urged in explanation of this state of  
affairs that the liberal study of the   
social sciences in our colleges and     
universities and especially any large   
attention to the practical problems of  
economics and sociology1 is a           
comparatively recent thing4 ,this is    
true and is a good excuse4 ,but it does 
not offer a reason why the social phases
 of agriculture should be longer        
neglected4 ,the purpose of this article 
is less to criticize than to describe a 
situation and to urge the timeliness of 
the large development1 in the near      
future1 of rural social science4  ,at   
the outset the queries may arise1 ,what 
is meant by rural social science8 and1  
,what is there to be investigated and   
taught under such a head8 ,the answer to
 the first query has already been       
intimated4 ,rural social science is the 
application of the principles of the    
social sciences1 especially of economics
 and sociology1 to the problems that    

confront the ,american farmer4 ,as a    
reply to the second query there are     
appended at the end of this chapter     
outlines of possible courses in         
agricultural economics and rural        
sociology1 which were prepared by the   
writer for the exhibit in rural economy 
at the ,st4 ,louis exposition4 ,there   
are also subjects that have a political 
bearing1 such as local government in the
 country1 and primary reform in rural   
communities1 which perhaps ought not to 
be omitted4 ,so1 too1 various phases of 
home life and of art might be touched   
upon4 ,the subjects suggested and others
 like them could be conveniently grouped
 into from two to a dozen courses1 as   
circumstances might require4  ,what     
classes of people may be expected to    
welcome and profit by instruction of    
this character8 7#a7 ,the farmers       
themselves4 ,assuming that our          
agricultural colleges are designed1     
among other functions1 to train men and 
women to become influential farmers1 no 

argument is necessary to show how       
studies in rural social science may help
 qualify these students for genuine     
leadership of their class of toilers4   
,on the other hand1 it may be remarked  
that no subjects will better lend       
themselves to college extension work    
than those named above4 ,lectures and   
lecture courses for granges1 farmers'   
clubs1 farmers' institutes1 etc41 on    
such themes would arouse the greatest   
interest4 ,correspondence and home study
 courses along these lines would be     
fully as popular as those treating of   
soils and crops4 7#b7 ,agricultural     
educators4 ,the soil physicist or the   
agricultural chemist will not be a less 
valuable specialist in his own line1 and
 he certainly will be a more useful     
member of the faculty of an agricultural
 college1 if he has an appreciative     
knowledge of the farmer's social and    
economic status4 ,this is even more true
 of men called to administer            
agricultural education in any of its    

phases4 7#c7 ,rural school              
administrators and the more progressive 
rural teachers4 ,the country school can 
never become truly a social and         
intellectual center of the community    
until the rural educators understand the
 social environment of the farmer4      
7#d7;,country clergymen4 ,the vision of 
a social-service church in the country  
will remain but a dream unless1 added to
 the possession of a heart for such     
work1 the clergyman knows the farm      
problem sufficiently to appreciate the  
broader phases of the industrial and    
social life of his people4 7#e7 ,editors
 of farm papers1 and of the so-called   
country papers4 ,probably the editors of
 the better class of agricultural papers
 are less in need of instruction such as
 that suggested than is almost anyone   
else4 ,yet the same arguments that now  
lead many young men aspiring to this    
class of journalism to regard a course  
in scientific agriculture as a vestibule
 to their work may well be used in      

urging a study of rural social science1 
especially at a time when social and    
economic problems are pressing upon the 
farmer4 ,as for the country papers1 the 
work of purveying local gossip and      
stirring the party kettle too often     
obscures the tremendous possibilities   
for a high-class service to the rural   
community which such papers may render4 
,no men1 in the agricultural states at  
least1 have more real influence in their
 community than the trained1 clean1     
manly1 country editors--and there is a  
multitude of such men4 ,if as a class   
they possessed also a wider appreciation
 of the farmer's industrial difficulties
 and needs1 hardly anyone could give    
better service to the solution of the   
farm problem than could they4 7#f7      
,everybody else6 ,that is to say1 the   
agricultural question is big enough and 
important enough to be understood by    
educated people4 ,the farmers are half  
our people4 ,farming is our largest     
single industrial interest4 ,the capital

 invested in agriculture is four-fifths 
the capital invested in manufacturing   
and railway transportation combined4    
,whether an individual has a special    
interest in business1 in economics1 in  
education1 or in religious institutions1
 he ought to know the place of the farm 
and the farmer in that question4 ,no one
 can have a full appreciation of the    
social and industrial life of the       
,american people who is ignorant of the 
agricultural status4  ,the natural place
 to begin work in rural social science  
is the agricultural college4 ,future    
farmers and teachers of farmers are     
supposed to be there4 ,the subjects     
embraced are as important in solving the
 farm problem as are biology1 physics1  
or chemistry4 ,no skilled farmer or     
leader of farmers should be without some
 reasonably correct notions of the      
principles that determine the position  
of agriculture in the industrial world4 
,a brief study of the elements of       
political economy1 of sociology1 of     

