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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 8, 1908)
16 THE BATTALION ILsisft M©<g(faj S©n@nii(lnSn(S ^^rncDsnUoffifsiIl Ags®©naSn®nn — Papers Read by Members of the Society on Lines of Interest to Ag ricultural Students—Talks Made by Professors—Medal Awarded to Cadet A. J. Smith for Best Part. The closing exercises of the Scien tific Agricultural Association were held on the night of May 22 at the Chemistry building. This last meet ing of the year was made the occasion for a special program and a general invitation was extended to everyone. The following program was carried out and those taking part brought out their subjects in an interesting man ner. Lomanitz—“Duties of an Agricultu ral Graduate to his Community.” H. Schmidt—“The Stock Farm.” R. F. Miller—“Agriculture and its Development.” Evans—“The Relation of Farm Life to National Prosperity.” Faust—“Making Farm Life Attrac tive.” Smith, A. J.—“The Benefits of an Agricultural Education.” After the regular program had been dispensed with, Prof. Ness, Dr. Ball and Prof. Puryear gave short talks encouraging the boys in their work and complimenting the men on the pro gress made. It was quite a surprise to everyone when Prof. Alvord came forward and in a few words announc ed that A. J. Smith had won a medal offered by friends of the society. At a business meeting of the Society the following officers were elected for the next session. President, R. F. Miller; Vice-Pres., John Sharp Wil liams; Secretary and Treasurer, B. Gist; Chairman of Program Commit, tee, W. R. Gilbert. Below will appear Mr. Evans’ ad dress on the Relation of Farm Life to National Prosperity. I speak to an advantage tonight it that I am talking to thinking people. It stands a fact in history, since Adam went forth to farm, that the strong nations of the earth have ever been those that were builded on the foundation of agricultural prosperity. The welkins have rung with the glory of Napoleon’s success, and but few have realized that his ingenuity and generalship would have Deen aadss had it not been backed by the pro ductiveness of the then virgin soils of France, and had not his plans been carried out by the robust and ambiti ous soldier recruit from the rural dis trict. There is reasoning back of all of this. Let us see what it is. A strong nation is only a collection of strong individuals. Then what makes a strong individual? The foundation of effective personality is laid in vigor of constitution and health. Health— physically—mentally, and morally. With this should be combined an in timate knowledge of man and a true understanding of just what is meant by real success in life? Wordsworth expressed a deep thought when he said: “One impulse from the vernal wood. May teach us more of man, Of moral evil and of good, Than all the sages can.” A great trouble with modern peo ple and the greatest drawback to ad vanced agriculture lies in the fact that so few people have a definite un derstanding relative to the question, “What is real success in life?” Every one should know the great fact that the most successful life is the hap piest life and the happiest life is the one in whch the little and common things of life awaken the greatest number of mental impressions. A fun damental necessity to successful liv ing is to be in sympathy with the na tural environments in which one is placed. When one appreciates intel ligently and sympathetically the high privilege of controlling the conditions that create vegetable and animal life. he may get a glimpse of that perfect love and justice divinity exercises toward its creatures. There is no ef fective living in the open country un less the mind is sensitive to the ob jects and phenomena of the open country. We do not approach this subject now from an occupational point of view but from an educational and spiritual. A money value lends much interest to things but a spiritual value goes to the very root of life and binds with a strong cord. The real foundation of national pros perity exists in the perfect home. There have been many definitions of the word home—but to be complete home must be a place and opportunity for the complete development of the spiritual, physical and mental natures, and also for the sane enjoyment of life. Some philosopher has said, “The best crop raised on the farm is the boys and girls.” No one who has en joyed the large free, life of the coun try with is running streams, bending trees, rolling hills, joyous life of birds and animals and luxuriant foliage, flowers and vines, can help but feel that the country is a good place for boys. The commonest place in the country is full of facts and ma terial for thought. Was there ever a country boy so dull but that he received inspiration from the singing birds or even from the old crowing rooster that always waked him so early in the morning, or did he not feel an incentive to ex tend his power when he had success fully ridden the bucking calf? Yes, the boy or girl who grows up amid this jolly environment has had a rich experience and can do things. He is trained to mend a harness, break a colt, fix up a breakdown while hauling wood, build a fence, or paint a barn and he has to turn his hand to a hun dred things every day. These les sons are all transmitted so easily that they are imperceptible to the recipent and he learns without the fatigue of study. All this is education in “how to live” and he naturally acquires the health a.nd strength necessary to the strenuous campaign to follow in the vicissitudes of after life in the busi ness world or the service of his coun try. This life teaches him self reliance and he takes hold and succeeds where- ever he goes. Compare this to the life of the average city raised boy whose weary little soul is starved for a sight and knowledge of things that do not shine with the artificial veneer and trademarks of unidealistic fac tories. Is it a wonder then that persons reared in rural districts have occupied very important places in the profes sions and business life of the coun try? In this laboratory of living things—r idleness—the worst of faults is an im possibility—and the growth of Wash ingtons, Franklins, Lincolns, Web- sters, Lees, Bryans and Roosevelts is not miraculous—but merely the rou tine work and action of the laws estab lished by the God of nature. I have taken some trouble to get local sta tistics on this subject and find that out of about 60 men employed as fac ulty and instructors some 56 spent their early life in the rural districts. ’Tis true the country boy is often rather rough and awkward looking but the hard knocks of the world soon knock off the rough edges and leave the polished gentleman. Politics and commerce have ruined many good farmers who were produc ers in their natural sphere. The city Some of the Buildings.