RURAL ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS OF THE GRAND LEDGE COMMUNITY THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF M. I. Verne Allen Stockman I931 ......... IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 93 00800 0485 III III V312 PLACE IN RETURN BOX to remove Ihis checkout from your record. TO AVOID FINES Mum on or before date due. ch L'llllr rev 1 I I 31% 3., » u I ~ “I I -1 -. A}; a 29.. Nil-“II . .C‘d. y, I III '”.M I I . m“ ‘ “ .5 ‘5‘- Ti}? ) s 5.14 F .3}. . ’.“. L \‘ \2 m; ‘ I an»): " MIME, RURAL ORGAKIZATIOHS AND INSTITUTION OF THE GRAND LEDGE COIIUNITY Thesis for Degree 1.1. A. Verne Allen Stockman 1951 [I ,/ ."4 1 r— Approved by «3,, it.“ I /' - / l v x (x b ((1‘7/ {13 II T‘ “if. 'C: 1 III. I! “‘3, Table of Contents iUJE I r\ WI ‘43.» Chapter I - IntroductionanniBackground The Problem The Method of Study Other Studies The Meaning of Keighborhood and Community The grand Ledge Community The Stores and Karketing Facilities The Type of Farming and Farm Income Chapter II - Rural Homes Examples of Certain Families The Nichols family The Strange family Conclusions Chapter III - Neighborhoods The Strange Keig.hborhood The Eagle leig liborhood The nulliken Neighborhood The Delta hills and Delta Center Neighborhoods The Wacousta Neighborhood The Cole Neighborhood The Johnson-Partlow Heighborhood Summary Chapter IV - Rural Education Educational Institutions Rural Schools High School Agricultural Department Project Work in Agriculture Outstanding Cork of the Members of the Agricultural Depaitment Student Agricultural Club Future Farmers of America Egg Show Influence of Training in Agriculture Four-H Clubs Agricultural Extension Work Farm Organizations The School and the Intermingling of Town and Country Peeple Chapter V - The Church Open Country Churches The Strange Presbyterian Church Delta Township Churches Village Churches City Churches Summary ‘3 \ w! n 0. Ln: b‘ fix \w r \‘y ‘ b Chapter VI - Farm Organizations The The The The The The Grange Cleaners Farmers' Clubs Cemetery Associations Patch Club Farm Bureau COOperative-Organization Relationship of Farm Organizations to Agricultural Students Chapter VII - Summary and Conclusions Bibliography Books Bulletins 108 108 113 114 115 116 116 116 119 122 129 129 130 GHLPTER I INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND The Problem This is a study of the rural organisations and institutions in.the Grand Ledge community. It includes a discussion or the history, homes, neighborhoods, schools, churches, farm organi- sstions and the economic phases of the community. The primary interest is in agricultural education and the economic factors of farm life. The special interest of the study is the re- lationship or this community situation to the agricultural students. gm Method of Study There is a combination of the historical and case methods with some use or the statistical method_in this thesis. Part or the results are from the participant-observer point of. .1... This is one or the newer types of observation in Sociology and is best described by Lindeman in.Social Discovery.(l) "........ The participant observer is one who 1. Is a part or the group being studied 2. Has vital interests involved in the group's activities 3. Provides the exterior or outside observer with the facts or the group's activities (1) Lindemsn, E. C. - Social Discovery, page 192. 4. Provides the outside observer with facts bearing upon the categories utilised in the study 5. Presents criticisms of the categories 6. Discovers new categories as emergencies of the groupas changing activities 7. Corrects conclusions of the outside observer from the viewpoint of one whose interests are at stake.’ The writer has been in the area 3&- years, since February, 192.8. is a teacher of Agriculture in the high school, director of club activities in the rural fields, and as a graduate student in sociology he has been able to gather the data by going over the territory and by participating in some of the social groups. He has been in every neighborhood a number of times, interviewing leaders of organisations. farmers, grade and high school students, teachers, ministers and other prominent people. The number of people interviewed relative to the problem exceeds 500. Some of the data was gathered by the Agricultural students of the Agricultural department of the high school who are located in the different parts of the con- sanity. In each case these are verified by information of older adults in the community or the writer. The economic data was taken from the records of the Farm Management De- partment of the Michigan State College. These records are summaries of farm account books that have been kept as a record of business transactions in the year l929_. Other Studies Probably the first studies along this line have been I DJ I conducted by C. J. Galpin when at the University of Wisconsin and published in his book Rural Life. These were followed'by Professor Kolb's Studies of Rural Primary Group, which were conducted at the Wisconsin University also. Morgan and Howell at the University of Xissouri have made studies on rural pOpu- lation groups. In town and country relations the two most important conclusions have been made by Professor Kolb at the (2) University of tisconsin and Dr. C. R. Hoffer at Hichigan 3) State College. None of these studies have considered in detail the relationships of the country boy and girl to the community situation. Hone have studied especially the voca- tional agricultural student in high school with respect to his environment. The closest to this approach has been a study in Bulletin 82 by the Federal Board of Vocational Education, "Effectiveness of Vocational Education in Agriculture". This is a study of the value of Vocational Instruction in Agriculture in Secondary Schools as:indicated by the Occupational Distri- bution of Former Students. The revised edition, includes interpretation of occupational surveys for the period 1922-27. The studies in Hichigan that resembled most closely this (4) one is the thesis of Mr. G. H. Burt on the area around Byron (5) and the study of the Laingsburg area made by Mr. J. L. Prescott. I2! KOIB - Bulletin 50, Rural Primary Groups, University of Visconsin. (3) Hoffer, C. R. - Bulletin 208, Services of Institutions and Organizations in Town and Country Communities, Michigan State College. Bulletin 207, Public Health.and Educational Services in Michigan, Michigan State College. (4 Burt, G. H. - A Sociological Analysis of the Byron Community. (5 Prescott, J. L. - A Study and Analysis of Heetings of Town and Country People in the Village of Laingsburg, Michigan. The‘Mhsning of Neighborhood and Community, Dr. Hoffer uses the following definition of a community in his book "Introduction to Rural Sociology'féla group having one or more common activities and experiences, and occupying a definite area". Thus a community is a social grouping in which the members of the group receive the largest majority of their services and commodities from within that area. For example, the community should.haye a twelve grade school. 1 ten.grade school is inadequate for the reason.that pupils who desire a high school education.must spend the last two years at a four- year high school in some other community. It should have a bank, a hardware store, the various farm machinery companies. the service organizations such as a Chamber of Comoros, shipping associations, and.marketing associations. It should have the smaller social groupings, that the community wants, such as the religious, fraternal, and.educational. All of these are necessary to satisfy the daily and ordinary needs of the people. The neighborhood differs.from.the community in that it is characterised by primary, intimate, face to face relationships and supplies only one, two, or rarely more than.three of the economic and social demands. The rural church, to some extent, is yet a neighborhood grouping as is also the rural school and perhaps some stores. Professor Khlb(7’describes it as "that first grouping beyond the family which has social significance and which is conscious of some local unity. This definition (6) Horror: c. R. - Introduction to Rural Sociology, p. 45. (7) Kolb, J. c. - Rural Primary Groups, Bulletin 51, University of Wisconsin, pages 5 and 6. follows quite closely Professor Cooley‘s formula for the general primary group.