civics1 is not enough2 no more than the 
study of the elements of botany1 of     
chemistry and of zoology is enough4 ,the
 specific problems of the farmer that   
are economic need elucidation alongside 
the study of soils and crops1 of        
plant-and stock-breeding4 ,and these    
economic topics should be thoroughly    
treated by men trained in social        
science1 and not incidentally by men    
whose chief interest is technical       
agriculture4  ,the normal schools may   
well discuss the propriety of adding one
 or two courses which bear on the social
 and economic situation of the rural    
classes4 ,while these schools do not now
 send out many teachers into rural      
schools1 they may do so under the system
 of centralized schools2 and in any     
event they furnish rural school         
administrators1 as well as instructors  
of rural teachers4 ,there seems to be a 
growing sentiment which demands of the  
school and of the teacher a closer touch
 with life as it is actually lived4 ,how

 can rural teachers learn to appreciate 
the social function of the rural school1
 except they be taught8  ,nor is there  
any reason why the theological          
seminaries1 or at least the institutions
 that prepare the men who become country
 clergymen1 should not cover some of the
 subjects suggested4 ,if the ambition of
 some people to see the country church a
 social and intellectual center is to be
 realized1 the minister must know the   
rural problem broadly4 ,the same        
arguments that impel the city pastor to 
become somewhat familiar with the       
economic1 social1 and civic questions of
 the day hold with equal force when     
applied to the necessary preparation for
 the rural ministry4  ,the universities 
may be called upon to train teachers and
 investigators in rural social science  
for service in agricultural colleges1   
normal schools1 and theological         
seminaries4 ,moreover1 there is no good 
reason why any college or university    
graduate should not know more than he   

does about the farm problem4 ,there can 
be little doubt that the interest in the
 farm question is very rapidly growing1 
and that the universities will be but   
meeting a demand if they begin very soon
 to offer courses in rural social       
science4  ,the arguments for rural      
social science rest1 let us observe1 not
 only upon its direct aid to the farmers
 themselves1 but upon its value as a    
basis for that intelligent social       
service which preacher1 teacher1 and    
editor may render the farming class4 ,it
 is an essential underlying condition   
for the successful federation of rural  
social forces4 ,indeed it should in some
 degree be a part of the equipment of   
every educated person4  ,it may not be  
out of place to add1 in conclusion1 that
 instruction in rural social problems   
should be placed in the hands of men who
 are thoroughly trained in social       
science as well as accurate1            
experienced1 and sympathetic observers  
of rural conditions4 ,it would be       

mischievous indeed if in the desire to  
be progressive any educational          
institution should offer courses in     
rural social science which gave         
superficial or erroneous ideas about the
 scientific principles involved1 or     
which encouraged in any degree whatever 
the notion that the farmer's business   
and welfare are not vitally and forever 
bound up with the business and welfare  
of all other classes4   ,,outline ,,for 
,a ,,brief ,,course ,,in ,,agricultural 
,,economics     ,i4 ,characteristics of 
the ,agricultural ,industry4            
,dependence upon nature4      ,capital  
and labor as applied to agriculture4    
,the laws of rent and of decreasing     
returns in agriculture4      ,relation  
of agriculture to other industries and  
to the welfare of        mankind4       
,,ii4 ,history of the ,agricultural     
,industry4      ,in ancient times4      
,status in ,europe prior to the         
eighteenth century4      ,the struggle  
to maintain its standing after the      

advent of commerce        and           
manufacture4      ,in the ,united       
,states4        ,the pioneer stage4     
,development of commercial agriculture4 
,the new farming4  ,,iii4 ,present      
,status of the ,farming ,industry4      
,the world's food supply4               
,agricultural resources of the ,united  
,states4        ,geographical factors4  
,soils1 climate1 fertility1 natural     
enemies1 etc4      ,statistics of farms1
 farm wealth1 production1 etc4          
,leading sub-industries1 cereals1 stock1
 etc4      ,distribution of production4 
,,iv4 ,the ,agricultural ,market4       
,description of the market--local1      
domestic1 foreign4      ,mechanism of   
the market4        ,banks and local     
exchange facilities4        ,middlemen4 
,boards of trade4      ,prices of       
agricultural products4        ,movements
 of prices4        ,agricultural        
competition4        ,depressions of     
agriculture4        ,influence of       
options4      ,transportation of        

