Dropouts A Problem

HELLO FOLKS — Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil: Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, h o p e t h all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth. —Corinthians, Ch. 13.

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I HAD PLANNED for the next few columns another topic. Then it occurred to me that there is a much more important subject that needs to be taken care of before I delve into this other.

The one that I am going to dwell on now is the subject of school dropouts.

In every one of our communities there are young citizens who get discouraged with school, then by quitting it doom themselves, for the most part, to a life of mediocrity and low income.

By quitting at that age they often become discouraged with themselves. They they get a poor outlook on life in general. This affects the community and eventually the nation as a whole.

We cannot afford such an attitude. The very reason we have people on relief rolls and on unemployment is because we haven't developed the attitude of continuous education and re-evaluation.

There is a lot of talk about the Gross National Product and how we can increase it. Here is the only sure way: Get every boy and girl back into school, get them to realize the value of proper attitudes and training. Get them to realize that there are millions of people depending on them to direct the future of society. There are a lot of things each of can do to contribute to solving this problem. Parents are of course most directly concerned and too often we do not give the problem the attention it deserves. As parents we should be constantly on the alert to see that our children are working up to their capacity; that their attitudes toward learning are good and that they respect their teachers and school.

For each one of us we can take an interest in the youth of our community by getting better acquainted with them, by encouraging them to better deeds and let them know that we are expecting great things from them.

We have a lot of senior citizens who could help out with loans to students at low interest rates. The satisfaction derived from such projects would give more real joy than a lot of things the money could be used for. This could give a number of young people the courage to go on to higher learning.

Next week I am going to tell you about three young fellows who could have ended with the ranks of discouraged youth but who by their own efforts practically lifted themselves out of the ruts and are on the way to being real successes.

I am inviting others of you who know of someone in your community, who has picked himself up from mediocrity and gone on to success, to tell about it in this column.

Our Influence On Our Children

HELLO FOLKS —
Sons and daughters—in their teens Think their parents—don't know beans.
Which would not be—hard to face
Were it not—so oft the case.

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PARENTS AND people in general wonder what the coming generation is going to amount to.

It is becoming increasingly clear, to anyone who observes, that we are literally creatures of habit. To often we overlook the maxims 'like father like son' or 'like mother like daughter' when we might add, 'only more so.' For the most part our children grow up to be just what we teach them to be; and that teaching happens to be more by example than anything.

Republican parents genera11y have Republican children. Democratic parents generally have democratic children. Roman Catholic parents have Roman Catholic children. Protestant parents generally have Protestant children.

But whether they have good Republican, Democratic, Roman Catholic or Protestant children is another matter.

There are enough proofs given to show that strong tendencies can be built into children by strong parents and weak tendencies can be built into children by weak parents.

Man by nature tends to degenerate. We have to counter this by being continually on guard against our weaknesses — to bestir ourselves when we find weak tendencies in ourselves or our children.

The parent who realizes that he should do this or that or correct this or that in his son or daughter and fails to do so does not only himself and his family a disservice. He is a liability to the whole human race in varying degrees. The reason for this is that anything we do tends to help or hinder all those around us, just as weeds in one farmer's field tend to blow or creep into another farmer's field.

It seems to me that many of our children tend to be better than their parents. I believe the reason for this is that our schools, churches, teachers and public spirited citizens have a great influence on them.

While there arc a lot of signs of a degenerating society, there are more signs of a regenerating society. Perhaps we are entering a period of greater extremes. Certainly we have mounting problems, as our world shrinks, but we are solving them pretty well, I think.

In the surveys taken of teenagers, most of them think that parents do not give them enough leadership. They think parents are too weak. They want parents to restrict them in their questionable. activities. They don't really want to get into bad habits, but without the restraining hand of the parent they full into the traps against their own will.

It all points up the importance of good leadership in all phases of our society. We need our extremes but the extremes must never be in control, whether they be the fanatics of religion or the dross of the mobs.

Race Issue Attracts Many

HELLO FOLKS — Children have active fertile minds. Something must be grown in them. If we fail to fill them with good things they will fill with evil and filth.


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WHENEVER A cause tends to become popular it attracts 'fair-weather' friends of every color and hue.

