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Show Hugo S. Sims Says: CIVILIZATION A TOUGH BABY The reader knows, no donbt, that civilization is fac-in fac-in if "extinction." We have it on no less than the word of several experts, ex-perts, who hold degrees from institutions ot learning that the next war, with its terrific violence will end what we have sometimes referred to as "modern cultuve. The funnv thin- about the lamentation is that for many vears, for one reason or another the experts who worn-"have been seeing' the "finish ot civilization on the horizon for a long time. Whatever it may be civilization civili-zation seems, however, to have many more lives than the I proverbial cat and, despite the tragic development that worries the experts, modern people believe that the pres-, pres-, ent civilization is worth having'. Whatever happens in the future, and many strange events mav come to pass, we need not worry about he I destruction of civilization. What we admire may die, what we like to cherish may expire and all traces ot what f we adore mav crumble into death but, even so, civilization civiliza-tion will still" exist for the people who may be around to share it and they will brag about it then, as we brag about ours today. Thousands of years from 1040, writers and speakers, who will know little or nothing about the crises that troubled the Twentieth Century, will tell the younger generation of their day that "civilization is facing extinction." ex-tinction." So it has been for many years and so it will be for many more. A NEVER-TO BB1-ENDED TASK For many years .the people of the United States have been spending large sums of money on education and some of themhad the idea that the task will be completed . some day. and, the .costs reduced. There is npthing'in the present picture that indicates the correctness of such a view. The States are being strained to meet 'the increasing cost, of education and now ' it appears the Federal Government is going to take a hand in providing the funds for- enlarged educational opportunities. The cost of education, like .the cost of highways, continues con-tinues to mount because the demands and requirements . of people expand. The day when parents were satisfied with a schooling in the. " Three R's ' ' has passed and, with its going, the cost of education moves upward. It might be observed in passing that the great bulk ' of money expended for educational purposes is being used for the benefit of children in urban areas. This would be all right except for the fact that the great bulk of children chil-dren is probably in rural areas, Therefore, it seems, if we want to catch the coming generation, the opportunity for. educational instruction would be wise to include all children, wherever they may be. WATCH YOUR OWN AFFAIRS ! It is a good idea for the average citizen to keep up with national and international affairs, but it is a better idea for him to keep up with his personal affairs. Among these, one would include business interests and also the development of personality, which is often neglected by individuals. There may not be much that an individual can accomplish ac-complish in solving the great problems that baffle statesmen, states-men, but there is no reason why any person cannot accomplish ac-complish considerable in regard to his, or her, personal advancement, Despite the. belief in luck and fate, this is accomplished by hard work, including the abundant use of such intelligence as the individual possesses. SHELTER-BELT PROVES VALUABLE Many Americans remember when President Franklin Frank-lin D. Roosevelt suggested the planting of an enormous shelter-belt on the Great Plains, with the idea of providing provid-ing a windbreak to prevent the blowing away of valuable topsoil and the protection of the area from some of the effects of drought. There was much derision at the time and, it appears that the value of a forest belt, nort hand south, was somewhat some-what impractical. Nevertheless, individual shelter-belts and windbreaks around farm and ranch buildings, and f elsewhere, have proved themselves, particularly during the heavy snowfalls of the past winter. This experience has given a great impetus to the shelter-belt idea. The Forest Service and various agricultural agri-cultural agencies are pushing the idea of more tree-planting. The-basic idea is to stop the wind, which, if forced to blow over a roof -like obstacle of trees, is slowed down as well as lifted up. This process tends to cause a deposit of snow on the side of the shelter-belt facing the wind and to protect the buildings, highways and cattle that are r sheltered on the other side. ' The shelter-belt has value in other areas besides the Great Plains. Individual farmers should consider the possibility of protecting their land from wind erosion and, perhaps, from the effects of unseasonal cold winds. They can get further advice on the subject from the County Agent. |