agricultural products4        ,primary  
transportation--wagon roads and trolley 
lines4        ,railroad and water       
transportation4          ,facilities4   
,rates4          ,discriminations4      
,delivery methods4        ,incidents of 
the transportation system--elevators1   
etc4        ,imperfect distribution of  
agricultural products4      ,development
 of the market4        ,increase of     
consumption of products--manufacture of 
farm products          as a factor4     
,the factor of choicer products4        
,the factor of better distribution of   
products4        ,the local market as a 
factor4        ,the foreign market as a 
factor4    ,v4 ,business ,co-operation  
in ,agriculture4      ,historical       
sketch4      ,present status4           
,production4        ,marketing4         
,buying4        ,miscellaneous business 
co-operation4      ,difficulties and    
tendencies4   ,,vi4 ,agriculture and    
,legislation4      ,land laws and land  
policies of the ,united ,states4        

,agriculture and the tariff4            
,taxation and agriculture4      ,food   
and dairy laws4      ,government aid to 
agriculture4  ,,vii4 ,general ,problems4
      ,agricultural labor4              
,machinery and agriculture4             
,interest rates1 indebtedness1 etc4     
,tenant farming4      ,large vs4 small  
farming4      ,business methods4        
,immigration and agriculture4           
,,outline ,,for ,a ,,brief ,,course ,,in
 ,,rural ,,sociology  ,,introduction    
#a4 ,definitions4 #b4 ,relation of the  
sociological to the economic1 the       
technical1 and the      scientific      
phases of agriculture4   ,part ,i  ,,the
 ,,rural ,,social ,,status   ,,chapter  
,i  ,movements of the ,farm ,population 
#a4 ,statistical survey4 #b4 ,the       
movement to the ,west4      ,history1   
causes4 #c4 ,the movement to the cities4
    a7 ,growth of cities4    b7         
,depletion of rural population in       
certain localities4 #d4 ,causes of the  
movement to the cities4    a7           

,industrial1 social1 and psychological  
causes4 #e4 ,results of the movements of
 the farm population4    a7 ,results    
both good and bad4    b7 ,resume of     
industrial and social results4          
,,chapter ,,ii  ,social ,condition of   
the ,rural ,population  ,nativity2      
color2 illiteracy2 families2 health2    
temperance2 crime2 morality2 pauperism2 
defectives2 insanity2 etc4   ,,chapter  
,,iii  ,the ,social ,psychology of      
,rural ,life  #a4 ,isolation and its    
results4 #b4 ,the farm home and its     
environment4 #c4 ,traits of family life4
 #d4 ,traits of individual life4        
,,chapter ,,iv  ,the ,social ,aspect of 
,current ,agricultural ,questions  #a4  
,tenant farming4 #b4 ,large vs4 small   
farms4 #c4 ,farm labor4 #d4 ,irregular  
incomes4 #e4 ,farm machinery4 #f4       
,specialization in farming4 #g4         
,immigration4   ,part ,,ii  ,,social    
,,factors ,,in ,,rural ,,progress       
,,chapter ,i  ,means of ,communication  
in ,rural ,districts  #a4 ,importance   

and status of rural communication4 #b4  
,the new movements for better rural     
communication4    a7 ,highways4    b7   
,rural free mail delivery4    c7 ,rural 
telephone4    d7 ,interurban electric   
railways4   ,,chapter ,,ii  ,farmers'   
,organizations  #a4 ,value of4 #b4      
,difficulties in organizing4 #c4 ,forms 
that organizations may take4 #d4        
,history and work of farmers'           
organizations in the ,united ,states4   
#e4 ,general deductions from study of   
farmers' organizations4   ,,chapter     
,,iii  ,rural ,education  #a4           
,distinction between rural and          
agricultural education4 #b4 ,the country
 school4    a7 ,its importance1         
organization1 maintenance1 instruction1 
and      supervision4    b7 ,the rural  
school as a social center4    c7 ,the   
township unit1 the consolidated school1 
the centralized      school4 #c4        
,high-school privileges for rural       
pupils4 #d4 ,the rural library4 #e4     
,other agencies for rural education4    

,,chapter ,,iv  ,means of ,agricultural 
,education  #a4 ,historical4 #b4        
,research in agriculture4 #c4           
,agricultural instruction to resident   
students4    a7 ,higher education in    
agriculture4    b7 ,secondary education 
in agriculture4    c7 ,primary education
 in agriculture4 #d4 ,extension teaching
 in agriculture4 #e4 ,miscellaneous     
agencies for agricultural education4    
a7 ,farmers' societies4    b7 ,the farm 
press4    c7 ,the county paper4    d7   
,industrial departments of steam        
railways4   ,,chapter ,v  ,the ,rural   
,church  #a4 ,present status4 #b4       
,difficulties in country church work4   
#c4 ,the awakening in the rural church4 
#d4 ,the institutional rural church4 #e4
 ,the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 in the country4   
#f4 ,the rural ,sunday school4 #g4 ,the 
rural social settlement4   ,,chapter    
,,vi  ,the ,social ,ideal for           
,agriculture  #a4 ,the importance of    
social agencies4 #b4 ,the preservation  
of the ,american farmer essential4 #c4  