Such is the case with the present racial integration program. Well meaning people who just never had the nerve to speak out and act before suddenly become exceedingly active and move to the forefront.

Radicals and emotionalists as usual find their place in the movements. Some who never gave a thought to integration before suddenly have all kinds of ideas. Among these people are those who don't seem to have their purposes too well oriented.

There are those who in the past have made every endeavor to take away freedom from their fellow citizens and who now speak the loudest for integration.

Probably most of us will agree that racial integration is a good thing. Although if we lived in certain areas of the United States we might not be enthusiastic about it.

However, if racial integration is important, then religious integration is vital. If we do much studying of history we will generally conclude that the blending and competition in religion has done tremendous good for the nations who practiced it. There seem to be some, who, while they favor racial integration are heading the other way in religion.

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THERE ARE those who have headed the integration movement, whose hands are not too clean, either. For instance in Chicago this week as in the past few weeks there were sit-in demonstrations. Streets, hallways, and entrances to public buildings were blocked. Why?

To force integration at all costs. They want students transported by bus to areas that have little racial mixture.

It would seem that they have little interest in the welfare of the children. The children are mostly a pawn to accomplish another aim, probably not stated. If they get their way, white students will be taken out of their neighborhood schools and bussed across town to other schools.

Also Negro students will be bussed to other areas where there are no Negroes. Tactics such as that make the word integration seem quite hollow..

Throwing Dirt A By-Product

HELLO FOLKS! — It's a good thing to get in and dig, but be careful which way you throw the dirt.

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MY NEIGHBOR says that a cold can be both positive and negative; sometimes the eyes have it and sometimes the nose.

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THERE IS a move in the senate to start a youth development camp for boys of ages 16 to 28.

The idea is to make it a conservation camp on the order of those had before World War II. The reason for it is that so many boys of that age do not have work.

Here is a move that could have great benefit if it is handled right. On the other hand if it is handled like the CCC camps of former days it might not he so good. For one thing I think it should be a summer camp and for boys of ages 15 to 18. It should meet the highest specifications morally and physically. It should be a camp that would develop the young boys into men, in every sense. The boys who apply for permission to attend such a camp should have their pastors recomendation. The men who are chosen should be of the highest moral character and the training should be so it will teach the boys to work and learn. Boy Scout principles should be taught and observed. These camps should be of the nature that any parent would be proud and willing to send their boy to.

The reason that it should be just a summer camp is that these youths should be in school the rest of the year, and the reason that it should be for youths of the tender age of 15 to 18 is that they are the ones who need the recreation and training that such a camp affords. Boys that age are formative and will learn to do and develop.

The reason the ages should not be over 18 is that such men over that age are usually set in their habits and would be the ones most apt to bring evil influence into the camps. They should he out preparing themselves for a lifetime occupation and not be in such a place. A camp for them would be a liability and not an asset. Also they would be a drug on the economy.

Such a camp would either be a great asset or a breeding place for vice and evil. If it would be like the CCC camps of the 30's it would be a hangout for prostitutes and gamblers, surely not in the camps themselves but all around them.

Our youths of the teenage need something to keep them occupied during the summer months and this would be a good thing for the state, to develop parks, recreation-al areas and beautify our natural scenery. By having it as just a summer project we would be able to get highly qualified men to handle it. These would probably be teachers who want jobs through the summer vacation. They would be apt to be the best leaders anyway as they are used to handling youths. The cost would not be prohibitive that way either, as winter provisions would not be needed.

It would not be necessary nor wise to pay too high a wage as the work would not be of the highest skill and just the training and food they get would be worth it to them.

There is one must that I think should be followed and that is that our pastors should nave a heavy hand in it. Without that the camps would not be apt to be run right. If the pasors have the veto of the leaders and applicants it would have an uplifting effect on the projects and these boys would be apt to come back into the community better than they left it. 1 am sure that if they will take the initiative in asking for the privilege the public will back them up in it and the consequence will be good.

High Taxes Can Kill off Business

Hello, Folks! A bit of philosophy that I like goes something like this: It is not the heights you reach that counts. It is the distance you have to travel and the obsacles you must overcome to reach your goal.

