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>1 making bombs on explained to the ."99 0! the hair brush 9 jam tin grenade thrown. the gunpo'. not being strong :- thv tomato can to scatter the contentl. an: Eeoplc 0| hey had the Al I that ouj that just yom cunse i too [11' )n Wi gm!" [I'll hf H Ii It um e of Canada the United E em war began me from acro opportunit) as to await C our [[38 ‘0 E vh .\'.\D:\ SEVEN uf the natnonl imposslhlf ‘0 cifism with nantully. At 3f poison Kai, saved the Ida is making war equal to, . that of Eng“ L 30. domg. their better ihat she i3 1' her own in- anion 0! side Rink battalion mmpanies ll ith 11 “In Lel' in the ernment is f the gov- ruoted to this coun- am unwel- )clalic na- Iut wnouy hm: sidf. Amer IUI ew York 9.3101 st III Canada, Huuson ittsh ll ll ltt mada, trust l‘dlE 1h COD- uple. it W9 The Function of the Rural School in1 Solving the Rural Problem My subject implies that there is a rural problem and that it needs snlving. But below We can at- u-mpt the solution of any problem we must have a clear understand- mg of what that probiem is. So the first question we must ask ourselves is, “What is the rural. problem?” From most of the older agricul- tural districts of Canada and the United States comes the cry that there is a scarcity of both men and women to meet the require- ments of farm life. while in our tities the population is increasing an lupi'uh) .hat even Delor: tuL.’ ,-lt'1tliL (.ummrt-cuu cums it ....:. um u“. in, many LU find employâ€" ;m-nt. Juc nus uni) to look around mm. and even the most casu‘u Uu‘ «x. r can me that our rural ms- {.i'it‘ta are nut nearly so populous :..i .5 as they Were some )Ldid w enlarging it, the city. which :luays has been, and always will he. the chief market for, and the (hief consumer of farm produce. must therefore increase her de- mand for this produce. 1! there is not an increased supply to meet this increased demand. it must of I! um Hoduns. and the east of living goes up both in the citv and on the farm. You may Well ask why has the farm failed to meet the increased demand? One: reason is the scarcity of farm labor. She has poured forth into the city her wealth of men nni \\ omen until she has impoverished were/"if. .-\nd who is it who goes? i4 it not almost invariably tiin ‘H'Hing. NOW farming is certainly not an necunation for the 32171 'Iiiil infirm. It takes the strong- MW and most vigorous to farm sun- r-esnfuilv. Yet in many rural dis- tricts the predominance of age nver youthâ€"one of the first Signs of decadence, is very noticeable. And how can such districts be exnected to meet the demand of the times. The increased demand for farm produce means an in- creased sunnlv both in quantitv and quality. and a continued In- creue to meet the ever increasing Sxeu in the prairie provinces, [it'll are mainly devoted to agri- lure, and where the populauon ium't-uemg so rapidly, We lulu .lt the urban population is mak- {gxwucl m-oportloautc gdum in the rural, while in all the ut perhaps few of us can real- the much; to Which the rur- population has decreased In .pul'CiUfl to the urban until we wrought face to face with us. as lllustrated by a compar- n m the census returns of 1911 n those oi 1901. Durlng these years the proportion of rural multion to the total has fallen .lll the provinces of the Dormn- By Miss E. Scott -'a ‘7' w v..- -.-w.-., instance, during the 19 last census period lose-d 15.1 per cent of )mes, Glenelg 19.8 per 1 27.17 per cent, and less than 45.8 per great Inany during thv census perknl per cent of mph? 198 DPI‘ demand. This in turn means more labor and better labor linked to- gether with more thought and more planning toward increasing and conserving of soil fertility. In other words it means scientific farming carried on by the best brain and the best brawn that the country can produce. Therefore the city must not rob the farm of the youth which she needs. This view which we have taken of the situation is a purely econ- omic one. Let us now look at it from the social standpoint. Man is essentially a social being. He craves for companionship. the society of his fellows, the inter- course of man with man. Social intercourse on the farm has al- ways Presented difficulties un- known to the city. These are owing largely to the distance be- tween neighboring farms. The in- troduction of machinery in mak- ing possible more independent labor, has greatly lessened the necessity for that class of gather- ing. commonly known as the “bee," which was at once social and in- dizstrial in character and nothing seems to have. been provided to take its place socially. Social life requires energy, it requires enter- prise, it requires youth. There are