16
THE BATTALION
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—
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.