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A customer complained that the new barber was driving him crazy with his incessant chatter. The propietor observed mildly, "According to the Constituion of the U. S. he's got a right to talk.'' "That may be," admitted the customer, "but the U. S. has a constitution that can stand it. Mine can't."

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According to the Continental Can Co, Minnesota's real estate tax rate is the highest of any sate in which they have factories. It is $40.70 per $1,000 investment. This compares with $40.25 for California, $38.31 for Florida, $16.90 for Ohio, $23.39 for Texas, $14.50 for Indiana, $17.28 for Washington. The personal property tax rate also is high.

Minesota 26.7, Indiana 9.19, California 15.36, Florida 7.15, Ohio 12.37, Washington 9.1, Texas 10.25.

Thirty - one states have a sales tax which very likely accounts for their lowered property tax rate. The supporters of the sales tax say that the high property tax rate is driving business from the state leaving less people and property to carry the load. The sales tax seems to be working satisfactory in those states. At least I haven't heard of any moves to do away with it. If that is the reason why Minnesota is losing it's population we might well consider ways of adjusting the situation. People have to live where there is employment and employment is where the in-dustries are,

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One thing we can do which I think will do a tremendous amount of good — is work such as Jobs, Inc. is doing — investing in buildings that will be ready for industries to move into. If our community is to grow as it should we must have such expansion. These industrial buildings have been a good thing in the past and will surely continue to be an asset. Any of your farmers who have some money to invest, why hot invest it in Jobs, Inc.? You will be do-ing yourself and your community a service.

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The little one room country school is on its way out in Minnesota. This whether we like it or not. It is going the way of the work horse and hand milking. The school districts surrounding Oakland are considering joining with the Austin school district. I myself held out a long while. I was brought up with a great respect for the neighborhood school. There are a lot of fond memories to be cherished by it, However the change in educational methods and need for higher education make the changes necessary.

I am very fond of horses and if it had been financially profitable to continue using them I would still be using horses. I got a thrill out of taking a colt and taming and training him into a valuable and useful animal. The fact still remains that if we want powerful autos, good roads, television and all the modern conveniences we have to be efficient and with efficiency comes changes.

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The secret of living is to learn to stand on our own feet without walking on someone else's toes.

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Indications are that young farmers starting out are better off renting thean owning their farms. The reasoning is that a man with limited capital can invest it most effectively in livestock and equipment used directly in producing an income: thus concentrating his investment in assets that bring quick I returns.

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We have four former Secretaries of Agriculture. They are Henry Wallace, Clinton Anderson, Claude Wickard and Charles Brannon. These four men, all democrats, are evenly divided on the issue of price supports. Wallace and Anderson are for flexible and the latter two for rigid. The interesting part of the fact is how they reason their views. Wallace and Anderson explain the details of their plan and base it on proven facts. The other two do not give the full picture of the consequences of their program and they do not base their beliefs upon proven facts. For instance, they don't say how production would be cont rolled, who would say how many cows you could milk, how many hogs to raise, who could start farming and who could not. Let's listen to the ones who know what they are talking about.

Happy are all free peoples, too strong to be dispossessed; But blessed are those among nations who dare to be strong for the rest. Elizabeth Barret Browning. With America's greatest patriotic holiday with us (July 4), let us reminisce and consider what it really means to us and how we can best preserve the hard fought liberties for which many gave their lives

Horses Show Good Sense

HELLO FOLKS — The true value of horse sense is clearly shown by the fact that the horse was afraid of the automobile during the period when pedestrians were laughing at it.

Old-timers are people who remember when women with holes in their shoes were broke instead of stylish.

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We got our car keys back! When the family was on vacation the car keys got lost at the roadside fountain near Adrian, Minn. Somebody, we don't know who, found them and send them into the Disabled American Veterans. They in turn sent them back to us, as our license number was on the key chain. — We probably won't forget to send them some money for their courtesy, next time they send our identification.

In the years that the DAV has been returning keys to the public they have returned almost 1 1/2 million keys to Americas motorists.