always plenty of people to en- ‘eiy :1 social gathering when itis :I’t-pzn‘eil for them. but it Will zoy a social gathering when it isl prepared for them, but it will' never be prepared unless there isl some person to plan it, to organize it. and to carry it through to a successful issue. There must be a leader. AndI think that one of the greatest drawbacks in rural society is the lack of leadership. Then there is another problem which confronts us, to alleviate the labor stringency caused by the exodus from the firm. Lonies. the foreign immigrant and his 1a- mily. He comes perhaps from a country of low moral standard and practically no political liberty. All the privileges of citizenship which he has known have been simply, “to pay, and to obey.” Within a short time, he has, we might say, almost thrust upon him the rights of a British citizen, liberty which he cannot comprehend, and does not appreciate. How can he? He is not descended from the men who gave their lives to maintain that liberty. And what is the result? If left to himself with his faulty knowledge of the language and of his rights, he soon falls an easy prey, yes, becomes the tool of the most unscrupulous politician. in his nefarious schemes of bri- bery and graft to drag our count- ry down to degradation and ruin. Is there not a means of prevent- ing this? Yes, he must be educat- ed in citizenship and morality be- fore he is caught in the political net. And who is to do it, if not the church. the school. and the native or British born families in the community, together with the institutions which have for their aim the betterment of rural life and. conditions, not the least of‘ these, let me say is the Women’s. Institute. These are. the forces which must mould and shape the immigrant and his family into true and loyal citizens of our fair Do- minion, or he will drag them, and the nation itself down to his own level. ’ - No.2: 1:» us look at the educa- tional side of the question. The centre of rural education is the rural school. What is the effect of rural depopulation on it.? The de- crease in the number of rural homes, and the fact that the mem- bers of the remaining homes are largely elderly, means a vast de- crease in the school attendance. This in turn means very few in each class and any teacher knows how hard it is to keep up the in- terest in a class of one or two pupils unless these are above the :erest in a class of one or two Jupils unless these are above the average in ability. In a sparsely :mpulated section some roads Will lave very ‘ittle traffic and will con- iequently be left in bad condition. Thus some children will have to walk a long distance over a bad and lonely road to get to school at all. This. and the scarcity of farm labor are two of the most fertile sources of irregular atten- dance in the rural schOOI. and when a child makes a practice of coming to school one or two days and staying at home the rest of the week, he might just as well stay at home altogether, for he becomes so discouraged that he loses all interest in his work and it is almost impossible to keep him from wasting his time. The chances are. too. that it is not his fault if he is the only When the pupil loses interest often: thus the place it should hold into neglect. and even and ignorance reigns supreme. one idle. in the school. so does the parent very will likely continue disfavOszource of pleasure and profit whatever they may be, are being laid. Letus see to it therefore that we do our part in laying those foundations broad and deep for the brave and noble character. which will not fall a prey to dis- couragement, nor cower at the difficult task. In his little gar- den, it matters not whether it be a home plot or school garden, the child, on a small scale, meets with and overcomes many of the diffi- culties which are confronting the farmer on a larger scale. He has his failures too. But with help and guidance of the teacher he learns to look for the cause and his very failure becomes a means of teaching him to do better next time. The garden, too. gives the child the opportunity for making experiments in the best methods of cultivation, the varieties of seed best suited to the locality. and in the case of the girl, she her experi- school loses the ments to methods of cooking, can- in public ning. and opinion. and soon education smks‘ables. preserving her veget- The flower garden too is a to .all, when used as a means of deâ€" What.has been said of the weak-l veloping in the children the tastc ening of the school may just as for the beautiful. Thus, in the truly be said of the rural church.; garden the child in overcoming his perhaps more so, for in the case difficulties, and