Every new worker in the social field needs a word of warning against the rebukes and discouragements with which he may at first meet. To say the best, the neighborhood will doubtless be indifferent in regard to the newly proposed organization. But let the social worker go on persistently, unmindful of any such hindrance, even though scarcely a person in the neighborhood seems ready to join in the movement. In the typical case of valuable constructive work of this sort, it will be found at first that the ma.s.ses are practically all opposed to the plan.
However, as fast as it wins its way through unrelenting effort and unswerving devotion, the doubters and opposers will come over to its support. And after the movement has established itself reasonably well and achieved something worth while, the same people who once stood out will then fall enthusiastically into line and help with the undertaking.
It will be impossible, of course, to point out definitely to the local, self-appointed leader just what plan of social endeavor to follow. Since there is such a great variety of conditions, it seems advisable here to make a somewhat extended list of possible lines of work in the rural districts.
CORN-RAISING AND BREAD-BAKING CLUBS
Perhaps among the easiest organizations to effect among the young people of any farm district are the clubs or contests in juvenile farm work and home economics. The beginning of such a purpose will consist of getting into communication with the extension department of the state agricultural college. After obtaining their literature and learning their methods of procedure, call the boys and girls together, asking their parents to come along. It may be found practicable to call a general meeting of the entire neighborhood, inviting old and young possibly to a basket dinner, and there to lay before them the plans of the organizations. While the contest in corn-raising or bread-baking has proved a marked success where tried, if possible arrange matters so that every earnest endeavor on the part of the young shall receive a suitable reward, not merely the winners of the first and second prizes.
[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XIX.
(Courtesy of American Magazine.)
FIG. 25.--Jerry Moore, the champion boy corn raiser of the United States. He raised 253 bushels on a single acre of ground.]
It is usually an easy matter to secure funds for paying the way of the boys to the state-wide farmers" inst.i.tute or the boys" inst.i.tute usually held at the agricultural college during the holiday season. Provide that every boy who reaches a certain standard--say, that of raising so many bushels of corn on an acre of land--shall go at the expense of the fund.
Likewise, organize the girls into a bread-baking club or something of the sort. Prizes may be offered for the best bread, but all the girls whose home-making work meets a certain fixed standard of requirement should have promise of a suitable reward. Perhaps they too may be sent without expense to themselves to a state conference on home economics.
In case of these trips to the state meetings it will be necessary to appoint responsible chaperons for the boys and girls.
OTHER FORMS OF CONTESTS
It may be found advisable to start a good-roads contest among the boys of the home township, offering an attractive prize to the one who shows the best results at the end of a given period and a per diem payment of money to every boy who faithfully takes care of his half mile or quarter mile of public road.
Then, there may be inst.i.tuted on a small scale stock shows and poultry shows in the hands of the boys of the neighborhood. To this the girls too may come with any such thing as display specimens of their home sewing and fancy work, house plants, and the like. In fact, these exhibitions may gradually develop into a sort of neighborhood or township fair for the special benefit of the young. To this display may be brought, not only the items named immediately above, but the larger variety of things mentioned in the chapter on the Rural Y.M.C.A.
THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE SCHOOL SITUATION
Rural leaders will nearly always find many opportunities for improving the local school situation. But let the organizer keep unfailingly in view the high aims of all this rural work; namely, the awakening of a deeper interest in the affairs that normally belong to the neighborhood life, and the fuller measure of joy and contentment to result from every such achievement. So, there may be undertaken the redirection of the work of the country school. For example, bring forces to bear upon it that will result in the introduction of the study of elementary agriculture and the simple elements of home keeping and home sanitation therein. Work for a better cla.s.s of teachers and a higher salary payment. Endeavor to have the length of the school term extended and the school attendance made more regular. Inst.i.tute a series of red-letter days for the school during the year. It may be practicable to have a "parents" day," an occasion on which all will be invited to come out and join the pupils in a noonday lunch and learn more about the progress and the needs of the school. Provide a half-day for free and open discussion of school matters and if possible organize among the patrons a sort of "boosters" club."
Another form of endeavor in behalf of the schools is that of striving for improvement of the high school facilities of the neighborhood.
Perhaps there is not a high school within riding distance of the homes.