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So the steel strike is on and who stands to gain? Nobody. Absolutely no one. Whether the steel workers get the raise or not they still don't win. And it is for sure that the buying public has to pay more for what we buy. If we don't pay more the economy has still suffered because of loss of wages and foreign imports will continue to increase flooding our markets and that is bound to increase unemployment, and we can't have a sound economy with the people out of work.

It seems that the steel workers don't want a strike; for according to surveys taken more than 60 per cent of them are satisfied with the wages they are now getting. It seems they realize that most of the increase in wages will just add to the cost of living and what good is a wage increase if it is just more and cheaper money being handled.

There is no denying that much of the cost of a product is labor. In the line of some foods, such as milk, it is almost 100 per cent labor, and a lot of that is poorly paid. There are some high profit items in which labor is only a minor item but as a whole about 80 per cent of the cost of a product is labor. Even the profits, if they are plowed back into more production, are a form of labor. At least they create jobs.

Then there is the matter of taxes. They are mostly for labor in government services, and therefore necessary. So if labor costs go up so must taxes.

Suppose that the workers get a 15 cent hike, such as they have been used to getting the past years. If, as seems likely, that labor is 80 per cent of the cost of production then by the time everybody gets their raise, which again they must have to be fair to everyone. Then the most the steel workers can get out of the 15 cent raise will be about 2 cents. Suppose that it puts them in a higher tax bracket. That 2 cents will have melted to nothing and they may even be out dollars.

On top of that it gives the foreign goods a chance for greater competition. Any way you figure it even one day's lay-off because of a strike and the men will be behind in take-home pay.

Steel being basic, sets the pattern for all industries, so as steel goes so goes the nation, as far as wages, prices and probably the whole economy.

The only real criteria for wage increases is productivity and education is the father of that. We can have increased wages as fast as we increase productivity and then they stimulate the economy.

The sooner the steel mills get to rolling again the better for us all.


BONUS:

Edwin B. Peterson to Address Unit

LYLE, Minn. —Edwin B. Petersen, Oakland area farmer and candidate for the Legislature earlier this year spoke to the Lyle-Nevada Farm Bureau unit Wednesday.

In the business session, Delos Fran, county chairman of the quality egg program, reported on progress; Mrs. Lee Martin reported on women's committee activities; Henry Lenz, Lyle and Harold Fossey, Nevada, were named membership chairmen; and three members from each township will be named to the resolution committee.

A Pot - luck supper was served before the meeting.

Determined by Where You Look

HELLO FOLKS — Marriage is supposed to be a 50-50 proposition, but did you ever see a woman's idea of sharing a clothes closet?

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NEVER LET A difficulty stop you; it may be only sand on your track to prevent skidding.

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EVER SINCE I have been writing this column I have been urging a greater study of economics in our schools. It is slowly coming, but there are a number of pressure groups who, for selfish reasons have been against it.

Now, however, there is an organization called "The Joint Council on Economic Education". It is forming nationwide to provide classroom materials, workshops for high school teachers, seminars for college economics professors and encouragement of business participation in the economics educational process.

It is already operation in 38 regional and state councils, with more being formed regularily. There is one operating in Minnesota now.

In Russia every student understands the Russian economic system. Here in America, where we have so much to lose, not one students in 100 understands the American economic system. Is it any wonder why the Communistic system is spreading? It certainly isn't because it gives the most for the people. It is only because it is being pushed and most of the people who understand anything about economics are being taught the other system.

With the competition Russia is giving us we are finally waking up to the facts. Who says that competition is not good?

A SURVEY WAS taken a few years ago among school children between the ages of eight and 19, the following qualities that were desired in a father were listed in the order of their importance.
1. Spending time with his children.
2. Respecting his children's opinion.
3. Being an active church member.
4. Being a college graduate.
5. Never nagging his children about what they should do.
6. Making plenty of money.
7. Being well dressed.
8. Being prominent in social life.
9. Having a love of music and poetry.
10. Owning a good looking car.

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FRENCH FOREIGN Minister Robert Schuman is a confirmed bachelor. When asked why, he explained: "When I was young, I decided not to get married until I had found the ideal woman. Then I found her. Regretfully, however, she was looking for the ideal man."

What Else To Consider?