,relation of this ideal to our ,american
 civilization4 #d4 ,the federation or   
co-operation of rural social agencies4  
,,chapter ,,xvii  ,,federation ,,for    
,,rural ,,progress   ,it is almost trite
 to assert the need of the              
socialization--to use a much-worked     
phrase--of the country4 ,it is possible 
that this need is not greater than in   
the cities1 but it is different4 ,among 
no class of people is individualism so  
rampant as among farmers4 ,for more than
 a century the ,american farmer led the 
freest possible social life4 ,his       
independence was his glory4 ,but1 when  
the day of co-operation dawned1 he found
 himself out of tune with the movement1 
was disinclined to join the ranks of    
organized effort1 and he prefers even   
yet his personal and local independence 
to the truer freedom which can be       
secured only through co-operative       
endeavor4 ,moreover1 the social aspect  
of the rural problem is important not   
merely because the farmer is slow to    

co-operate4 ,the farm problem is to be  
met by the activities of social         
institutions4  ,we may say 7assuming the
 home life1 of course7 that the church1 
the school1 and the farmers'            
organization are the great rural social 
institutions4 ,they are the forces now  
most efficient1 and the ones that       
promise to abide4 ,this classification  
may appear to be a mere truism1 when we 
suggest that under the church should be 
placed all those movements that have a  
distinctively religious motive1 under   
the school all those agencies that are  
primarily educational in design1 and    
under farmers' organizations those      
associations whose chief function is to 
settle questions which concern the      
farmer as a business man and a citizen4 
,but the classification answers fairly  
well4 ,it includes practically every    
device that has been suggested for rural
 betterment4  ,there are two interesting
 facts about these rural institutions3  
7#a7 ,none of them is doing a tithe of  

what it ought to be doing to help solve 
the farm problem4 ,the church is        
apparently just about holding its own1  
though that is doubted by some          
observers4 ,rural schools are not1 as a 
rule1 keeping pace with the demands     
being made upon them2 comparatively few 
students in the whole country are       
studying scientific agriculture4 ,not   
one farmer in twenty belongs to a strong
 farmers' organization4 7#b7 ,all these 
institutions are awakening to the       
situation4 ,progress during the last    
decade has been especially gratifying4  
,co-operative efforts among farmers are 
more cautious1 but more successful4 ,the
 ,grange has nearly doubled its         
membership since #ahij2 and it1 as well 
as other farm organizations1 has more   
real power than ever before4 ,the       
rural-school question is one of the     
liveliest topics today among farmers as 
well as educators4 ,opportunities for   
agricultural education have had a       
marvelous development within a decade4  

,discussion about rural church          
federation1 the rural institutional     
church1 rural social settlements1 and   
even experiments in these lines are     
becoming noticeably frequent4 ,the      
,young ,men's ,christian ,association   
has1 its officers think1 found the way  
to reach the country young man4  ,the   
institutions which we have just         
discussed1 together with the improvement
 that comes from such physical agencies 
as assist quicker communication 7good   
wagon roads1 telephones1 rural mail     
delivery1 electric roads71 constitute   
the social forces that are to be        
depended upon in rural betterment4 ,none
 can be spared or ignored4 ,the function
 of each must be understood and its     
importance recognized4 ,to imagine that 
substantial progress can result from the
 emphasis of any one agency to the      
exclusion of any other is a mistake4 ,to
 assert this is not to quarrel with the 
statement we frequently hear nowadays   
that the church should be the social and

 intellectual center of the             
neighborhood2 or that the school should 
be the social and intellectual center of
 the neighborhood2 or that the ,grange  
should be the social and intellectual   
center of the neighborhood4 ,it is      
fortunate that these statements have    
been made4 ,they show an appreciation of
 a function of these agencies that has  
been neglected4 ,the first item in rural
 social progress is that the country    
preacher1 the rural teacher1 the country
 doctor1 the country editor1 the        
agricultural editor1 the agricultural   
college professor1 and especially the   
farmer himself1 shall see the social    
need of the farm community4 ,but to     
assert1 for instance1 that the church   
shall be the social center of that      
community may lead to a partial and even
 to a fanatical view of things4 ,i would
 not restrain in the slightest the      
enthusiasm of any pastor who wants to   
make his church occupy a central        
position in community life1 nor of the  