(8) The rural primary group is essentially a sociological concept yet for objective purposes of description and measurement geographic areas and terms may be effectually used. The neighborhood defined by the standardization committee of the Lmerican COuntry Life Association as "that geggraphic group of farm.familics having some local cohesion". This seems to come nearest the conception of the neighborhood as used in this study and indicates that the neighborhood is a primary group. In most cases it does not attempt to supply the fraternal organisations or the needs of the individual as to all of food or clothing. It is, however, a rather intimate grouping of those individuals, who inhabit a certain.region. The area, in most cases, is determined by soil which furnishes the basis of a livelihood some organisation, or some strong family or families. In the days of the horse and.buggy the face to face grouping could not extend much farther than.the horse and buggy could take the farm people in an hour or two's time and back. With the advent of the automobile, there have been changes in the social groupings in rural areas. The smaller unit such as the neighborhood has broken down and an enlarging of the horizon.to the community is taking place. High school students now think nothing of going twenty-five or fifty miles with an automobile To Cooley, e. a. - Social Organization, page so. (9 Proceedings First National Country Life Conference (Baltimore 1919) p. 128. - 6 - for an evening's entertainment. This places them in either poor social environment or in groupings that have very little immediate effect upon the individual. The radio develops interests outside the neighborhood. One can now listen to Europe. Organizations are sensing the community viewpoint and plan their programs along these lines. But in spite of these forces many neighborhoods are finding themselves and they have an.important socialising influence which should be continued. The neighborhood continues to exist where there is some organization or institution to foster it. The most common of these is the school. The church is another strong neighborhood center. For example, in five out of the eight neigh- borhoods in Grand.Ledge area the church is the strongest neighbor- hood influence. These characteristics of neighborhoods are well illustrated in the Grand.Ledge Area. The Grand Ledge Community Settlement was made in the southern part of the area in 183?. Eagle of the community was settled a few years earlier. In January or .February of 1837 Solomon Russell cut his way through ten miles of forest from Eagle and landed in Oneida township. Soon after that the Strange family settled in the Southwestern parts and the Nichols" family in the southern part. They arrived within a few days of each other. Stephen Crogen was one of the first settlers in Eagle township. The rest of the community settled very rapidly after that. By 1850 Grand Lodge was a small town ‘s .Fuwlwnssslfiniehqhhieiri\ .d... . fl GRAND IBM! 1 / i‘ .‘J :r—xv —‘L——dt" —‘vr‘1< , w 5. " i! I Figure I. - A map of the Grand Ledge Comminity. The Area exceeds 125 Square miles. and the whole area was fairly well inhabited. The present size of the Grand Ledge community exceeds one hundred and twenty-five square miles. The boundary lines as shown in figure one are determined by the people who get most of their services at Grand Ledge. The size of the area depends upon three things: First, the area from which students came to the Grand Ledge High School. Second, the area from which most of the people bank at Grand Ledge. Third, the area from which most of the people came to Grand Ledge for services such as medical, dental, hardware, oil and farm machinery. The Grand Ledge community lies in parts of three counties: Eaton, Clinton, and Ionia, Oneida township, parts of Delta, Roxand, Benton and a very small part of Windsor in Baton county, belong in the community. Eagle and Watertown townships, in Clinton county and a part of Danby township in Ionia county are also included within the community. To the north is a Catholic settlement, Westphalia, whose people remain very much to themselves. North and West is Portland, a rather progressive town. West is Sunfield.with a good High School and a trade center. To the South and West is Charlotte, the county seat, and to the East is Lansing. The soil is predominately a.Miami clay loam. Most of it is fertile either from the natural state or from good farm practices. North of the Grand River is a strip of sand which has an unstable pepulation. Very few high school students have come from that area. There are areas especially in the western part of the community that require rather extensive drainage but the land in that section is among the best. -9- iiisuw‘t‘go’o-M Haa'bw lea—M-a. ° ,6: mewwuismufibw W Mfim‘JM WM) 3 l The population of the community is around 8,000. The last Federal Census, 1930, gives the population of Grand Ledge City as 3,572. The pepulation of the incorporated city of Grand Ledge increased from 3,043 in 1920 to 3,572 in 1930, or a gain of 529 inhabitants. The population tributary to Grand Ledge has probably increased about the same. There has'been a loss in pOpulation on the western side since Sunfield has been developing. This may have lessened the total pepulation figure to some extent. The people of the community are predominately native-born Americans of German descent. There are very few foreigners. As far as Eaton County is concerned no foreign-born group, with the exception of the Canadians, constituteswas much as one per cent of the total population. The Grand.Ledge community is affected by the city of Lansing in.that a great many people work in Lansing and live in the out- lying villages and towns. Eagle and Delta Mills have a number of these people. Grand Ledge, at one time last year, had nearly one hundred men working in Lansing. If it is assumed that each one of these men had a family constituted of four persons, it would mean that four hundred people in Grand Ledge receive their income from Lansing. Grand Ledge has several industries which emplcy a number of men. The approximate number for each industry is as follows: __ Industpy use egplgygd Grand Ledge Clay Product ‘72 .lmerican Vitrefied Products - Plant No. 22 72 Grand Ledge Face Brick Co. 60 Grand Ledge Chair Co. 100 Grand Ledge Furni turc Co. 50 Crawford Furniture Factory 75 (A branch of a Grand Rapids Factory) .lrctio Dairy 25 Ehrndale Dairy. 6 GRAND LEDGE CHAIR FACTORY GRAND LEDGE. MICH e. u a a e aakw‘zfi .Cs} 4 god, 1414].. iwfic:uannnilzt 1 31.32.23... .009 00909000: new .. .."l: 0 9.000000 0 .OI:UID. . Grand Ledge Clay Products 00., Grand Ledge, Mich. fi‘P ., .. .049” SSGIO>C 56633 C -10- Besides these there are several small plants employing from one to ten men at various times and seasons. Stores and.Marketing Facilities ~ There are most of the types of stores that a community needs at Grand Ledge. It must be said, however, that a great many people buy their clothing, furniture, and some groceries in Lansing. There are twelve groceries in Grand Ledge, two hardwares, four barber shops, two men's clothing stores and two women's, two shoe stores, two bakeries, two banks, two seed stores, three implement companies, two wholesale oil distributors, one Jewelry store and.several other confectionery, eigar, and other small stores. As a market for farm produce, there is a cooperative grain elevator, a cooperative livestock shipping association, as dis- cussed in Chapter VI. These are augmented by local buyers of livestock, meets, eggs, wool, etc. There are five dairies in Grand Ledge, one of these the Arctic Dairy, buys about one half or the whole milk around Grand Ledge. The rest is hauled to Lansing. Cream and eggs are sold to Grand Ledge cream stations. Since Lansing is only about ten miles away a great many of the farmers' productstare sold there. These include truck crops, milk, livestock, meat and eggs. - 14 - The Type of Farming and.Farm Income There are a total of 725 farms in the Grand Ledge community. The predominate type of farming is general, with especial emphasis on dairying. This is due to the nearness of a large milk market at Lansing. There are milk tank trucks that go to Detroit from the area. There are a number of truck farms, but they occupy a small percentage of the total land. Their presence is explained by the Lansing market facilities. The population of the farms constitute more than one-half of the population of Grand Ledge community. Farm business is vital to Grand Ledge and its outlying villages. It is the basic income for the farm people and contri- butes to income of other groups in the community. Farm incomes are also a fair index of the business ability of the operators. Their incomes are therefore reflected, not only in the standards of living gut in the quality of the families and in their leader-'- ship in the community. Grand Ledge lies within the area No. 5 as is shown in the Farm.Management Department bulletin on Types of Farming.(10) Area 5 is a general farming area covering a central portion of ‘Michigan as is shown on map No. I. Seventy-two farmers located in this area kept financial records in the Farm Accounting ProJect of the Farm Management Department for 1929 had an average income sufficient to leave (10) Special Bulletin 206 - Types of Farming in Michigan, Hill, Riddell, and Elliott. ___‘.F -15- TYPE OF FARM/N6 ARE/(5 //\/ M/CH/GAW flrea‘ 5 (SAGJGJ) ENE/34L Ffl/E’M/A/G This f‘ epor 7‘ f or G LAKE 5 UPERIOQ Map I . MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE cf Agriculture and Applied Science and UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BUreau of Agricultural Economics COOperating ANNUAL FARM BUSINESS REPORT for 1929 Area 5 -- General Farming (Represented by 72 farms in Barry, Eaton, Ingham, Kent, Livingston and washtenaw Counties) Farm Management Department -- Extension Service Michigan State College EaSt musing, Mich. - l6 - $497 each as pay for the operator's labor, management and risk after deducting all operating expenses and five percent on their investment. This is called the Labor and Management_§age. The one-third of these farmers who made the‘best returns had an in- come sufficient to pay them an.average of $1485 for their labor and management; while the one-third who were least successful lacked an average of $595 of having enough income to pay expenses and five percent on the investment, allowing nothing for their labor and management. -It should be emphasized that the income secured by these farmers does not represent the average income of all farmers in the area. It is believed that these Operators average above the rsnk:and file of all farmers since they are progressive and business-like enough to keep accounts and submit them to the college for summarization. Undoubtedly their incomes averaged above the average of all farmers. This belief is substantiated by the results of studies made in other states.