HELLO FOLKS — Rudy had been walking past the Midtown National Bank the afternoon of the big hold-up, and they had summoned him as a witness. The D.A. was quizzing him in the hope that a lead might be found on the identity of the daring bank robbers, and was listening intently to Rudy's eye-witness account.

"So I'm walking past this bank, and these guys come running out a second or so after there's a great big explosion inside the bank. And they have bags of money in their hands, these guys, have, and they chuck these bags in a car what's at the curb, and they pile into that car and take off like sixty,"

"And you say you just stood there?"

"Yes sir."

"You didn't do a thing?"

"No sir."

"You didn't think anything about it?"

Rudy nodded emphatically. "Oh yes sir! I thought to myself. 'Well this is a helluva way to run a bank, and I'll be damned if I put any of my dough there.

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Winter?! Don't mention it. I have had all of it I want and enough to last next year too.

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YOU PROBABLY saw a feature in The Tribune a few days ago about some of our citizens studying, "Facts for the Future – A Growing Minnesota." As was mentioned, this course is sponsored by the extension service of the University of Minnesota and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.

This is the kind of course that should be studied by every person in the state. In fact it must be understood by the majority of citizens if we are to have the kind of future in which we can all live and prosper.

We hope that in the near future someone will invite you to their home and with the interest of your neighbors you will all sit down and study and discuss the problems and the solutions for a growing and changing world.

This is a course that is bound to stimulate interest in anyone remotely interested in the future (and we had better all be). It is divided into four parts, to be discussed in four separate meetings.

Regardless of political or religious preferences we must all unite in such a worthy cause. In a democracy the general public is depended upon to keep the nation and it's various cultures keyed to a high standard. Without the public taking part and understanding these complex factors, the nation falters and we find ourselves thinking and doing the things that lead to the downfall of our society.

The extension service is to be congratulated for this fine effort to bring the facts to the public. It will take the co-operation of all of us to put it across, so let's get in there and pitch.

Members Start Own Library

Hello, folks! The Farm Bureau Executive Board attended a district meeting Jan. 27 at Janesville. Mrs. L. O. Gustafson, Doug Vadegrift, Cora Torgerson and myself drove to Janesville for the day. Henry Iwerks conducted the meeting. Those in attendance from the state office were Mrs. Lewis Minnion, Delbert Wells, and A. C. Mereness. They gave us some very interesting information and help that will make our county Farm Bureau a better organization if we follow through on it.

Lewis Larson had intended to go along to the meeting, but when the time came to leave Albert Lea he was not there. He told me later that he forgot about it until it was too late.

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At the January meeting of the Farm Bureau directors we decided to start a library for use of the members in the county. Mansfield township is the first to contribute toward it. Henry Schmidt is director from Mansfield. By the way, the next meeting will be Wednesday, Feb..4. Yours truly plans to attend.

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A good slogan for the dairy industry —"A milk dispenser next to every Coca-Cola dispenser."

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The average corn yield in Minnesota is 40 bushels per acre. This may seem pretty low for us here, but includes a lot of marginal areas.

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John —My hair has a lot of electricity in it.

Jim —Do you know why? Because it is connected to a dry cell.

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And then that old one about the Moron who took a saddle to bed with him — so he could ride his night-mare.

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Roy Little and his Little Green Valley Gang are going to entertain at the swine institute at the Albert Lea Armory Feb 27. You won't want to miss hearing them. They really do a bang up job of entertaining what with songs, accordions, guitars of all sorts and colorful costumes.

Don Paarlber of Purdue University, assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture, will be the guest speaker at the Barrow Show. Your Farm Bureau is sponsor for the Institute. 

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Continuing on our discussion of farm policy the question might be asked, "Well, why a farm program at all?"

Here is the reason. Under a completely free economy prices often fluctuate so wildly that the poor man was often forced to sell his crops or produce when the prices were at their lowest. Often he was fleeced by unscrupulous men who got rich just playing the market.

I remember Dad telling about one year corn was so cheap that a number of foolish framers were burning it for fuel. The next year a drought hit, and corn prices soared to unreasonable heights. Even if there had been no drought, there was not enough corn planted to keep prices in line. It is to eliminate these extremes that farm programs were started. 