Cannot one be inst.i.tuted, say, for the township? Or, what can be done to improve the present neighborhood relations to the high school that may be already within reach? Is there a prohibitive tuition fee? Does the high school now in existence actually serve through its courses the best interests of young people who come in from the neighborhood? Again, perhaps it would be feasible to organize the grown boys and girls who have dropped out of the country school into a neighborhood group and provide a daily conveyance for taking them to and from the town high school By this means, many may be induced to go to school who are idling away the valuable winter months.
During the last decade, what has been the trend of the young men and women who have gone from the home district to high school or college?
Have any of the best of them returned to the farm? Or, have these inst.i.tutions been a means of sending them away as permanent city dwellers? Does this thing need to continue? Cannot some movement be inst.i.tuted for bringing about a radical change? So long as the country boys and girls attend the town high schools and there be required to take the old-fashioned cla.s.sical courses--which have always served to introduce their minds to the city life and to the professional callings--the country districts will continue to be depleted of their best brains and energy.
HOME AND SCHOOL PLAY PROBLEMS
Start a movement in the interest of better provided play opportunities for the children of the neighborhood. The possibilities of enriching and extending the young life through the avenue of better play are just beginning to be understood. We have always accepted the theory that young children must have some time to play, but we have given little or no heed to the matter of providing for their play such apparatus as might furnish scientific contributions to the development of their characters.
Make a brief inquiry throughout the neighborhood and you will perhaps find that not a single farm home has apparently given this matter any definite attention. Now, what playthings may easily be provided in such homes? After having determined that matter, begin a campaign of education of the rural parents. First, write to the Playground a.s.sociation of America in New York City and ask for a list of their literature on play. From this source you will obtain pamphlets and larger volumes giving specific suggestions for installing rural play apparatus, and details as to dimensions, prices, and the like. Now, you are ready for work. Appeal to a centrally located family for their cooperation in establishing a model. Induce them to provide for their children a full set of the apparatus, seeing to it that the expense is kept down to the minimum. Nearly all of the materials of construction are lying about the ordinary farm home and need only to be a.s.sembled and put into place. Once you have established your model home playground, then invite your neighbors in to see it, perhaps making a sort of picnic or holiday occasion out of the affair. At any rate, you may be sure that the parents of the neighborhood will begin at once to copy the models and many will even improve upon them.
Along with your efforts there may be necessary a campaign of instruction and admonition in relation to the play of the children. Many parents may be working their small boys and girls too hard and allowing not enough time for play. In this respect your persistent effort will in time show excellent results.
Let us suppose that the farm home selected for the model playthings has at least one small boy and one small girl therein. Then, the following might be set up:--
A swing, a seesaw, a sliding board or pole, a pair of rings, a trapeze, and a horizontal bar. Have all under shade if possible. Provide also a small play wagon and a cart or two, with a sand box for the small child.
Inspect the district school in reference to play facilities and you may find nothing other than the bare ground with perhaps a baseball diamond.
Here, then, is a rare opportunity for constructive work. Organize in your own way a boosters" club and provide play apparatus. In Chapter VIII you will find full details as to the equipment best suited for the purpose. Provide in every case that the expense be minimized. Nearly all of the apparatus may be constructed free of cost by interested persons in the home neighborhood or in the near-by village.
A NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY
Another very enticing line of endeavor for the rural leader is that of establishing the country library. Some one in the neighborhood has a big house, one room or more of which may conveniently be set apart for the purpose. Induce the owners of this house to clear up a room and remodel it, if need be, and make their home a sort of intellectual center for the district. Of course the schoolhouse or rural church may be available for the purpose, but the farm home will be better for a great many reasons, among them being the possibility of having the library open at all hours of the day so that books may be exchanged on the occasion of one"s pa.s.sing the place. Now, go after the well-to-do residents of the district and gather a fund for the library. Paint in glowing terms the visions you have of this thing when it has been set on foot. Declare your purpose as that of helping and uplifting the community life. Show the "close-fisted" resident that the establishment of a neighborhood library will attract desirable settlers into the district and improve prices of land and produce.
After having obtained a small fund, consult the best authorities for advice in selecting the books. By all means avoid cheap stories and trash of every other sort. Since your work is in behalf of the young, obtain a few attractive and instructive picture books. There can probably be obtained a book which treats and ill.u.s.trates fully the bird life of the local state, giving a brief description and pictures in their natural color. Young people may be very much attracted by authentic books of the nature-study cla.s.s, including those descriptive of wild animals and of hunting and exploring tales. Consult the lists given under the chapter on the literature in the country home for additional t.i.tles and suggestions.