(ll’ Since the Farm.Management Department considers seventy-two farms of area 3 as being typical of the better business, twenty-five of these farms within Grand Ledge community, it is logical to conclude that the twenty-five farms are a fairly accurate picture of the farm business of the better farmers of this community. In Table No. l is a list of the twenty-five farms arranged in order of farm profits‘as denoted'by labor and management wage. (ll) Farmeanagemcnt Mimeographed Reports 1929. -17.. "3 d Ledge EommuniTg ' Frms 5Tudied ' . ”Wasn't“. 1 D e If? Grid 7 '4 Helm“?! I 513: Figure 2. The Location of the 25 farms of the Farm Income Survey. .These were taken from the 72 farms as used in Area 5. Table I An Array of the Twenty-five Farms in Order of Labor and management Wage. ‘Labor and Invest- ‘Percent'return Farm No. Mgt. Wage ment Acres on investment Group I. Labor and Management Wage $900 up. 4 $5,952 $21,837 190 9.5 7 5,594 17,500 120 21.4 1 2,468 25,146 200 12.0 2 2,580 25,107 259 10.0 5 2,559 20,027 200 10.0 14 2,104 11,142 175 17.4 24 1,866 5,764 159 rented 99 acres 6 1,713 19,328 150 10.0 20 1,470 8,092 80 14.5 17 1,424 9,675 80 12.3 13 1,381 10,792 100' 25 1,207 4,205 40 16.5 21 1,070 7,194 83 9.9 15 1,065 10,290 80 8.4 19 994 8,210 100 8.5 8 981 16,757 139 6.6 16 967 10,049 86 7.5 12 919 11,805 158 6.6 Group II. Labor and Management Wage $500 to $899. 10 898 12,656 150 6.4 11 868 11,950 110 6.5 18 671 8,551 98 22 655 6,904 80 4.1 9 551 16,685 155 4.0 Group III. Labor and.management Wage $499 down. as 255 6,208 48 5 198 22,484 180 It is to be noted that twenty-three of the twenty-five are above the average of the area in labor and management wage which was $497 and more than half were twice as high. The average of $1,740 for Grand Ledge farms is above the average of the highest group of Area 5 which is $1,485. -19... Relationship between total investment and Labor and management Wage on the twenty-five farms is as follows: Size of In- Number Labor and Mgt. vestment g__ of Farms Income - Ave. Range $2,267 $198 - $3,932‘ Over $20,000 5 2,785 $2,359 - 3,932 $10,000 - $19,999 11 1,367 551 - 3,594 Under $10,000 9 . 1,068 255 - 1,866 ------ Total 25 5,220 198 - 3,932 255 - 3,932 Average 1,740 summary lrea 5—F‘1 general farming area including Efiton, Clinton and Ionia County. *Omitting farm No. 3 with a Labor and.Management Wage because the variation is due to management factors and not investment. The average Labor and Management wage for the twenty-five farms is more than three times.as high as the average for the area; that is $1,740 for Grand Ledge, as compared with $497 of the whole area. The following table adds the number of acres to this data. Since the increase in size of investment is usually accompanied by an increase in.acreage they have been added here. The reason for their division into their respective groupings is to make. it comparable with the area. - 20 - Relationship of Labor and Management Wage and Investment to Acres. Size of Farm Number of Labor &2Mgt. A, Farms Wage - Ave. Investment Range 100 or less 11 $1,014 $8,116 42 - 100 101 - 180 10 1,369 14,607 110 - 180 181 or more 4 2,784 22,524 181 - 239 Total 25 5,167 45,247 Average 1,722 15,082 Area 5 72 497 20,161 $2439 - $3022 These figures show that the Grand Ledge community is above average in Labor and Management wage. Also it is to be noted there isza much less investment than is given for area 5. The investment in Grand Ledge is $15,053 as compared with $20,161 for the area. The foregoing data warrants the statement that the farmers cosperating in the study of this community are better farmers than the average in area 5 though these twenty-five farms are somewhat above the average of the community in income, they are so typical that it leads one to the conclusion that the farmers of the Grand Ledge community as a whole have better than the average incomes. This fact is evident in the surveys of the homes which show a relative high expenditure for conveniences. It is also shown in.Chapter 17 on education in the advancement exe penditures for education, in.Chapter Y on the support of churches and in Chapter 71 on Farm Organizations. It is also shown by the business of Grand Ledge stores and the quantity of merchandise bought by farmers. CHIPTER II RURAL HOMES Hemes in the Grand Ledge community are typical of the better farm homes in lower Michigan. Most of them are painted and occasional efforts have been made at landscaping. Quite often the yards are fenced to keep the live-stock out, and the lawn is mowed with a mower. One misses the sight of machinery sitting promiscously about the premises and live-stock running loose in the yards. Since the area is well supplied with power lines as is shown in Figure 3, the majority of the homes are provided with the conveniences of electric lights, power for heavy work, a telephone, radio, etc. In these homes a fair amount of good reading material is usually found. In most cases parents are interested in their children and try to promote their welfare. Very few parents keep the children out of school to do farm work and most of them are deeply concerned as to their scholastic achievement. It may be stated with safety that the farm homes in the Grand Ledge community are above the average of rural homes insofar as family life, household conveniences, and farm surroundings are concerned. In order to secure more detailed information about the Grand Ledge homes, a questionnaire was circulated among the students in the high school. (See appendix for copy of question- naire.) These questionnaires were answered by members of the writer's classes in agriculture. The answers pertained to the students own homes and to those immediately around them. This, Ad h-m. ..____’. ‘— TO. I - L, d . it: E.:;";""“"‘3 rune “ Hm: Figure 5 The L0 ‘ “ . - cation 01 the newer line ' * ~ , ,, . i s in the Grard Ledge H, . , There are new lines being added every month. i 1 COJH tJ -25- therefore, is a fairly accurate survey since the students live in all parts of the community, and secured information from farms nearest them regardless of their condition. When there were any irregularities in the questionnaire the whole questionnaire was discarded. The final sample included 121 farms with a total number of 509 people in the survey. Seventy-five per cent of the farms were owned by the operator. These had an average acreage of 147.7 acres. Twenty-five per cent were renters. Nineteen per cent of the 121 farms owner-renters. Twenty-six per cent of the farms had been in the family two or more generations. Only eight per cent of the owners had inherited land. The average period of residence of families for all of the farms combined was 21.4 years. Nineteen per cent of the farms specialized in some one type of product such as truck gardening, seed growing, specialized live-stock growing, etc. The average number of children per family excluding farms with only one man on the farm and having no other members in the family, was three. This sample of 121 farms is out of a total of approximately 725 farms. The detailed figures regarding modern conveniences in these homes are presented in the following table. -24... TABLE 11 Percentage of 121 farm homes that have various kinds of modern conveniences. Convenience Percentagg Grand ’MiChi- South Ledge gan(3) Dakota(l) Iowa(2) Running water 35 15 21 Electricity from power line 24 Electricity from home plant 11 Electricity from power line or home plant 34 25 26 Gas lights 6 16 Gas or electric lights 40 8 41 Gasoline lights 37 8 Gas Stove 4 Bath with tub 26 15 19 Septic tank or sewage disposal 33 Central heating system 49 26 26 Telephone 79 49.8 Power for heavy work in home 75 Refrigeration 25 Screens 99 (1) Bulletin No. 247 - The Use of Time by South Dakota Home makers, p. 21 ( data from 100 farms} {2 Bulletin No. 237 - Cost of Living on Iowa Farms, p. 22 and 24. 3 Census Abstract - 1920, page 749. The above data shows that in the grand Ledge community with the exception of the telephone, there are more farms that have conveniences than reported in the other studies. This is explained by the power lines entering the area to such an extent and by the fact that they are so near a large town that they see the value of the conveniences. (See figure 1L) Most of the electrical lines have been put up within the last few years. These years have been unprofitable from the standpoint of income due to the low prices of farm products of this area, and to the adverse weather conditions. It is doubtful whether most of the farms that have been electrified have many of the electrical appliances. In making a study of rural homes one is obliged to consider chiefly the outward manifestations of family life.' The weakness of this method consists in the fact that sometimes a house is not an.aecurate indication of the type of home life which exists in it. It would be safe to say, however, that generally improved homes have a favorable influence on personality and leadership in the farm organizations. This, without a doubt, plays an important part in the lives of those who are members in these organizations. It appears from the questionnaire that the longer a family lives on a farm.and the greater the number of generations that a farm is owned by one family, the greater is the probability of the house being improved. The best example is the Strange family to be discussed later. Quite often modern conveniences in a house have more effect upon the children than upon adults. If a mother has to carry water into the home and the daughter observes the amount of labor required to do this, it is often an incentive for her to leave the farm and thus escape possibly so much hard work. Mothers and fathers often say, "I do not want my daughter or son to have to Iork as hard as I have.” Perhaps that is a poor bit of reasoning on the part of parents toward their children, but the absence of conveniences often cause them to reason in this manner. It is interesting to note that 17% of the 509 people in the 121 families sang or played some musical instrument. Fifteen families had three or more who played some instrument or sang. Twelve families had two members each who participated in some form of music. Twenty-six families had one person who was able to play a musical instrument or sing. There is no record of those who participated in drama. The writer knows of ten country groups who gave plays this last winter. The number participating in each group varied from three or four to as many as thirty. It would be conservative to say that at least 100 participated in dramatics this last winter. It is also true that often if the members of the family are musicians or artists, this fact has had an effect upon the younger members of the family both in teaching them the arts and in placing a stronger emphasis on the home relationship. Finally, long observation.and.acquaintanceship with families in this community permit the following deductions to be made: 1. ‘Many families have stayed in the community. This is shown by intermarriage and the great numbers of families bearing the names of the original settlers. 