deveIOplng his of the school the law steps in asthetictastes is building character. and says that children must be but he is doing more. he is learn- sent to school and that the school ing to study Nature in her many- must be supported financially. but sidedness. and to adapt himself to church support and attendance is her various periods that he may left entirely to the option of the make her his partner and compan- individual. Again. the church.lion on the farm. with society in general. suffers for= Then, again. the school garden lack of leadership in its various,furnishes the teacher with great departments of work. Thus we advantages for studying the pupils see that the weakening of the individually. The pupil is freer rural community means the lower- and more at ease in the garden ing of its moral standards. for’ than in the classroom. The gar- degradation and vice. are the off-l den work seems to break down the spring of irreligion and ignorance! barrier that often exists between It has been found that the highest ; teacher and pupil, and to develop moral standards exist in the pros- a companship which greatly perous rural communities. and in' increases the teacher’s power to the moderate sized towns, whilelinfluence the child. The garden vice sinks to its lowest depths in’also helps to solve the “dull child the over populated areas of large problem.” I have in mind a boy cities, and in isolated rural dis- with whom it seemed I had ale tricts. Thus the city in overdraw- most reached the limit of my re- ing‘upon the rural population is sources for arousing in him an in- fostering the worst moral con-, terest in his school work. When ditiom both 101‘ 1:3er the we wernrranging the garden country. ~ - inlans for the season, he asked naung reviewe the rural prob-1 for a plot. I had very serious lem from the industrial, the social,‘ doubts as to the advisability of the educational, and the moral‘ giving it to him. After considering standpoint, we find that whatlthe matter I said to myself that the country needs. today is to it might have a good effect, and keep more native born young if it did not, it would only be one people on the farm, not all of them more drop in the bucket of lost for all are not needed, and all are efforts. So he got his plot. At not“ naturally adapted for such first it was somewhat indifferently life. but to keep a sufficient num- worked and the frost damaged it ber of those best suited to farm conmsiderably, but he kept at it. life, to maintain a thriving and, I noticed that the more attention prosperous rural community, well! I paid to his plot the better he balanced socially, mentally and' cared for it, and as his interest in morally. The question which now: the plot increased so did his inter confronts us is, “How are we to? est in his other school work. When succeed in keeping the boys and; harvest came, as far as the crop girls on the farm? But before we was concerned. it could scarcely be can answer this we must first dis-i called a success but as far as the cover what causes them to leave it.: effect on the boy was concerned it One reason for young people leaving the farm is the desire to make a fortune, quite a legiti- mate desire in itself, provided it does not dominate all other de- sires. But must leaving the farm necessarily follow as a means of accomplishing it? Could not this desire be turned to good purpose in developing a thrifty, progresâ€" sive farmer? Then, on the other hand, if this desire does dona- inate all other desires, it‘ the be a“ and eni of o ne’s life becomes a blind struggle for the amassing of wealth, regardless of how he gets it and how many of his fellowmen he. lramples underfoot in getting it. it is‘not a legitimate desire. There may be some excuse forsnch a r'haraeter when his daily ns'-- look is bounded by the four walls of a city office. but in the country surrcmnded by God’s universe of earth and sky he is Silh'l l)’ a hlot on the book of nature. Let the (dty'tuflie care of hiniif h \Vfil ark! little it gains by the getting. Some leave the farm ber‘ause they have never learned to ap- preciate. their rural surroundings. Nature to» them is a elosed book. They are like the man who said the poet must be mistaken when he said he saw sermons in stones, and books in running brooks; he must have meant that he saw ser- mons in books. and stones in run- ning brooks. Some people do mt even see the stones. To be blind to the Wealth of. natural beauty that surrounds one in the country, seems almost a sacrilege. I think that we, as rural teachers, are missing our mark if we. do not try to lead our pupils to obscrxe to study and to appeciate the world of nature around them, for only those who have