If it be found difficult or impracticable to purchase books for the neighborhood library, then, the next best thing will be the traveling library. Communicate with the state library a.s.sociation and learn definitely what may be obtained from that source. Then, proceed to bring the best available volumes into the neighborhood. In the selection of the library do not forget the local interest. Secure every attractive volume that will help to make the boys and girls acquainted with the best meanings of their own community life and more interested in staying by the home affairs and building them up. Not the least among the valuable elements of the neighborhood library will be the periodicals, in the selection of which expert advice is recommended.
HOLIDAYS AND RECREATION FOR THE YOUNG
In an ably written article published in _Rural Manhood_ of January, 1910, John R. Boardman, International County Work Secretary, says: "A new gospel of the recreation life needs to be proclaimed in the country.
Rural America must be compelled to play. It has to a degree toiled itself into deformity, disease, depravity, and depression. Its long hours of drudgery, its jealousy of every moment of daylight, its scorn of leisure and of pleasure must give way to shorter hours of labor, occasional periods of complete relaxation and whole-hearted partic.i.p.ation in wholesome plays, festivals, picnics, games, and other recreative amus.e.m.e.nts. Better health, greater satisfaction, and a richer life wait on the wise development of this recreative ideal."
A brief survey of the neighborhood will doubtless show the lack of general method in dealing with the farm boys" and girls" holidays and vacations during the long summer months. Here, then, is apparent another field for constructive leadership. In proceeding to change the present situation, it may be well to gather a considerable list of authoritative statements like the one just quoted. Farm parents gradually fall into the habit of over-working their half-grown children. Now, if we can inst.i.tute a custom of weekly half holidays for the young people of the neighborhood, a splendid work will be done in behalf of a higher community life.
Begin work by selecting an attractive central location, and plan that the young, and the older ones, too, may come to this place one afternoon every week, or at least two afternoons every month, and have a good time generally. Games may be played, local clubs may meet in the shade of the trees, the sewing society and other groups of women having their interests served. The farmers" clubs may have opportunity for helpful exchange of ideas, while the little children may play and romp about the premises. Invite all to come early in the afternoon and bring an evening lunch to be enjoyed in common. Thus, you may give the young people who regard their everyday work as drudgery, such interest and inspiration as to tone up their lives noticeably for every hour of the long days of toil.
MANY OVER-WORK THEIR CHILDREN
In connection with your efforts in behalf of the holiday or weekly picnic, take up carefully the matter of the proper amount of work for the farm boys and girls of any given age. You will find such willingness on the part of parents to do the right thing by their children and a proportionate amount of ignorance as to what ought to be done.
Therefore, you may be able to carry on most profitably to all a campaign of instruction in regard to such thing. You will, of course, first make out as best you can with the aid of all available literature, an ideal schedule of hours of work and play and recreation suitable for the boys and girls of the different ages.
At the holiday picnic it may be found advisable to organize the boys into a club of their own and the girls, likewise, for the promotion of their several and mutual interests. Inspire all with your earnestness and enthusiasm and lead them to consider the latent possibilities of the neighborhood, of how it might be transformed into a place of great worth and attractiveness. At the same country picnic, look to the practicability of organizing into a club the tired mothers of the district. They are many. You will know them by their careworn looks.
Create a sentiment in behalf of more frequent outings and more recreation for these women. Help them obtain literature relative to their own affairs, to exchange ideas and plans in behalf of their own betterment. Show them especially the possibility of quitting the work at stated times even though that work be less than half finished, and getting away from the tedium thereof--all in the interest of longer life for themselves and better service for their homes and families. Almost any sort of club which these mothers can be induced to attend will achieve the purpose desired.
FEDERATION FOR COUNTRY LIFE PROGRESS
Federations for country-life progress are now arising in many parts of the country. One of the first was organized in New England, under the leadership of President b.u.t.terfield. The Illinois movement may be described, as an example.
The Illinois State Federation for Country Life Progress is composed of nearly half a hundred subordinate organizations. Their platform of ten principles given below sets forth a number of most important and practical purposes, as follows:--
1. Local country community building.
2. The federation of all the rural forces of the state of Illinois in one big united effort for the betterment of country life.
3. The development of inst.i.tutional programs of action for all rural social agencies. This means a program of work for the school, another for the church, another for the farmers"
inst.i.tute, and so on.
4. The stimulation of farmer leadership in the country community.