2. Many of the families have been associated with educa- tional and religious movements. 3. The majority of the present families maintain the traditions and attitudes of the predecessors toward rugged honest work, education, recreation, spiritual values, advancement, and leadership. The strength of these families is indicated by the large number of family reunions held each summer. These are well attended, the group often numbering over 100. Examples of Certain Families In order to show in detail the characteristics of families in this community, two representative ones are considered. The first is the Nichols family. This was one of the first families that settled in the neighborhood, which is now known as Canada Settlement, getting its name from the original home of these early settlers. The (11) following from Durant is the earliest record of the Nichols family. "In the month of June, 1839, the population of the township was increased by the arrival at the Canadian Settlement of Freeman W. Nichols and a family of eleven persons, with Samuel Nixon, then a lad, and a hired man named John Brown, all from London, Canada West. The trip was made with four wagons and a drove of cattle and swine, which Mr. Nichols' sons, George W. Nichols, was deputed to drive. The Journey was attended with the usual adventures, and they finally rested in a log cabin eighteen feet square, which had been built for them by Mr. Nichols' brother. The building had no floor and was rather small for the accommodation of twelve persons. Me. Nichols' sons, Jason and George, made a trip to mill in the fall after their arrival, getting twenty-five bushels of wheat at Capt. Scott's where now is situated the village of DeWitt, and going with it to Wacousta to get it ground in the small mill at that place. This mill contained a single "run" of stone, without bolt or screen. Four days after leaving home they started on their return, and met with numerous adventures on the way, the streams being high.and facilities for crossing them not numerous, but finally reached home in(sa§ety". 12 From other sources we find that this family was one of the earliest. The first school district was organized here and the teacher married Jason Nichols. They became parents of a funily of teachers, lawyers, and bankers who are famous all over (11) Durant, S. W. - A History of Ingham and Eaton County, p. 496. (12) Strange, Daniel - A History of Eaton County. central Michigan. It is also interesting to note that from this family in the third generation, probably from George, were other prominent lawyers and'bankers. George Nichols was one of the three brothers who came from Canada and helped establish the early Canada Settlement. This family is disappearing rapidly as there does not seem to be any younger children and the present generation are well along in years. The writer knows of six or eight deaths in the last few years. At one time the neighborhood in which this family lived was very strong but at the present time there are no direct descend- ents of the Nichols family in the neighborhood and there are very few descendants living. Probably due to this fact more than any other the Canada Settlement has ceased to exist as a neighborhood and the P.T.£. remains the only organization to show where once there was a strong neighborhood consciousness. 4 Strange Family_ The second family to be considered is the Strange family. Into Oneida Township in about the year 1836 and about the same time the Nichols family came into the Canada Settlement, John Strange and his brother George Strange with a man by the name of Peter M; Kent came into the area that is now known as the Strange neighborhood. This family developed one of the strongest neighborhoods in the whole community. The original family assisted by two other families started a Presbyterian.church which has been in existence since 1848. This church is now active when rural churches in many areas are disappearing, probably due to the interest of the Strange families. The church has never closed its doors. lr'illl'y Its- :. K - 29 - Three sons of the original John Strange family graduated from.Michigan State College. at present one of these is the oldest living graduate of this college. Six of the second gen- eration are college graduates, two at Michigan State College, two at Olivet, and two at Alma. More people of this neighborhood went to high school and college than in the nearby neighborhood and probably more than any other neighborhood in the Grand Ledge community. At present in the fourth generation there are five from the immediate Strange family who were graduated from the Grand Ledge High School. The farm settled by the original John Strange is now owned by two cousins, John.B. Strange, a graduate of Michigan State College, and Monty Strange. John B. Strange at present has a large farm of 360 acres containing large fruit orchards, a big herd of well-bred Holstein cattle and a fine woodlot. His son-in-law, a graduate of the Agricultural Department of the high school, is in charge of the crops and fields. They also hire two other men regularly and during the rush season, several more. Monty Strange does not have as large a farm but has an outstanding herd of Hblstein cattle. His sons both graduated from the high school Agricultural Department and one took the two year farm short course at Michigan State College. At present both are in partnership with their father on the home farm. The Moliullen family, of which George McMullen is the father, is related to the Strange family by marriage. At present there is one boy of this family in.Veterinary Science Division of Michigan State College, and another who was graduated from the Agricultural Department of the high school. There is also a girl B in high school and other children in the grade school. In this neighborhood the Oneida Center Grange was organized and will be discussed in a later chapter, Chapter VI. In the neighborhood where this family lived the institutions flourished. The Strange church is the strongest open country church in the community. The Grange is the strongest Grange in the community. The school and.P.T.A. are well developed. In all these organi- zations the Strange families were active. Cone lusicn These paragraphs include the general character of the families in the community. Not all of them.are as exemplary as these, but in general they are a responsible and conscientious farm people. There are few divorces and there is little of the "wishwash" in the moral attitudes of the people. The families are more of the cOOperative type. f7 -01- CHAPTER III NEIGHBORHOODS In the Grand Ledge Community there are seven distinct neighborhoods. Of these, Strange, Delta Center, Partlow, Jehnson.and Cole are open country neighborhoods, and Eagle, Mulliken and Wacousta are hamlet or village neighborhoods. The Strange, Wacousta, Eagle, and Delta neighborhoods are centered around the church and school. The trade organizations have more influence in hulliken although it has a church and a ten grade school. The Cole and Partlow-Johnson neighborhoods are centered around the school, Parent-Teacher Associations, and a community hall which was once a church. In the last few years the Parent Teachers Association has come into the community. This tends to make each school having such an organization a neighborhood center. -Just what effect this will have upon the rural people is problematical. fit is the writer's Opinion that it may be an indication of a back-to- the-smaller grouping basis. Strange Neighborhood: The Strange neighborhood is probably the strongest cpen country neighborhood in the community. From the neighborhood map, figure ‘4 it will be seen that this neighborhood includes a large portion of the southwest corner of the Grand Ledge com- munity. As pointed out in Chapter I this neighborhood was first settled in 1837. In 1847 the Presbyterian Church was organized. This church has‘been a nucleus both for the develOpment of leader- ship and of other organizations in the neighborhood. The writer r: i - hborhoede u‘ l‘ ~ '4‘... V3.