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on the knees of the gods。〃 The luck of the Mooseheart boy is not on the knees of the gods； it is in his own hands。
I visited the Latin department and heard of Rome's ancient grandeur。 〃The Romans；〃 they told me； 〃were not philosophers； but builders。 They built concrete roads to the ends of the earth。 But their soldiers brought back malarial fever from Africa。 It destroyed the builders and their secret perished with them。 Eighty years ago concrete was rediscovered。〃 I asked the students： 〃Do you know how to make concrete？〃 〃I'll say we don't；〃 they answered。 And that's how much good their Latin education had done them。
The Mooseheart boys know how to make those concrete roads and how to build the motor…trucks that travel on them。 〃Transportation is civilization。〃 We teach civilization at the Mooseheart school。 We teach art； too。 But what is art without civilization？ The cave men were artists and drew pictures on their walls。 But you can't eat pictures。 There is a picture on every loaf of bread。 You always slice the colored label off the loaf and eat the bread and throw the art away。 The Russians quit work a few seasons ago； and now they are selling their art treasures cheap to the roughneck nations that stuck to the pick… ax and the plow。 The moral is： Keep working and you'll get the chromo。 This truth was taught at Mooseheart long before the Russians saw the point and awarded us their picture gallery。
What I want to emphasize is that we are not opposed to art and literature。 All men want them； need them。 We teach how to get them。
CHAPTER XLVI
THE MOOSEHEART IDEA
The majority of the Moose are men in the mechanical trades。 But the primary trade； the one on which all others rest； is agriculture。 The men knew this； and so they founded Mooseheart on the soil。 It is an agricultural school。 It occupies more than a thousand acres in the richest farming region of Illinois。 The first thing the students learn is that all wealth comes out of the earth。 The babies play in the meadows and learn the names of flowers and birds。 The heritage of childhood is the out…of…doors。 I heard of some children in the city who found a mouse and thought it was a rabbit。 But when the city…born children come to Mooseheart they come into their own。 They trap rabbits and woodchucks； fight bumblebees' nests； wade and fish in the creek and go boating and swimming in the river and the clear lake。
When a boy gets old enough to leave the kindergarten and start in the primary school he mixes agricultural studies with his books。 First he plants a small garden and tends it。 Then he is taught to raise chickens。 Next he learns swine husbandry and then dairying and the handling of horses。 The girls learn poultry… raising； butter…making； gardening； cooking； dressmaking and millinery。
After the boy has had a general course in all the branches of agriculture he is permitted to specialize in any one of them if he wants to。 He can make an exhaustive study of grain farming； dairying； stock breeding； bee culture； horticulture and landscape gardening。
After this grounding in agriculture； which all the boys must have； the student gets an introduction to the mechanical trades。 Then he may select a particular trade and specialize。 The usual grammar…school and high…school courses are taught to all the students； also swimming and dancing and music； both vocal and instrumental。 The kindergarten has a babies' band； and both the girls and boys have their own brass bands and orchestras。
Students are graduated when they are eighteen。 Up to that time they are permitted to stay and learn as many trades as they can。 Learning comes easy in such a school as Mooseheart； and many of the boys go out with two or more finished trades。 Music is one of the trades that the boys double in。 We have graduated many fine musicians； but none who didn't know a mechanical trade as well and； on top of it all； he knew how to run a farm。 Such a boy can serve his country in peace or war。 Before men can eat they have to have food； and he knows how to raise it。 To enjoy their food they must have a house to live in； and he knows how to build it。 After a house and food comes music。 This lad can play a tune for the cabaret。
One of Mooseheart's earliest graduates made a high record in his academic studies and mastered the trade of cook； pastry cook； nurseryman； cement modeler； cornetist； saxophone player and landscape gardener。 He was brilliant in all these lines and ready to make a living at any one of them。 And if all these trades should fail； he was yet a scientific farmer and could go to the land anywhere and make it produce bigger crops than the untrained man who was born on the soil。
What other school in the world will give a boy at eighteen an equipment like that？ I ask this； not to disparage the old… fashioned schools； but to call their attention to what the new are doing。
CHAPTER XLVII
LIFE'S PROBLEMS
Mooseheart is at once a farm； a school and a town。 The boys help handle the crops and herds under the guidance of the experts who teach the classes in agriculture。 For extra work in the fields the boys receive pay。 They save their money to buy the tools of their trade。 The bandsmen when they graduate go out with fine instruments bought with their own earnings during their school years。 〃Preparation for life〃 is the one aim of Mooseheart。 Therefore at Mooseheart the boy or girl will encounter every problem that he will encounter in his struggle in the wider world。 Nothing is done for him that he can do for himself。 He is taught no false theories。 But every fact of life is placed before him in due time。 The first wealth of facts comes to these city…bred children when they are set down in the middle of this great； busy； beautiful farm。 John Burrows says： 〃No race that does not take to the soil can long hold its country。 In the struggle for survival it will lose its country to some incoming race that loves the soil。〃 Already the Japanese farmers in California have shown that if we should let them in they would take this whole country in a few years。 They drive the American farmer out because they have a passion for the soil； and they turn their whole families in to till it。 What is the answer？ Teach our young to love the soil and to till it well； or else an alien race will take away their heritage。 The first lesson in Mooseheart is to till the soil。
But in addition to being a farm； Mooseheart is a town。 The young folk live in cottages and do their own cooking and house…keeping。 There are no great dormitories where hundreds sleep； and no vast dining…room where they march in to the goose…step。 We are preparing them for a free life； and the only place they use the goose…step is in the penitentiary。 Mooseheart is a town instead of an institution。 All 〃institutionalism〃 is cast away。 In each cottage is a group of boys or a group of girls living under family conditions。 They are not all of the same age； some are big and some are little； and the big ones look after the little ones。 Each cottage has its own kitchen and orders its own supplies from the general store。 The girls' cottages have each a matron （sometimes a widow who with her little ones has been admitted to Mooseheart）； and she advises the girls how to do the buying and the cooking。
In the boys' cottages there is a proctor to advise them and usually a woman cook。 The boys who care to can learn cookery and household buying under her supervision。 All the boys do their own dishwashing； sweeping and bed…making。 Once three boys about fourteen years old went on strike because the proctor asked them to scrub the dining…room floor on their knees。 They thought this work would degrade them； and they started toward the superintendent's office。 On the way they met me and told me their troubles。
〃I think it is all right for a young man to scrub a floor on his knees；〃 I said。 〃I've done it for my mother many a time。 I have been a bootblack。 But it didn't hurt my character。 You are going to the superintendent for his opinion。 He is a Harvard man； but he worked his way through school and one of his jobs was bellboy in a hotel。 Had he been too proud to work as a servant he would never have gotten the education that makes him head of this great school。 Didn't you ever scrub a floor on your knees？ You can see the dirt come out with the suds and you can watch the grain of the wood appear； where before it was hidden by dust and grease。 If you never saw that； you have missed something that I have seen many a time。 To know how to scrub a floor is as much a part of your education as to know how to sandpaper a floor and varnish it。 We could hire this work done better than you can do it； but that wouldn't be giving you a chance to learn the work。 Now I'm not telling you boys to go back and do the work if you don't want to。 Use your own judgment。 But fellows that balk on a job never go far。 A balky man is like a balky horse； everybody gets rid of him as quickly as they can。 A quitter is never given a good job。 They always keep him in a place where it doesn't make any difference whether he quits or not。〃
The leader of the boys said： 〃Aw； piffle； cut it out。 We might as well be scrubbing the floor as listening to this talk。 Come on； fe