teacher who wants to bring her school   
into relation with all the economic and 
social life of the farm1 nor of the     
leader of the farmers' organization who 
sees the good that may be done through  
the social and intellectual training    
which his organization can give4 ,but if
 there is danger that the preacher in   
the pursuit of this ideal1 shall ignore 
the social function of the school and of
 the farmers' organization1 or that the 
teacher1 or the farmer1 or anybody else 
who is interested1 shall fail to see    
that there is a logical division of     
labor among rural social forces1 and    
that it is only the intelligent and     
efficient and harmonious co-operation of
 all these forces that will insure the  
best progress1 then to such ,i appeal   
with all the power at my command to     
recognize not only the breadth of the   
whole movement1 but to appreciate the   
limitations of their own special        
interests4 ,there are things that the   
church cannot do and should not attempt 

to do4 ,there are things the school     
cannot do and should not attempt to do4 
,accepting our conventional division of 
social agencies1 we may say that        
efficient rural progress stands upon a  
tripod of forces1 and that balance can  
be maintained only when each is used in 
its proper measure4  ,we reach now the  
heart of the topic1 which is how these  
various social forces may be brought    
into co-operation--a co-operation that  
is intelligent and real4 ,i would       
suggest1 first of all1 the encouragement
 of all efforts along this line that are
 already under way4 ,for instance1 there
 are scattered all over this country    
individual pastors who are seeking to   
make their churches the social and      
intellectual beacon-lights of the       
community4 ,there are other individuals 
who are endeavoring to apply the        
social-settlement idea to the needs of  
the country4 ,there are associations    
which attempt to bring together the     
teachers and the school patrons for     

mutual discussion of educational topics4
 ,in numerous instances the farmers'    
organizations include in their          
membership the country pastor1 the      
district school teacher and perhaps the 
country doctor4 ,in these and doubtless 
in other ways the idea we are dealing   
with is being promulgated1 and up to a  
certain point this fact of promiscuous  
initiative is entirely satisfactory and 
desirable4 ,so long as the work is done 
it makes little difference who does it4 
,every attempt to bring any of these    
agencies into closer touch with the farm
 community is to be welcomed most       
heartily4 ,but beyond a certain limit   
this promiscuous work must be           
unsatisfactory4 ,the efforts and        
interests of any one social agency are  
bound to be partial4 ,indeed the more   
effective such an agency is1 the more   
partial it is likely to be4 ,intensity  
is gained at the expense of breadth4    
,the need for federation exists in the  
desirability of securing both the       

intensity and the breadth4  ,the precise
 method of securing this federation of  
effort is not easy to foresee4 ,it can  
be determined only by trial4 ,it must be
 worked out in harmony with varying     
conditions4 ,some very general plans at 
once suggest themselves3 7#a7 ,let the  
agricultural college in each state take 
the lead in the movement1 acting not so 
much as an organization as a            
clearing-house and a go-between4 ,let it
 direct conferences on the subject1 and 
seek to bring all who are interested in 
rural affairs into touch and sympathy4  
7#b7 ,have a ,league for ,rural         
,progress1 made up of representatives   
from the churches1 the agricultural     
colleges1 the departments of public     
instruction1 the farm press1 various    
farmers' organizations1 etc4 7#c7       
,enlarge the ,hesperia movement1 which  
now seeks to secure co-operation between
 school and farmers' organization1 by   
including in it the church4  ,it may be 
of interest to note that this idea of a 

federation of rural social forces is    
getting a foothold and has indeed       
already crystallized into organization4 
,a brief description of what has        
actually been done will therefore not be
 out of place4  ,so far as the writer is
 aware1 the first meeting based on the  
definite idea of co-operation between   
school1 church1 and ,grange was held at 
,morris1 ,connecticut1 in the summer of 
#aija and was organized by ,rev4 ,f4 ,a4
 ,holden1 then pastor at ,morris4 ,this 
meeting was a very successful local     
affair1 held in connection with ,old    
,home ,week celebration4  ,probably the 
first attempt to hold a similar meeting 
on a large scale was the conference at  
the ,agricultural ,college1 ,michigan1  
in ,february1 #aijb4 ,it was a joint    
meeting of the ,michigan ,political     
,science ,association and the           
,agricultural ,college and farmers'     
institutes4 ,the practical initiative   
was taken by the ,political ,science    
,association under the leadership of its

 secretary1 ,professor ,henry ,c4       
,adams1 who had the cordial co-operation
 of ,president ,snyder of the           
,agricultural ,college and ,professor   
,c4 ,d4 ,smith1 then superintendent of  
farmers' institutes4 ,it was a notable  
gathering1 and its promoters were       
rejoiced to see the splendid attendance 
of farmers particularly2 teachers and   
clergymen did not attend as freely as   
might have been expected4 ,the programme
 was a strong one and included men of   
national reputation and topics covering 
a wide range of interests4  ,the        
addresses were published in the         
,michigan ,farmers' ,institute ,bulletin
 for #aija-jb1 and were also gathered   
into a publication of the ,michigan     
,political ,science ,association under  
the title ,social ,problems of the      
,farmer4  ,the state of ,rhode ,island  
has organized on a permanent basis4 ,in 
#aijd there was held in ,kingston1 at   
the ,college of ,agriculture and        
,mechanic ,arts1 a ,conference on ,rural