“ Ledge EommvniIa 7' P in w Munme“ d o -’ ' L JOanon 11‘ Delta V Gen‘Ier ‘21 ‘ Figure 4. The LoCation of the Neighborhoods in the Grand Ledge Community. Outside the family this is the most important face to race grouping. has never seen any organization have the "hold“ upon a neigh- borhood as does this Presbyterian Church upon the Strange neighborhood. Its influence is manifested in many ways. One evidence is the fact that many people who were members of this neighborhood have held positions of leadership. Another indication is the good farms and the fine farm families. This neighborhood has not decreased in size but at the present time is absorbing part of the Cole neighborhood which is now almost dead; it is also absorbing part of the Canada settlement. The Strange and Mcmullen families are the leaders in this neighborhood. Jehn B. Strange was the first master of Oneida Center Grange, The nationality of the people has always been that of American Stock. The size of the area is approximately ten square miles. This neighborhood has two well developed institutions, the school and the church. The school is a one room building with standard qualifications. The teacher has been amember of the neighborhood since childhood and hence knows its traditions. The church has been established a long time. Its date of organi- zation was 1849. It has continued without any trouble up to the present time. The church as will be mentioned, has maintained traditions of leadership. The accompanying photographs give some idea of the structure. The membership is about sixty with the parish numbering about one hundred. But the amazing thing is the number of young peeple associated with the church which is again traceable to the fact that there always have been traditions of leadership in the neighborhood organizations. Some of the other organizations in the neighborhood are the cemetery association, the Cleanses, and the township political organization. .‘I'lllullllb..'l'||lullll‘.1lll||'lll I'll-Ill! ‘ .. .illlit!flsl D X can” . Schuzf .Cluuohfl .Ccmcfefi‘s ¢Coumwufy H314 e G100“?! A Town-fl» f‘ H", IDoane Figure 5. The Location of organizations of the Strange and Cole neighborhoods. The Strange neighborhood is the strongest cpen country neighborhaod in point of influence in the Grand Ledge Community. ‘ ‘5 {41' finale, 7 r. l. .‘ t _. II||.'llIII. -uv— Eagle Next in size and period of longevity is the Eagle neighbor- hood. Previous to the time that settlers entered from the southern portion of Michigan into Eaton County, the plank road from Detroit to Grand Rapids had been built. On this road, stationed at the little stage coach stop of Eagle, was a pro- fessional landlocker. He first came in there to locate rail- road ties and.since Eagle is on a railroad, he stayed and built up a small neighborhood. Three of the early settlers were Robert McCrumb, Fred Balsem, and a Er. Pangton. In 1870 Mr. McCrumb gave the land and most of the lumber for an M. E. Church. Before the church was done his daughter died.and the neighbors laid robes over the roof of the church to keep the snow out during the funeral. This seems to be the only organization that has been maintained continuously since it was started. A little later, in 1892, a Universalist Church was built, but by 1920 the church was dead and has not been used since except for funerals. A little later there was a chapter of Oddfellows organized which soon died. The writer was unable to locate any other organizations which had grown up during the time. There is a deeperative livestock shipping association that has been active up until the last year or two. There are two stores, a black smith shop, two garages, and a depot. The latter is the property of the Pere marquette Railroad. The trains have ceased to step for passengers here, however. t{.lllll||.."llll‘l ' EAGLE M’b? He”. 0‘ CO'QP‘ ‘ Vac-"c" . C‘dPCh” .Cemcfo'f! -,~1 I. Figure 6. The Location of the Organizations and Institutions of the Eagle Neighborhood. The shape of the Eagle Neighborhood is determined by the Church and Farmers' Club. l I firiIII III II III IIIIII II III/III”) At the present time, the methodist Church and the Eagle Farmers' Club are rather closely allied and most of the members in the one are also members of the other. The Farmers' Club was erganized.a few years ago by Representative John Espie who acted as its first president. The Methodist Church, at the present time, has a young pastor and there seems to be considerable interest in the church work. Located in the village is a twee room school giving work in the first nine grades. Mhllikgn The largest hamlet or village neighborhood in size and strength, is Mulliken. This is almost a community in that it has the service organizations such as a bank, hardware, and a ten-grade school. But it still belongs to the Grand Ledge com- munity in that its eleventh and twelfth graders come to the Crand.Ledge High School and a great many of its people buy and bank in Grand Ledge. The areaIOf the Mhlliken neighborhood was enlarged by the absorption of the now dead neighborhood known as Hoytville. In the History of Ingham and Eaton Counties‘by)Durant, is found the 13 following statement regarding Hoytville: "Heytville is a settlement a mile north of the center of the center of the township, containing two stores, owned by Hoyt &‘Watson, and.Halladay & Brown, a saw-mill, a blacksmith shop, two millinery shops, and a steam machinery repair shop. Dr. Henry.A. Hoyt, a native of New Haven, Connecticut, for whom the place is named, opened a store here in 1869. Nicholas Dosh.had previously kept one for sixteen months, and.Mrs. Cole had for about the same time been in the grocery and millinery trade. Another man had kept a store a number of years previously in the house now occupied by Dr. Hoyt. TIzTHDurant,‘S. W. - The History of Ingham and Eaton County, p. 507. A sawmill was moved here from the Center about the first of January, 1872, through the instrumentality of Dr. Hoyt, by 'M. D. Halladay. He had.intended to,build.at the Center, but was induced to change its location to the doctor's farm. ‘Mr. Halladay is now in California. He is a brother to the well- known windmill manufacturer cf Batavia, Kane county, Illinois. Gardner S. Allen was the first postmaster at the place, the office being known by the name of Center. Allen was a Democrat, and during the war was relieved of the office, which was removed to the Center, a mile south, and‘Mr. Quackenboos was appointed postmaster. His successors were Thomas F. Moulton and Jacob S. Davis. In April, 1876, the office was removed to Hoytville, to which its name was changed and Dr. Henry A. Hoyt appointed postmaster, which position he now holds. The business of the office is about ten times greater than in 1875. The saw mill now at the village is owned by Hbllenbeck and Crane who built it, the old one having been destrgged by fire. Lewis Thomas is proprietor of the machine shop. 9 population of the place, within a radius of half a mile, in July, 1880, was 95. A village plat is soon to be laid out and the future of the village is full of promise. A hotel is kept by'Mr. Hollenbeck, one of the proprietors of the saw mill.” Since the above history was written in 1880 the author did not forsee what was to happen with the advent of a good road and a railroad. Hoytville was literally picked up and moved one mile north to the railroad and main road.and.at the present time all that remains of Hoytville is one Free Methodist Church, one store, and a few houses. . The outstanding families that settled in this area were Adam Boyer, Henry A.‘Hoyer, Lemuel Cole, Stephen Cramer, Andrew Nickle, Robert Hicks, and a Mr. Hixon. Most of these have con- tinued as leading families of the neighborhood down to the present. Mr. Cole founded the Cole neighborhood. Stephen Cramer has a number of descendants in the neighborhood by that name. An excell- ent farm and a school bears the name of Andrew Nickle. The popu- lation of the neighborhood is mostly American. In the village of Mulliken there are 309 peOple and about the same number in the farm area tributary to it. There are approximately 25 square miles in the area. \ ; Vr‘ The village has an elevator, which is a private enterprise, a c00perative Bean Growers Association, and.a Livestock shipping association. The village and country have a town-country fire truck which is kept in the village. The school in the village is a three room brick building, giving work in the first ten grades. There is a Methodist Episcopal in the village with a membership of 100. The pastor also serves another church nearby. His program often includes evangelistic campaigns. There is a Masonic order in the neighborhood which meets at Hulliken. The following organizations have disappeared from this neighborhood: Roxand Center Grange, which was organized at Hoytville in 1875. After Hoytville was absorbed by Mulliken, the hall was torn down and used as a barn. Efforts have been made to revive Roxand Center Grange, but there is lack of interest and the Grange has not been reorganized. A band was organized in Hoytville in 1879, consisting of 15 pieces. Charles Cryderman was the leader. This band con- tinued to be active until 1929. -42... BIIILLJUKDRI I “mks: O (mun +6" e MIN. 0 Casuk gene fibnmu‘ Figure 7. The Location of the organizations and institutions in the Hulliken Neighborhood. Hulliken is nearly large enough to be a community but it does not provide all of the necessary services. .. ”rd... flvfi...».