learned to love and to commune with nature know the depth of that joy whir-h she has prepared for those who love. her, Unless we ourselves ll‘H’o drunk deeply of nature’s fountain we cannot hope to lead others to it. Love of nature can only he taught through lou' of Nature. The teacher must first be a Nature student herself. The hard work and 10.19; hours. which farming operations ngces- sarily entail. lead many of our young people to turn their steps toward the city, only to find that long hours in the air and sunshine are decidedly preferable to- a shorter term in the hot, stuffy, ill ventilated rooms of some city workshop, The overcoming of the difficult and disagreeable in life is one of the stepping stones to strong, sturdy character. Some one has said that in character building, farm life, which from necessity has much that is hard, is Nature’s equivalent for War. Are we then to let our boys and girls grow up weaklings who will al- ways choose for themselves the easy and pleasant, and shun the difficult and disagreeable? Can we not teach them to look on the brighter side of farm life and to learn to overcome its difficulties. At school we have the children at one of the most impressionable periods of their lives, when the foundationflstones _of character, increases the teacher’s power to influence the child. The garden also helps to solve the “dull child problem.” I have in mind a boy with whom it seemed I had al- most reached the limit of my re- sources for arousing in him an in- terest in his school work. When we were arranging the plans for the season, he for a plot. I had very doubts as to the advisability giving it to him. After considering the matter I said to myself that if mi ht have a good effect, and ' it more drop in the bucket of efforts. So he got his plot. first it was somewhat indifferentlyl be the more important; worked and the frost damaged it’zave a pu il a better outlook on conmsiderably, but he kept at it. 5 his life war I noticed that the more attention. he I paid to his plot the better cared for it, and as his interest in the plot increased so did his inter‘ est in his other school work. When harvest came, as far as the cro-p was concerned. it could scarcely be called a success but as far as the effect on the boy was concerned it paid Well for the effort expended. The lack of social intercourse and necessary recreation allurements of city offers draws many of youth from the farm. C in the rurâ€" al school not provide a remedy for this? Can the school not he- come the social centre of the com- munity where the people may gather to mingle with each other, and enjoy a social tea and a short program provided by the children and young people of the section. Then there is the annual picnic or the school fair. May not the school grounds too be used by the young people on summer evenings for r1'\l\+l'\nll 1...n.â€".l\--‘l rant] '-_ ---,. .1 4.4 l. ._ garden crowded, that tho asked pupils for the serious tions is taxing of the teacher in the ungraded school to the very limit now. why crease the burden? I ask you, “Is the required examination the goal id not, it would only be one ' in school work? Is it a means or in the country compared with the gaudy| pleasure which thej that re ation of to do so. But it may be that our examina- country, yes and our God is ca!- 0 capacity ling us, the rural teachers of On- tario, to rise and grapple with this rural problem while yet we may. For God will not always suffer us to neglect His opportun- of in- ities. The sin of omission may lost is it an end in education? In be just as great as the sin of At - twenty years from now which will commission. God is a God of that you mercy, but he is also a God of iustice. “The sword of God is not in haste to smite; Nor yet doth lin- ger.” God has often times used .the mailed hand of war as an on theinstrument of punishment against that you enabled him to make his life more useful to himself and to his fellow-men. that you led him to feast treasures of God’s open book, the nations which trod underfoot the book of nature. or that vou their God given opportunities. and succeeded in getting him through a certain examination at a certain.