The idea of all sensible programs is to satisfactorily harness the law of supply and demand to the benefit of consumer and producer alike. Under the completely free economy prices perhaps averaged parity, but statistics don't show the guys that are getting hurt somewhere between the two extremes. The man with heavy commitments had a hard time making ends meet and the fellow that once got ahead and sold wisely got rich. 

Nearly all farmers believe that a program is necessary. Most of them believe it should be a government sponsored program but a few believe it could be handled better by organization. 

Next week we will discuss one of the major farm views —perhaps the 90 per cent of parity view. Our standard for evaluating them is: Moral —30 points; Loyalty —30 points; Financial —20 points or Parity; Foreign relations ——20 points.

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 Your Farm Bureau will hold a rural - urban conference Feb. 22 at Albert Lea. Plan now to attend. Delbert Wells, secretary of the Minnesota Farm Bureau will explain the farm program in relation to the Consumer. A question and answer period will follow the speech. 

Considers Bus Question

HELLO FOLKS! — Our government has launched a program of planned deficits. This will probably create some inflation. The inflation has a definite impact on items purchased.

To the wage earner one per cent inflation will see his costs go up $10 per $1,000. For the farmer, who has to spend at least $20,000 in order to have a $5,000 income, this means his cost of the inflation is $40 per $1,000 of income.

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ONE OF THE big issues before the State Legislature concerns transportation for parochial schools. This is generating a lot more steam than the news media indicates.

Roman Catholics are generally the ones pushing for transportation to non-public schools. Their argument is that they are educating children while still supporting public education; thereby maintaining an overburdening amount of the total cost.

There is truth to their statement. It should be easy to see their point of view. When they see busses go by and cannot ride them, but have to pay the transportation out of their own pockets they are bound to feel that something is not quite right.

Main Argument

Those who favor parochial schools say they do so because they feel that their children do not get enough religious instruction in public schools.

The core of the matter, then, hinges on the answer to this question. Do parochial schools give the children better religious training than they can otherwise obtain?

We may readily agree that children who go to parochial schools get a deeper indoctrination than do the others. This seems natural when students are exposed to it each day in school. However, history positively indicates that citizens education in non-parochial schools, and consequently get their religious education through Sunday School, Bible school and preaching services, get a better Christian education and are better qualified for leadership.

It stands to reason that a child who is reared among children of various beliefs is more apt to be tolerant than one who is reared in a close doctrinal atmosphere. He is also apt to learn more of the true concepts than one reared without the contrasting beliefs.

Others Pay Bill

Non-Catholic Christians maintain a very effective and quite complete system of religious training. They pay their own costs and do their own transporting. While it is not as burdening as those who send their children to parochial schools, is done without thought of state renumeration.

I understand that Catholics are beginning to have Sunday School supplemented with home instruction. This might eventually eliminate the need for parochial education. Judging from the success of other denominations, this would be a step in the right direction.

With this view in mind, allowing bus transportation to parochial schools, and thereby encouraging this form of education, would be a step in the wrong direction.

College Need Being Filled

HELLO FOLKS! — There are 4,000 more people in the world now than were an hour ago.

One fifth of the world population is white or Christian.

We in America are six per cent of the worlds wealth. Of that six per cent, American farmers are in the upper two per cent. This is because of the capital necessary to produce enough to earn comparable income with the balance of the population.

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IF WE WERE TO consider the world from the creation until now as a 24 hour day, we have made more progress in the last 15 minutes until midnight than in the whole 23 and three fourths other hours.

At one time it took 90 per cent of the population to produce enough food to feed the world. Today it takes less than seven per cent to feed everyone on a far better diet.

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THERE IS IN Albert Lea a group of citizens dedicated to the creation of a new college. They are in the process of gathering enough funds to get the program underway.

These men deserve our deepest respect and loyal support. Albert Lea needs a college and a site has been picked on one of the most desirable pieces of land one could imagine. 

It is easy to criticize and laugh at such a project, and while I have heard very little negative thought concerning it there is sure to be some. It could come from well meaning citizens, too.