¥..nyf ...! ...J a. .., star}: sh! . . fl r t. silt - 44 - Delta Mills and Delta Center On the eastern boundary of the community are two neighborhoods which may be discussed together since they are beginning to become united. The settlement of Delta Mills was due to the availability of water power on the Grand River at that place. The story is told that when the capitol site was first being selected that the committee of the Legislature went to Delta Mills, which.was the center of Michigan, and.wanted to build the capitol there on a piece of high ground. However, at that time, a ladies' college owned most of the property and the high ground. Since this was a religious organization and believed that later on it would be very much larger, it refused to sell. The legislators had to take the next nearest high point, building the capitol within a block of its present site. The first settler in the Delta township was Erastus Ingersoll. From this family came the famous dollar-watch manufacturer and several other sons. A brother of the dollar watch manufacturer, who died recently, was the last member of the family in the neighborhood. Like the Strange neighborhood Delta Mills has been outstanding in education and its people have been greatly influenced by its strong organizations and good leadership. The Creyts brothers, Master farmers, have been active in Grange and church work in this neighborhood. The Nichols family has also been very promisnt in Grange work there. The neighborhood has produced an unusually large number of leaders and of well educated people. The population is American and the neighborhood includes approximately 10 square miles. There is a general store in the ‘1 -45- Figure 8. The location of the organization and institutions of Delta Hills. _ 46 - village but there are no economic organizations. The Methodist Church, a few years ago, looked.as if it would close its doors, but a young minister came in and with little pay, rebuilt and refinished the church himself. This gave the people new en- thusiasm and caused them to keep the organization going. The Grange has not been as active the last few years as it formerly was, although there is a strong loyalty to it. The cemetery association is one of the strongest organizations of its kind in the community. As to the settlement of Delta Center, there is little history available. From the cemetery stones, some of the old settlers in that neighborhood seem to have been the Sapers, Ingersolls, and Nixons. In the history of Ingham.and Eaton Counties, the statement is found: "At Delta Center, three miles from the village of Grand River City is also located a Methodist Church, a substantial frame structure.” This church is still active and is discussed in Chapter 7. There is a township political organization and a cemetery association in the neighborhood. Within the last two or three years there seems to have been a change in the two neighborhoods. The first thing that happened was the fact that Delta Center and Delta Mills were served by the same pastor who worked out township meetings and tried to produce a township consciousness. His son, Elbert Kelsey, who was graduated from Michigan State College this last winter (1950), organized a Delta Township Farmer's Club. Their program has been III! DErant, S. W. - History of Ingham and Eaton Counties. - 60“.“ . Ce-shw'es ‘ ’ONIeus {I O Glee-e073 ‘1’ 7"‘4C'IL Figure 9. The Location of the organizations and institutions of Delta Center. This neighborhood and the one at Delta 31118 are being combined. A exceptionally fine with speakers from the college and other out- standing men. It looks very much.as though Delta Center and Delta iMills will be amalgamated into one neighborhood. Delta Center like Delta Mills has no economic organizations. Wacoustg The Wacousta neighborhood, northeast of Grand Ledge lies only partly within the Grand Ledge community. The high school occasionally has a student from the ten grade school in Wacousta, however, most of them go to Lansing as it is almost as near. The town is rural, being made up of re- tired.farmers, a blacksmith and a store. The two strong organi- zations in the neighborhood are the Looking Glass Valley Farmer's Club and the Methodist Church. The Looking Glass Valley Farmer's club is north and.east of the town Which brings it beyond our Jurisdiction. The church, however, influences those toward Eagle a great deal and it has an unusual background. Up until a few years ago it struggled along as country churches do until Mr. and Mrs. Wright came to the community. Mr. Wright was the minister and Mrs. Wright took over the pastoral duties,she has studied along socio- logical lines at Michigan State College and has analyzed and or- ganized her neighborhood into a very fine program. We enclose in this thesis a copy of their program which shows the unity of their organizations, including the Sunday School, Church, Farmer's Club, and Young Peeple's and Women’s organizations. Mr. Wright has been working outside the parish up until last year so that they have financially been able to stay on that type of a pastorate. There was at one time in Wacousta a Congregational church but this either burned or was torn down a number of years ago. There is a Masonic Lodge that is quite strong and a Modern Woodman of America hall that is being used for dances at the present time. The school has a P.T.A. which has the average amount of influence in the community. The Cole Neighborhood There are two neighborhoods that at present are dead but should be discussed.with.reference to the background of the com- munity. The Cole Neighborhood has partly been absorbed by the Strange neighborhood and partly by the Mulliken neighborhood and yet it maintains through the P.T.A. somewhat its own identity. The community was probably named for Lemuel Cole, one of the early settlers, or some member of that family. There seems to be only one family of the original settlers, the Cramers, that remained. The significant statement that one of them makes is that the reason for the lack of interest in the neighborhood affairs is due to the fact that the people have changed so much in the neighborhood that the amalgamation process has not been able to take place. The church has been dead for a number of years and several efforts have been made to revive it without success. At present the P.T.A. is using the church as a neighborhood center. Two miles south is another church known as the Needmore church, which has fallen into disuse except for funerals. One reason for these two churches being discontinued has been the eccentric type of religion that was carried on in the church. There are no other organizations in the neighborhood except those that have been named heretofore. Johnson-Partlow In the original Partlow neighborhood with its school,there was built a Methodist Church with a date on the cornerstone of 1901. At approximately the same time, or a little earlier, a mile south was built a Johnson Methodist Church. These two neighborhoods were rivals for quite a time until the rivalry grew top-heavy and seemingly killed the two neighborhoods about the period of the war. The Johnson Church was torn down and in 1922 or 1923 the Partlow Church ceased to have meetings. This last year an unusual thing happened. The two P.T.A's at the Johnson and Partlow schools have been unable to exist due to the lack of members. Someone suggested that they fix up the Partlow community hall with the two P.T.A.s combining to form a larger social unit. This was done. Since that time they have repaired the old building and.there seems to be a feeling of renewed interest in neighborhood.activities. Summary The neighborhoods 000perate with the community in coming to Grand Ledge for trade and in sending in the high school students. The Grand Ledge Rural routes go through these neighborhoods ex- cept at Mhlliken where they maintain one rural carrier and there are three rural carriers at Eagle. The Grand Ledge newspaper carries news from the whole area. Local reporters in most school districts and villageafill a certain space each week in the Grand Ledge Independent. J alums on -- PAR 11 a w Cent?” ,, . dorsk (cw‘ 4) @ John.“ """‘" . chu '8 ‘ + Commas e. I"! h . H Figure 10. The Location of the Organizations and Institutions of the Johnson-Partlow Community. The center of these two neighborhoods that are now combined is at the Partlow community hall. A majority of the young peOple in the community come to Grand Ledge for high school work, commercialized amusements and certain other services. I-ul r“ p» -57... CHAPTER IV H'RAL EIUCATION The original schools, held in one-room log buildings, were generally taught by the most fluent and best educated person in the community, quite often by collegeggraduates. Ir. Strange(15) mentioned several times the high quality of the original teachers in the old one-room log school houses. In the Grand Ledge community at present there are about 1450 grade students and 571 high school students, or a total of 1,801 students. Grand Ledge has a 12 grade school and the high school is a member of the North Central Association of high schools and colleges. The schools at Mulliken and hacousta have ten grades and the one at Eagle nine grades. The rest of the schools 26 in number, are one-room country schools giving tork up to, and in- cluding, the 8th grade. Educational Institutions Rural Schoolg The fbllowing table shows the number of rural schools, the students in the 8th.grade in both rural and town schools, and the upper high school grades. The rural schools are characterized by an unusually well-trained teaching force, rather modern buildings, and in most cases, a lack of over-crowding. The county has a training school for its teachers at Charlotte with a very fine staff of teachers trained in idealismzand mechanics of teaching. Even so there is avast amount of inefficiency in the rural one- room schools as compared with the consolidated school in that they have poorer trained teachers, a lack of efficient grading, and (T5) Strange, Daniel - History of Baton County. -58- Numbers of Students in the -59- III Schools of Grand Ledge Community. School Grand Ledge Public Mulliken