 ,progress4 ,it was a one-day meeting1  
well attended by representative farmers1
 clergymen1 and educators4 ,a committee 
was appointed to discuss further        
procedure1 and the next year there was  
held in the halls of ,brown ,university 
a two-days' conference4 ,the programme  
included addresses on3 ,the ,grange1    
,the ,country ,church1 ,school ,gardens1
 and several phases of practical        
agriculture4 ,among the speakers were   
the assistant secretary of agriculture1 
,hon4 ,n4 ,j4 ,bachelder1 now ,master of
 the ,national ,grange1 and ,dr4 ,josiah
 ,strong4  ,in the spring of #aijf there
 was organized ,the ,rhode ,island      
,league for ,rural ,progress1 which was 
constituted through representation from 
the following organizations3 ,state     
,board of ,agriculture2 ,rhode ,island  
,college of ,agriculture2 ,state        
,federation of ,churches2 ,state        
,grange2 ,state ,association of ,school 
,superintendents2 ,state ,league of     
,improvement ,societies2 ,washington    

,county ,agricultural ,society2 ,newport
 ,agricultural ,society2 ,rhode ,island 
,horticultural ,society2 ,newport       
,horticultural ,society2 ,rhode ,island 
,poultry ,association2 ,florists and    
,gardeners' ,club2 ,kingston            
,improvement ,association4  ,this league
 held the ,third ,annual ,conference on 
,rural ,progress1 ,april #aj and #aa1   
#aijf1 the first day's session being at 
,brown ,university1 ,providence1 and the
 second day's at ,east ,greenwich4 ,its 
fourth meeting was held in ,newport in  
,march1 #aijg4 ,in ,rhode ,island the   
idea lying back of this conference has  
certainly approved itself to all who are
 interested in rural matters4  ,the     
following is the constitution of the    
league3        ,,constitution           
,rhode ,island ,league for ,rural       
,progress       ,i4 ,,name4--,the name  
of this body shall be the ,rhode ,island
 ,league      for ,rural ,progress4     
,,ii4 ,,object4--,the object of the     
,league shall be to secure the          

co-operation of the various individuals1
 organizations1 and      agencies which 
are working for any phase of rural      
advancement in      this state4         
,,iii4 ,,membership4--,any organization 
interested in rural advancement1        
which may desire to co-operate with the 
work of the ,league1 may be             
represented in the ,league4       ,any  
individual in the state interested in   
rural progress may become      a member 
of the ,league upon the payment of one  
dollar annual fee4       ,,iv4          
,,officers4--,the administrative work of
 the ,league shall be      conducted by 
a council1 to be composed of one        
delegate from each      organization    
represented in the ,league1 to serve    
until superseded4      ,the council at  
the time of each annual conference shall
 choose from      among its members a   
president1 a vice-president1 and a      
secretary-treasurer1 and these officers 
shall act as an executive               
committee4       ,v4 ,,meetings4--,the  

meetings of the ,league shall be held at
 the call      of the executive         
committee4 ,there shall1 however1 be at 
least one      annual ,conference on    
rural progress held under the auspices  
of the      ,league4       ,,vi4        
,,finances4--,the funds necessary to    
forward the work of the      ,league may
 come from three sources3       a7      
,contributions made by organizations    
belonging to the ,league      and       
represented on the council1 such        
contributions to be voluntary      and  
in such amount as the respective        
organizations may designate4      ,the  
council may1 however1 make up a schedule
 of desired      contributions from the 
various organizations and present it to 
the      different organizations4       
b7 ,membership fees from individual     
members1 #a4jj per year from      each  
member4       c7 ,private subscriptions4
   ,probably the first successful       
attempt to organize a permanent league  
for rural progress was accomplished in  