| time? Are you sure that agricul- ture is an added burden? Can it and practically die, politically, not be so co-related With ohter before she saw her possibilities and subiecta that it becomes a means rose to the highest place among to facilitate the teaching of them‘«’,the nations in scientific intensive For instance, to the child who has :agriculture. Must we, as citizens he‘lDed measure and lay ON the io-ft his great dominion. whose nat- SChOOl garden, a I‘Od becomes alural agricultural advantages are real rod not a mere table in a‘l‘ar superior to those of Denmark persistently neglected their duty. Denmark had to be crushed by the oppressing arm of Germany book. And frequently the child wait. until “The soil of her faith who finds it diffiffult t0 (‘xm‘f’sland freedom should echo .1 foe- himself connectedly in composition ‘ man’s tread." That depends. can give you a quite fluent RC- largely, I believe, on the r-nllnt 0f lHHV he cared for his gar" people of Canada, and not den. 30. tOO. With other SUlUC’CtS of all on the rural education. rural least but time does not permit me to. . on into rnniwg 41.1””. Lat mn' “Let us then be u}. and doing. :av that I think the success of ‘Vith 1' ““3” {01‘ any fin“- {h}. work tic-[mulls largely on the Still achiming. still pursuing. t-aeher and her attitude to it. I’n- Learn 1” lalmr and l” “flit" less she is rural minded and can' it". see the inndtirlfiree of the twill)- I paid to his plot the better he cared for it, and as his interest in the plot increased so did his inter‘ est in his other school work. When harvest came, as far as the crop was concerned. it could scarcely be called a success but as far as the effect on the boy was concerned it paid Well for the effort expended. The lack of social intercourse and necessary recreation in the country compared with the gaudy allurements of pleasure which the city offers draws many of the youth from the farm. Can the rur- 31 school not provide a remedy for this? Can the school not be- come the social centre of the com- munity where the people may gather to- mingle with each other, and enjoy a social tea and a short program provided by the children and young people of the section. Then there is the annual picnic or the school fair. May not the school grounds too be used by the young people on summer evenings for football, baseball. and other-games? And if there is no church in the section the school may also be used for Sabbath school purposes. But. all these organizations and social functions require leadershir, and more than that they require the training of new leaders to take the place of the older leaders who are continually dropping out of the work. and I know of noth- ing better for this purpose than the School Progress Club. The '-"i‘ii"w‘ "l-’ "f b: ir own officers. Iirw pare their own program, of course with suggestions from the tear-hâ€" er as to appropriate subject mat- ter. If they wish. they may invite some of their friends to their open meeting. At such meetings the president takes the chair and pro- ceeds with the pro-gram, which consists largely of addresses and discussions usually agricultural or household topics interspersml With music and recitations. The adâ€" dresses. let me say. are spoken nor read. and the meeting is conducted as any public meeting would be The School Progress Club if it is anything is certainly a means of developing leadership. It may be, we are developing leaders in agriculture. or in home making, perhaps it is leaders in the moral or social life of the community 01“ it may be leaders who will takei their place in our legislative hallsl to gain and to maintain the rights' of the agriculturalist there. Let [us see to it as teachers that their. training in citizenship be such that they will always hold sacrsdf the rights and privileges of the British subject; that they will be} statesmen, not politicians, but men{ who. if the call should come, will; be able to- guide the footsteps of! the nation in the paths of right- cousness and truth. I believe that more of our am- bitious young people have been actually driven off the farm by the current idea that if you want; to amount to anything in the: world, you cannot do it on the farm. And who is to blame for the prevalence of this idea? I think that the educationists of this province cannot hold them- selves entirely guiltless, whether it be the higher officials of the De- partment of Education, or the teachers of the rural schools. I think education should be a means to enable the child to do better and adapt himself to his environ- ment. The present environment of the pupils of the rural school is rural, and in order to meet the needs of rural life this should continue to be the environment of the majority of those pupils throughout life. Previous to the last few years what did our edu- cational system do towards enab- ling the child to adapt himself to this rural environment? Practical- ly nothing. Farm subjects were excluded from the course of study with amazing persistency. True. there was one clause in the school regulations which provided of teaching of agriculture, but it was not put into practice, so was simply the dead letter of the act. The general trend of the course