Wacousta Eagle Oneida Township Strange Oneida Center Canada Settlement Aldrich Johnson Centennial Watson Delta Township Appleton Harpster Dolly Varden Delta Center New Guina SOper Nixon Benton Township Doane Danby Township Abbey Eagle Township Kebler Partlow North Eagle Pennington Watertown Township Starr Delta Mills Roxand Township Nichols Cole Roxand Center Gates :llo. o?:StudenTs:Students : :gradeszin H.S. 12 10 10 9 000000000000 00 mmmoooooooo moooooo coco :in.grades: Total 592 908 85 110 65 9O 63 68 16 16 26 26 25 25 59 59 11 11 36 36 20 20 18 18 12 12 12 12 25 25 20 20 55 35 20 2O 20 20 50 30 30 30 29 29 20 2O 20 20 30 30 30 30 20 20 20 20 23 23 18 18 —eo- MuniKCfl ! Figure 11. The Location of the rural schools in the Grand Ledge community. There axe 26 one-room schools in the community area. poorer equipment. While the public school system at Grand Ledge could handle most of the students of the 27 rural schools without much added expense, there are several reasons for a lack of a consolidating attitude in the community. First, the extreme con- servatism of the community. Second, the lack of initiative on anyone's part to make it consolidated. Third, since the Rural Agricultural school Act does not give state aid to the consolidated schools in towns over 2,000, this may be the most important factor in preventing consolidation at Grand Ledge. There has never been enough interest in consolidated schools in the community for anyone to start a movement. Only one person has expressed the desire for a consolidated school to the author. His son is having a difficult time in classes in the 9th grade. The father'attributes it to the poor type of education of the one-room school. This may or may not be true. High School Grand Ledge has one of the best school systems in the state for the size of the school. The superintendent, Jonas Sawdon, has been with the school system for 26 years, a great many teachers have been.there ten years, and some of them.as high as 18 or 20 years. The school this last year finished a building program of a $160,000 high school building including such modern equipment as.a gymnasium and.auditorium combined with modern stage equipment; a radio installation.with a microphone which the superintendent to Speak to all of the studentslat any time from his own office; modern Home Economics and.shop equipment; a very excellent library and study hall; and in.general, a very fine building. v: _. . ’H'lh Scheotiisfiafiv- firdlLedq'e, Much f T/L. 9°Q,, 3,, ‘,QQ,_TLWM The number of high school students this year is 816 which is a little larger than usual; of these 150 are non-residents in spite of the fact that our tuition is $100 a year. About ten years ago the number of students in the high school increased to such an extent that the school board needed to build either a new building or do something to keep the number of students down. At this time they increased the tuition to $100. It is a credit to the merits of the school that this did not stop the number of students and.the building had to be built. The number of non- residents is slowly increasing. During the years 1922 to 1930 the number of non-resident students per year in the order men- tioned is 118, 131, 96, 109, 111, 104, 119, 111, 141. The number of non-residents is usually one half of the number of the high school students. Over one half of’the non-residents have been of the agricultural department sometime during their four years in high school. The number of students in the grades this year is lower than usual. There are usually around 700, making a total of about 1,000 in the system. There are two grade buildings, one in.connection with the high school which also houses the Junior high, and one on the apposite side of the town, housing grades below the Junior high. jgri cultural Department The Agricultural Department at the Grand Ledge High School was started in the fall of 1922. Forest Smith, now'a teacher- trainer at MAS.C. was its first instructor. The department received $1,000 per year from the federal Smith-Hughes fund. This places it under the supervision of Mr. Gallup, the State -64- NORTH SIDE SCHOOL GRAND LEDGE MICH. ...... 1.. «up... :32 v.11 .. -03- Supervisor of Vocational Agricultural Education. MI. Smith had leadership qualities whichfiigz department a fine foundation start. He left at the end of three yearszand Charles horrice took his place. In the middle of the third year of his teaching, Mr. Morrice became ill and was unable to finish the school year. The writer took up his work and finished the year, attending college from 8:00 in the morning and teaching a full load from 11:00 to 4:00. There are 70 students enrolled in the agricultural department at the present time including the ninth.grade work. During the eight years the department has been.arganized, it has had a total of 101 students above the ninth grade work. It is interesting to note that the high school area has not increased during the period studied. Within the last two years Sunfield has developed.an.agricultural department, and at present, most of the students west of Mulliken attend the Sunfield high school rather than the Grand Ledge High School. This somewhat lessens the area and probably is the only change that will be made with respect to other schools nearby. The following table shows where the students are at the present time. The table gives the year graduated and whether they are onta farm or not; if they'are on the farm what their status is, and the education they have had beyond the 8th grade. —bb- ran‘l L Edge C ammunif AgricuH'W'd1 STulanTe l922- .930 3 . 0"“. n 'vaK" .D‘m‘ Mm . '. H. g I .. . . . . . ' e I I. . . : I ' I . . w figure 12. The Location of the students of the Agricultural P Department of the Grand Ledge High School. These students are for the years 1922 to 1980 inc usive. Residence is denoted where the student lived when in high school. a; Table IV Status of the Vocational Students of Grand Ledge High School 1922 - 1930 :Year grad-:On farmiStatus :Education name of Student : uated :or not :on farm: :beyond H.S. Avery, Clyde 1929 Yes Fathers none Avery, Harley 1924 Yes Fathers none Ammerman, Elwin 1926 No Berner, Herbert 1929 Yes Fathers none Brance, Robert dng Yes Fathers none Brooks, Thos. dng No. Brunger, Earl 1930 Yes Fathers none rmafao' Burman, Boyd 1930 Yes Fathers none Chaplin, John 1928 Yes Fathers none Catey, Wilford 1928 Yes F. in law none Culp, Estol 1926 Yes Fathers none Clark, Victor 1926 Yes Cramer, Lawrence . J Yes Fathers none Dexter, Wilbur J Yes Fathers none Davis, Neil J No Deer, Carl 1929 No Deer, Otto S No Decks, Lynn 1927 No Dixon, Kenneth J Yes Fathers none ESpie, Heber S Yes Fathers none (Rep. Espie) FOx, Robert 1928 Yes hired none Fox, Walter J Yes . Fbx, Herman dng Yes hired none Foster, Lyle 1927 No Foster, Oliver dng Yes Fathers Fry, Robert 1927 No Foster, Richard 1927 No Gillett, Leon J Yes Fathers none Guilford, Arnold dng No Hamilton, Loyal 1924 No Hazen, Hiram 1923 Yes mothers none Hayes, Louis dng No Haueter, Lloyd J Yes Fathers none Hess, Roy 1929 No Hess, Hurray dng Yes Fathers none Hendee, Dale 1927 No Higbee, Charles dng Yes Fathers none Hill, Vaughn 1927 No Hixon, Helen dng No HOpkins, Geo. S Yes Fathers none Heugh, Gerald 1930 No Howe, Russell 1928 Yes Fathers SC Hurni, Harold ~dng Fo Johnson, Horris Keesler, Alfred Kebler, Kenneth Kebler, Floyd Kelsey, Elbert Kempf, Conrad King, Herman Kowalk, LaVerne Krupp, Gerald Lear, Ellsworth Lawrence, Ralph Lown, Frederick Lavery, Donald Lumbert, Joseph Maier, Willard chrumb, Claire Mcmullen, Raymond MacNaughton, Keith Miles, Iva Nourse, Robert Park, Robert Parks, Charles Parker, Bernice Parsons, Chandler Potter, Floyd Reeder, Norman Reeder, John Rueckert, Arnold Rosier, Neil Shrontz, Carol Shrontz, Donald Skinner, Willard Silver, Jiles Smith, Robert Strange, John Strange, Harold Sattler, Gordon Space, Eva Sheren, Clinton Snyder , Donald Spicer, Ivan Strong, Dorr Thompson, Harry Tingay, Sheral Trout , Elmer Turner, Leah Vogt, Lyndon Vogt, Dale Yes No No No Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No No No No Yes Yes No No No No Yes No Mothers none partnership C Fathers Fathers Fathers partnership Own farm Fathers Fathers C hired Fathers Fathers partnership Own Fathers 0 Fathers partnership Own partnership partnership Own partnership partnership Fathers Fathers hired -'/U- Waldo, Lynn 1925 No Wirth, Leon J Yes Uncles Warfield, Galen 1925 No Waldie, Howard 1927 No Wellman, Elma J No Wilson, Maurice 1925 Yes hired SC Wheaton, Roy 1929 No Tollpert, Marian 1926 No Wonser, Roy 1926 Yes owns YOungs, Ellsworth 1926 No Zimmerman, Mildred left Yes Fathers Symbols used in the above table: dng - did not graduate 1927 - the year graduated J - now a Junior in high school 8 8 now a senior in high school left - left school to attend another school F - on father's or other relative's farm p - partnership with father 0 - owns farm R - rents farm hm - hired man C‘- college education 30 - short course education Table V Summary Table Year of : Num-: No. on: Status on Farm graduation: ber : farm lOwn’Farm:Father'§:Partnership3H1red man 1923 1 1 1 1924 3 1 l 1925 5 2 1 1 1926 14 7 2 2 2 1 1927 10 2 2 1928 9 7 6 1 1929 8 5 3 2 1930 10 5 3 l 1 Senior 5 3 3 Junior 14 11 11 Did not grad.22 10 1 7 1 ----------------------”----~---------------C------—------------.