#aijd through the efforts of ,rev4 ,g4  
,t4 ,nesmith1 of ,hebron1 ,ill4 ,it was 
called ,the ,mc,henry ,county           
,federation1 and has held three annual  
meetings and seems to be on a solid     
basis4 ,mr4 ,nesmith has endeavored to  
keep the purpose of the league on a high
 plane by endeavoring to state clearly  
the object of the federation1 which is1 
that the people of ,mc,henry ,county    
might have life1 and have it more       
abundantly1 and this life was not to be 
a narrow life4 ,it was the largest      
aggregate and highest symmetry of the   
sixfold ends of individual and community
 action1 viz41 health1 wealth1          
knowledge1 sociability1 beauty1 and     
righteousness4 ,he also endeavored to   
make it clear that the federation does  
not seek to supplant the other forces4  
,it rather seeks to be a clearing-house 
of the ideas of all the federated       
organizations2 to be a mount of vision  
from which each may look and get a      
complete vision of life2 to be a        

fraternal bond which shall link all     
together in common ties of sympathy1    
fellowship1 and co-operation4  ,the     
results thus far obtained are perhaps   
best described by quoting the words of  
,mr4 ,g4 ,w4 ,conn1 ,jr41 superintendent
 of schools of ,mc,henry ,county3       
,there is one noticeable omission in the
 constitution--a provision      for the 
proper financing of the federation4     
,this is partially      explained by the
 fact that the federation has largely   
centered      about the county          
,teachers' ,association and the county  
,farmers'      ,institute1 organizations
 that are supported in a financial way  
by      the county and the state        
appropriations4 ,these appropriations1  
in      addition to some voluntary      
gifts1 have been sufficient to meet the 
necessary expenses of the meetings4     
,i think that ,i am safe in saying that 
the interest and also the               
attendance has probably increased #ajj  
per cent4 at each session4      ,each   

year has also seen a much larger        
percentage of our local men      and    
women helping out on the programme4 ,it 
is a little early in its      history to
 expect much evidence of material       
results1 but ,i believe      that       
results are already putting in an       
appearance1 especially from      the    
esthetic standpoint4 ,without doubt more
 trees have been planted      about the 
country homes and along the country     
roadsides of this      county than in   
any two preceding years4 ,in a great    
many places      roads have been        
cleaned4 ,refuse and weeds have been    
removed and      burned4 ,landscape     
gardening on a simple scale is putting  
in an      appearance in places where it
 was little expected4 ,the naming of    
farms is another feature that is rapidly
 growing4 ,boys' country      clubs are 
being formed and this year1 for the     
first time1 three of      these clubs   
met with the federation1 had a banquet1 
and formed a      county organization4  

,of course not all of these movements   
are rightfully to be      attributed to 
the direct influence of the county      
federation4 ,the      public schools of 
the county have been largely            
instrumental in      stirring the public
 conscience to a livelier appreciation  
of the      beautiful4 ,the regular     
observance of ,arbor and ,bird ,days in 
our      schools has done much toward   
initiating this movement4 ,however1 the 
federation has been the great factor in 
uniting otherwise      independent      
organizations into one large machine for
 stirring the      social consciousness 
and molding public sentiment4 ,it has   
proved to      be an efficient          
association in at least three ways1 in  
co-ordinating our efforts1 harmonizing  
our methods1 and broadening      the    
field of operation4   ,the constitution 
of this league is given herewith in     
full3        #a4 ,,name4--,the name of  
this organization shall be1 ,the        
,mc,henry      ,county ,federation of   

,rural ,forces4       #b4               
,,object4--,the object of the           
,federation is to gain a higher         
symmetry and a larger aggregate of      
health1 wealth1 knowledge1              
sociability1 beauty1 and righteousness  
to the citizens of ,mc,henry            
,county4       #c4 ,,elements ,,of ,,the
 ,,federation4--,the ,federation shall  
consist of the      following           
organizations3 ,the ,farmers'           
,institute1 ,teachers'                  
,association1 ,domestic ,science        
,association1 ,pastors' ,association1   
,women's ,christian ,temperance ,union1 
and the ,young ,men's ,christian        
,association4       #d4                 
,,membership4--,any county organization 
may become a member of the              
federation by recommendation of the     
,executive ,committee4       #e4        
,,officers4--,the officers of the       
,federation shall consist of a          
president1 as many vice-presidents as   
there are component      organizations1 

a secretary-treasurer1 and an ,executive
 ,committee4       #f4                  
,,committees4--,the ,executive          
,committee shall be composed of the     
president1 the secretary-treasurer1 and 
the presidents of the      component    
organizations4       ,there shall be an 
,auditing ,committee and a ,committee on
      ,resolutions1 each consisting of  
three members and to be appointed       
by the president4       ,the ,nominating
 ,committee shall consist of two members
 from each of      the component        
organizations and they shall be         
appointed by the      president4        
#g4 ,,duties4--,the ,executive          
,committee shall select the date and fix
      the place of every meeting4 ,they 
shall also prepare the programme4       
,the presidents of the component        
organizations shall be ex-officio       
vice-presidents of the ,federation4     
#h4 ,,auditing4--,all bills shall be    
paid by the treasurer after the         
same have been countersigned by the     

