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Show Maeser Honors HonorsOutgoing HonorsOutgoing HonorsOutgoing Outgoing Ward WardBishopric WardBishopric WardBishopric Bishopric at Party PartySoil Soil conservation workeri workers workersfarm , , . farm advisors advJsors and school offi oU1 offi- offi officials officials . - cials cia18 met recently in Blooming Blooming-ton Blooming ton - . ton They talked about teltching teaching teltchingsoil teachingsoil teachingsoil soil conservation In tn to the pubUc public publicschools pubUcschools publicschools , schools Their meeting is a sign signthat signthat Ithat signIthat that America Ij b is coming of agei ageGone age ageGone i Gone forever are th the days dayswhen dayswhen dayswhen when men talked about the tbe "inexhaustible " "in in "inexhaustible " . exhaustible fertility " of the tbe tbeprairl theprairi prairl prairi soU soil Thinking men havenot have havenot not talked talked _ that way for fora aMcLean a McLean McLeancounty geneta eneta- eneta enetation - . tion Uon Lion The authors of a McLean McLeancounty McLeancounty county history published in 1908 1908expressed 1908expressed 1908expressed expressed the deepest foreboding forebodingabout forebodingabout forebodingabout about the future of our son soil sonThey soilThey soilThey They could see it then being beingwashed beingwashed beingwashed mine mineif washed away and being mined minedof minedof of if its fertility fertll1ty by careless farm farming farmng farming ing ng practices But most people peopled1d peoplelid peopledid d1d lid not understandOriginal understand understandOriginal Original intouched untouched d prairie sou plowed , recently In Mc.ean Mcean Mc.eancounty . county yielded 120 bushels of ofcorn of ofcorn ofcorn Isoil corn to the acre But the countyaverage county countyaverage countyaverage average is nearer 50 bushels to tothe tc tcthe tothe the acre That is the measure of ofdecline of ofdecline ofdecline decline in the soil s productivity productivitythere productivitythere productivitythere ( there in the heart of the corn cornbelt cornbelt cornbelt cornbeltThe belt beltThe The decline is even more morestrikmg morestriking morestriking strikmg striking in sections where the theland theland theland land rolls more steeply or was wasthinner wasthinner wasthinner thinner to begin withI withIt withit with withIt It Is time the matter of soilconservation soil soilconservation soilconservation I conservation got into the public publicschools publicschools publicschools schools It is not a program for forrural forrural forrural rural dwellers alone It It is 8 a 8problem aproblem aproblem problem for all Americans for forall forall forall all Americans depend on tha tho the . out output output output put of our soil for food and cloth clothmg clothmg clothing clothingFactory mg mgFactory Factory products do not lessen lessenour lessenour lessenour our dependence on the soil They Theymcrease Theyincrease Theyincrease mcrease increase it The factory workers workersmust workersmust workersmust must be fed by experts on the theland theland theland land If we want a machine machinecivIlization machinecivilization machinecivilization civIlization if we want to extend extendthe extendthe extendthe the blessings blessmgs of factory produc produclion producLion production lion to the generations to comewe come comewe comewe we must start by puttttig putting our soil soilin soilin of repairThe repairThe repair repairThe ,10 10 , in a permanent state The public schools should not notbe notbe notbe , be content to teach a few surface surfacefacts surfacefacts surfacefacts : facts about grass waterways orthe or orIthe orthe Ithe the chemical structure of fertile fertileThey fertilesoil fertilesoil ' soil They should make it plain plainthat plainthat plainIthat Ithat that the cities rest squarely on oni onthe onthe i tht the ' soil that our whole civiliza civilizadepends civilizaLion civilization Lion depends on successful farm farmIlOg farming IlOg + ng and that successful farming farmingin farmingin farming.n in , .n n . the long run is farming which whichconserves whichonserves whichconserves , conserves onserves : the soil and its lls fertiliIty fertlli fertili fertllity fertiliy Ity ty tyLet -y y - yLet . Let the schools go beyond the the'technical theechnical thetechnical 'technical technical echnical ' facts And above all alllet allet alllet let et the thewhole -whole whole - teaching teachmg of soil soilconservation soilonservation soilconservation conservation onservation depend chiefly on onfield onield onfield field ield trips Every AmerIcan AmerIcanschool Americanschool Americanschool school child should spend ateast at atleast atleast least east a day out of every school schoolyear school'ear schoolyear year 'ear ear ' on j a farf1 farm ! . L.et Let Let LetJJhem . . them h rrt , . _ see the pastures wmcn whlcn noiisoil soil in place Let them see the thedams thedams thedams dams Let them see the piles plies ofmanure of ofmanure omanure manure which put fertility back backmto backinto backinto mto into the soil Let them touch touchthe touchthe touchthe the many sided life of the farmer farmerin In as many places as their young youngCUriosity youngcuriosity youngcuriosity CUriosity will wall reachFrom reachFrom reach reachFrom From such a program would wouldnot wouldnot wouldnot not come only a broader under understandmg understanding understanding standmg standing of soil 5011 conservation conservatlOn but buta buta a deeper appreciation of farmingas farming farming1as 1as as the foundation of all nationalhealth national nationalhealth nationalhealth health and prosperityThe prosperityThe prosperity prosperityThe The meeting of farm experts expertsand expertsand expertsand and andschool school men in Bloomington Bloomingtonholds Bloomingtonholds Bloomingtonholds holds great possibilities possibll1taes We hopeit hope hopeit hopeI | I it t is followed by < ; similar Imllar meet meetlOgs meetings meetings and andthat andthat andthat lOgs ings all over the country that the work does not stop until untilevery untilevery untilevery every American has felt the thepulse thepulse thepulse pulse ofhe of \ the \he he land beating beatmg deep m in mour inour inour our industrial mdustrlal civilization clvlhzation |