It might be well to take a look back and see what has been the result of lack of foresight in the past. Then if there are any who want to go ahead with ridicule, let them know what they are doing to themselves and the community.

Had One, Once

Years ago Albert Lea had a college. Had the success of it been pursued with vigor it would have been a great asset to Albert Lea all these years and a greater asset for the future. We will all readily agree that it should never have been allowed to die.

Also, years ago the State educational Department wanted Albert Lea to install a vocational school. Albert Leans failed to take action and it went to Austin—currently a great asset to that city, much to Albert Lea's chagrin.

Today there is a revived effort to try to get such a school started. Nothing but Herculean effort can get the job done today. Albert Lea just missed the 'boat'. It may not be around again.

These are just two of the major things Albert Lea has missed in the past. It is not a pleasant thing to have to mention these things but if it will help us in the future and keep us from listening to the 'knockers' who are pretty apt to come along, it will have been worth it. 

We are just in the infancy of the educational boom. I am sure that in the future we will find ourselves more and more educated. 

If it is the least bit important that we have a college in Freeborn now it will be many times more important 10, 20, and 30 years from now. 

Class Proves Enlightening

HELLO FOLKS: — A group of Freeborn County folks have been driving up to Waseca each Thursday for a course in "economics of Government," sponsored by the University of Minnesota.

The League of Women Voters has been sending different delegates each time. Some of them who have attended one of more of the classes are Mrs. Lou Gordon, Mrs. Melvin Gordon, Mrs. Lynn Stoker and Mrs. Lloyd Peterson.

Others who have been attending are Ellis Christianson, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Kuiters, B. F. Muldown, E. J. Narverud, Eldon Senske, Rev. O. A. Rust, Dr. Lynn Stokers, Al Cuppage and myself. As this column is written there are two classes yet to be held. Therefore the list of students is not complete.

These meetings are extremely informative. They present various economic and political thinking. The general rule is to have one hour or less of lecture, then one hour or more of question and answer.

One thing the lecturers have found out is that they had better know the answers to their field of discussion, because with a group such as this there are plenty of questions from many angles and it doesn't take long to find out where the weaknesses of the point of arguments are.

One thing I am sure of is that we have all come away with a greater understanding of economics and government, and with a greater respect for the other fellow's viewpoint. The instructors are the best the institute could find.

This is the second year such a class has been held. Last year the topic was "Minnesota Economics." I am quite sure that from the success of the two Institutes we have had we are apt to have another next year. What the course will be I do not know, but it might be something on the order of "Foreign Aid Programs" or "Foreign Policy."

If any of you readers are interested, please put in an advance application with our County Agent, Eldon Senske, by letting him know that you are interested.

WHEN EZRA TAFT Bensons was Secretary of Agriculture and Orville Freeman was governor of Minnesota, there was a wide diversity of Farm Policy. The then Governor Freeman was one of the then Sec. Benson's bitterest critics. He puller no punches in his criticisms of Benson's lowering of dairy supports, and freeing corn acreage. Freeman and his colleagues coined a phrase called "Bensonism", which was suppose to be a derogatory connotation. This word was the 'bad' name for the free-enterprise views of Benson, and everyone who espoused this view was something of an odd ball.

I suppose there is still plenty of difference of opinion, but for the most part Freeman has -------- his actions vindicated the policies of Benson. For instance, when the new feed - grain program was introduced, was it drawn up under the old acreage allotments? No sir! It was drawn up under the planning history of the Benson era.

When Freeman entered office he immediately set about upping the dairy supports that had been lowered by Benson. Immediately the surpluses that had disappeared under the Benson program. This year, after three years of higher supports and with the program in danger of reaching the 'smelly' stage, Freeman has followed his predessor by reducing supports, not just to the level that Benson had set but to new lows not even allowed by law. This was done by changing the formula. In the past the support price had been based on 3.5 milk. The new formula is based on 3.7 milk. This has the effect of changing the price of 3.5 milk from $3.05 cwt. to $2.95 cwt. Thus with nearly secret actions, Freeman, who had criticized Benson so unmercifully, has now admitted that Benson was right. Changing the formula for milk does not seem as drastic as dropping support prices to under $3 per cwt.