seemed to have for its purpose the drawing of the child from his rur- al environment and anabling him to adant himself to urban condi- tions. Frequently too. the teach- er in the rural school was urban in Sympathy. was urban in Sympathy. She was not in touch with nathy. She was not in touch with rural life and consequently her work was permeated with an ur- ban atmosphere The more mmils she could persuade to leave the farm and enter the so-called high professions the better she thought she was serving that school. Far- mers were not slow to read the meaning of this and felt that the nublic school system was trying to tell them as plainly as could be that farming and educations did not go together. Thus when the Department of Educatino saw the necessity for agricultural training it offered to the farmer the ad- vantages of the Agricultural Col- lege. his renlv. if not in Words. in attitude at least. was. “No thank vou. we intend to practice what you nreached.” So the work of the college was viewed with dis- favor by manv farmers because the reform Was begun at “19 wrong end. 0' recent ve'irs the Denart- ment of Education has become aroused to the error of its wavs. and is endeavo-ring to show the nublic that agriculture and educa- tion do go hand in hand. But her? it is mé‘etine with mmoaition from some of the fpanhPrs who say that the nourse of study is too The plants that grow, The winds that blow. The streams "that run, In shade and sun. Throughout the year. l ' And then I lead, Through wood and mead, Through mould and sod, Out unto God, With love and cheer, 3 I l I teach.” You may say the rural problem .in Ontario at least, has not reach- led the climax I have here pic- ltured. I sincerely hope that it ‘has not. But we all know that ‘there is little use calling adoctor [and expecting him to cure a dis- {ease when the patient is dying. I'I'he best chances for effecting a {cure lie in recognising the disease §in its early stages. 01' enlll‘SO pre- iventio-n is better than cure, but I 'am afraid we cannot blind oursel- ves to the fact that disease has :got a hold Upon our rural life. So- the sooner we set ourseh'es tn the task of applying the remedies 1 the easier the task will be. and the hetter will be our chances for ac- {complishing our end. “Now.” is Lthe time to answer the call. I {think I may sav. our muntrv’s :eall. It may not be possible for ans to serve our country on the battlefield; we may not be called lem, it will not he a suncess} She should be able to take as her motto,â€" +WWH++W+WM+N§ ++H+++++++++++++W 0.966990900066690060009099OQOOOOOQOOOOOOOOOOOOQOOWO “I touch, The earth and soil. To them that toil; The hill and fen, To common men, That live just here. ! Denmark had to be crushed by the oppreuing arm of Germany and practically die, politically. before she saw her possibilities and rose to the highest place among .the nations in scientific intensive lagriculture. Must we. as citizens oft his great dominion. whose nat- ural agricultural advantages are ifar superior to those of Denmark iwait, until “The soil of her faith 'and freedom should echo a foe- iman’s tread.” That depends. glargely. I believe. on the rural ’neOple of Canada. and not least of all on the rural education. ! “Let us then be up and doing. ‘ ‘Vith a heart for any fate. Still aehiming. still pursuing. Learn to labor and to wait." THERE IS MORE CATARRIi IN this section of the country than all other diseases put together. alli for years it was supposed to be incurable. Doctors prescribed local remedies, and by constantly failing to cure it with local traet- ment, pronounced it incurable. Cs- tarrh is a local disease. greatly influenced by constitutional con- ditions and therefore requires cou- stitutio'nal treatment. Hall’s Ca- t'n'r‘) (Hare. ma'ut'artur'd by F. J Cheney Co., Toledo, Ohio. is a constitutional remedy, is taken in- ternally, and acts through the Blood on the Mucous Surfaces of the System. One Hundred Dol- lars reward is offered for any case that Hall’s (‘atarrh (‘ure fails to cure. Semi for circulars and testi- monials. Ohio. Sold by Druggists. 75c. Hall’s Family Pills for constipa- tion. It was no very great step for Yuan Shih-Kai to take from dic- tatorship to monarchy. He had already supreme control over the executive, was commander in chief of the army and navy, and could dissolve Parliament as he pleased. He bore no faint resemblance to Gilbert’s hero, who was ‘the bo’sun tight. And the midshipmite. And the crew of the captain’s gig; in addition to other things. e had swallowed everything. But one swallow doesn’t make a king â€"only a dictator. London Even- ing Standard. F. J. CHENEY (50.. Toledo A LONDON VIEW OF YUAN February, 3, 1916