,auditing ,committee4       #i4 ,,term  
,,of ,,office4--,the terms of all       
officers shall be one year or      until
 their successors are elected4          
#aj4 ,,how ,,elected4--,all officers    
shall be elected by ballot4   ,the      
,massachusetts ,conference for ,town and
 ,village ,betterment has dealt with    
some phases of the federation idea4 ,its
 object is to contribute to the         
formation of a strong1 definite1 and    
united purpose among the forces working 
for the improvement of civic and social 
conditions in ,massachusetts1 by        
bringing together all town and village  
improvement societies1 citizen's        
associations1 civic clubs1 and other    
organizations interested in this        
purpose4  ,the ,massachusetts           
,agricultural ,college1 in celebrating  
the fortieth anniversary of its opening 
to students1 ,october #b1 #aijg1 held a 
four days' conference on rural progress4
 ,the programme covered nearly the whole
 field of rural development and was made

 possible by the co-operation of the    
,state ,board of ,agriculture1 the      
,state ,grange1 the ,massachusetts      
,civic ,league1 the ,connecticut ,valley
 ,congregational ,club1 the ,state      
,committee of the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a41 the  
,western ,massachusetts ,library ,club1 
and the ,head-,masters' ,club of the    
,connecticut ,valley4 ,no permanent     
organization was formed1 but the general
 idea of federation of rural social     
forces was fully emphasized and         
thoroughly appreciated4  ,an attempt was
 made in the spring of #aijg to bring   
together the various elements of rural  
progress in all the ,new ,england       
states4 ,under the initiative of the    
,massachusetts ,state ,board of         
,agriculture there was held in ,march1  
#aijg1 a ,new ,england ,conference on   
,rural ,progress4 ,this meeting was held
 very largely for the purpose of        
discovering the sentiment among the     
leaders of ,new ,england agriculture    
with respect to the desirability and    

practicability of federating on so large
 a scale4 ,in addition to the main      
meeting1 the presidents of the          
agricultural colleges of ,new ,england  
were called together in a special       
section1 and the same was true of the   
directors of the ,new ,england          
experiment stations1 the masters of the 
various state granges1 the secretaries  
of the various state boards of          
agriculture1 and the leaders in the ,new
 ,england ,federation of ,churches4     
,the idea of federation was clearly     
approved by the delegates present1 and a
 temporary organization was effected4   
,it was voted to hold a similar         
conference in ,boston in the spring of  
#aijh4  ,it is probably true that the   
first and most important step in        
bringing about a federation of rural    
social forces is to educate all         
concerned to the desirability of such a 
federation--to sow the seeds of the     
idea4 ,so far as machinery is concerned 
it may not be necessary to form any new 

organization4 ,indeed1 what is chiefly  
necessary is a sort of clearing-house   
for an exchange of ideas and plans among
 all who are at work on any phase of the
 rural social problem4 ,there is need of
 a central bureau that shall emphasize  
the necessity of a study of agricultural
 economics and rural sociology1 and     
press the value of co-operation in the  
work of social progress in the country4 
,there is need that somewhere tab shall 
be kept on the whole rural social       
movement4 ,we need a directing force to 
assure a comprehensive view and study of
 the whole rural problem4 ,it is        
important that some investigations      
should be carried on that are not likely
 to be taken up by some other agency4   
,it would be desirable to have a certain
 amount of publication1 and in various  
other ways to carry on a campaign of    
education4 ,above all1 it would be      
desirable to initiate local1 state1 and 
national conferences pervaded by the    
spirit and purpose of securing the      

hearty co-operation of all rural social 
forces1 of all the organizations that   
have any rural connection whatever1 and 
of all individuals who have the         
slightest genuine interest in any phase 
of the farm problem4  ,such a bureau    
should keep in constant touch with1     
secure the confidence of1 and supply    
appropriate literature to1 country      
teachers1 preachers1 editors1 doctors1  
and business men1 and1 more than all1 to
 intelligent and progressive farmers4   
,and let me add at this point1 that it  
must be fully understood that the work  
contemplated cannot possibly achieve    
large success unless it is done with the
 farmers1 rather than for the farmers4  
,the problem is far from that of doing a
 missionary work for a down-trodden and 
ignorant class4 ,it is a much less      
heroic1 a much more commonplace task4   
,it is simply carrying the idea of      
co-operation of individuals a step      
farther1 and endeavoring to secure the  
co-operation of interests that have     

precisely the same goal1 although       
traveling upon different roads4 ,the    
prime purpose of the movement is to     
bring the specialist into close touch   
with the more general phases of the     
problem1 to secure breadth and          
wholeness1 to assure well-balanced      
effort4        ,,note4--,a paper with   
the title of this chapter was read      
before the      ,american ,civic        
,association in #aija1 at ,minneapolis4 
,a portion of      the paper is retained
 here4 ,the history of the development  
of the      idea of federation is       
brought down to the present time4