- Total 101 54 5 37 5 7 -'/J_- The following is a further summary of table 4, Total number that have been enrolled 102 Number who are on farms 52 Number of those in business allied to farming 4 Number that are working business other than agriculture 47 Number that have gone to Short course or college 6 Number on parents farm 41 Number in partnership with father 7 Number running own farm or parents farm 9 Number hired help 5 Number that graduated 60 Number in school 20 Number that did not graduate 20 Number that left this school A 2 IMore than half of the agricultural graduates have gone back to the farms. Fifty-two of the 102 are on farms at the present time and four others in business closely allied to farming. Fifty- four per cent of the students taking Agriculture are now in Agri- cultural work. In a study made by the Federal Board(m6)of vocational education it*was found that the number of students in Agricultural education vary from 60 to 75 per cent. The studies differ in that students in the government study had one year or more in Agricultural instruction. 111 of the Grand.Ledge Agri- cultural students hadaat least two years and only 20 per cent did not graduate and 20 per cent more are in school at the present time so that 60 per cent had three or four years of vocational Agriculture. This would.raise the Grand Ledge percentage some as compared to the,government statement. Furthermore the two studies are not entirely comparable because the government study includes (16) - Bulletin 82 - Effectiveness of Vocational Education in Agriculture , page 39 . 3‘1..— q.._v__ W -72- established much longer than the Grand Ledge School. The number of agricultural students on.their fathers farm or in partnership with their father is 48. Sixty-eight per cent of the students are in partnership with their father. Twenty-nine per cent is given for the United States average.(17) The department of Agri- culture at the Grand Ledge High School has been in existence only eight years. This short time accounts for the wide dif- ference. "A very small percentage of'boys vocationally trained in agriculture go to college. .... Since 1922 only 22 per cent of the graduates have gone to college."(18) Six of the 102 students at Grand Ledge have gone to short course and college. The writer knows of several more that intend to take further agricultural training. Project Work in.Agriculture The project work is a regular part of the work of the Smith-Hughes teaching. The boy in project work attempts to put into practice the sub.) ect matter he has learned in his ashczol work. 19) Mr. Gallup's report for 1930 gives the project viewpoint. ‘- (17) Bulletin 82 - Effectiveness of vocational Education in Agriculture, page 21. (18) Bulletin 82 ~ Effectiveness of Vocational Education in Agriculture, page 40. (19) Report of State Supervisor of Vocational Agricultural Education - 1930. -'/LJ:- "One of the provisions of the Smith-Hughes law is that each vocational agricultural student shall have at least six months of supervised farm practice. In Michigan this minimum requirement of the law has not proven satisfactory. If vocational education in.agriculture is to function effectively, the student should.be so trained that he may make his living in the vocation for which he has'been trained. When graduated from the vocational agri- cultural course of the high school, he should be an.axpert in the typical farm enterprises in which he will be engaged.as a farmer. He should know the Jobs connected with the enterprise and.be skilled in the practices necessary to the success of the enterprise. The knowledge and.skill necessary for successful dairy farming, for example, cannot be acquired in six months of supervised practice. Six years is none too long a time in which to train a boy in the dairy enterprise.' Our best results have come from starting the farm boy with a dairy calf when he is in the sixth or seventh grade and having him continue his project until he.eraduates from the high school six years later. The claf is a challenge to the grade boy. The cow and claf will be a challenge to the beginning high school boy. The resulting dairy herd with an acreage of alfalfa and a field of silage corn will'be,a challenge and.a satisfaction to the boy when he graduates from high school six years:after he started with his dairy calf. Such a boy is prepared to make his living in the vocation in which he has been trained; he is established in business probably as a partner with a brother or with his father. The same principle obtains in the crop enterprises. A fourth of’an.acre of potatoes, for example may be a challenge to the seventh.or eighth grade boy, an.acre to the ninth grader, and five to ten acres to the lad graduating from high school six years after starting his enterprise. A boy with six years of eXperience.and study will accumulate the knowledge and.acquire the skill to make him an expert in this enterprise". This pretty well states the vieWpoint of the Smith-Hughes teacher in his project work. The following is a summary of the 1929 projects and a com- parison with the state summary for the same year prepared by Mr. Gallup. The scope, project income and net profit and used as com- parisons. amdwo mewaswdsso wees «so mamas beams mwmw mofioow ucswsm awe Meade ow Hemm_do Home i “no. cos-" a u u » "(zed madamea weopnoa ”spades " moomo " newsman » newness ”20d meowpa » Hades » Hsooso woamaomm so Hm.u» a mom.me am.wmm.ms my.uoe.mm a mee.em my.emm.e~ womSm mo HmH.mb m.mqo.mm Hw.¢mm.uo u.qom.mm mom.ue m.»mu.um noes mo us.o> H.0Hm.as e.mmm.me m.euo.wm amm.uo u.emo.mo fixomd a H».ob moo.mm H.0Hm.oo uHu.am um.mm upm.mw omdm p mm.mh mum.qH meo.mH Hoq.mo mm.mo www.mq wmewow e m.mb Huu.H» www.mm www.mm Hu.mo Hmo.mm .PmeHHm » m.ub em.qm HHH.oo mq.qq m.om ou.mu assess a www.mm Now.om HHq.uo mm.mm Hmu.oo moswdsa we Hmso.o H.mmH.qo m.om».mm emm.om mqo.mm H.0qm.om macaw mo mm.o Ho.e»m.um He.mom.mm ».mmp.am pwq.um ¢.ae¢.ow sumo. He mmu.Hm H.umm.mo qmq.uu HHm.qm mum.uq mmm-------mmw::------ammmmflm----wmmmmam---mm“may“---memflmm--mmmmflm--- HOdQH seeded on down emeawowwmdusm : How HOde 528608 beauoodu oosuwedma I Hmm hdosmma. Zed HbooBe new. nudges-w I @Hombh -78- had a vocational attitude as expressed in their project report and in their summer work. Table 7 is a summary of all the projects since the department began. Sometimes a study of the total can.give a more comprehen- sive view of the value of project work. It shows the number of projects completed and the average net income and profit per project. The significant things in the above table can best be summarized in the following manner: (1) the biggest projects have been Beans, Livestock, Corn, Potatoes, and.Pou1try. These are the major enterprises of our community. (2) There have'been completed 186 projects from 102 boys. (3) The boys have had a gross income of $38,716 and a net income of $16,835.77. (4) They have paid themselves for labor $2,416.02 and this added to the net profit makes a total of $19,557.54. During the eight years the department has been running the Federal Govern- ment has invested $8,930 and the local school the following: Salaries $15,300 Traveling expense 1,200 Maintenance 500 Total 3 17,005 If the above local expense is divided in half, it gives a total of $8,500. The reason for this is that one-half of the instructor's time is spent in teaching science that if it were not for the Agricultural teacher, the board would have to hire another teacher. $8,500, the local expense, added to the federal money makes a cost of $18,525. Without question the department _ 79 - has increased the number of non-resident students and if this could be calculated it would increase the profit to the school and community considerably. It may also be added that the agri- cultural department has more than paid.for itself. (5) The average net project income per project for the period 1922 to 1930 is higher for Grand Ledge than the state. Outstanding_Work of the Members of the Agricultural Department. The department has been.fortunate in winning a number of judging contests and has been trying to organize the work of the community lines. In May, 1930, at Junior Farmers' Week, the following winnings were made: Livestock - lst and 10th individuals and 2nd team. Grain - 6th individual and 2nd team. Sheep - lst team. In May, 1931, 2nd in the Speaking contest and a member of our local F.F.A. was made a State Farmer'at the State Convention of the F.F.L. During Farmers' Day in the summer of 1930, one of the students, Kenneth Smith, won second prize in the grain judging contest which was very close to the first. The contestant taking first prize was a college graduate.and a past member of the Farm Crops Depart- ment. Student Agricultural Club Forest Smith organized the first Agricultural Club. Its members have told the writer that it was a live club. They had a program of work and.aocial meetings. Hr. Morrice's efforts with that club were unsuccessful and so it was re-organized. It was a social club altogether. It was kept going two years. About that time the Future Farmers of America movement was organized and the club was reorganized into a Future Farmers of America Chapter. Future Farmers of America Future Farmers of America, Chapter No. 62, was organized April 12, 1930. In the summer of'1930, they put up an exhibit of the West Michigan State Fair which won the first prize of 370. Due to the fact that the fair is bankrupt, the boys are unable to get their money and.this has had a detrimental effect upon the club. However, at the present time, they are engaged in a piece of community service that is very valuable. They have an hour and a half program which they present to the rural school's Parent Teachers Associations. They give some music of the humorous kind and a number of’demonstrations. These show their work in high school classes. At present they have visited 10 rural schools with many more calls than can be filled. Below is the program they use. Music by entire group. "Hank changes His Mind” - a dialogue on the use of standard analysis fertilizers by Hank and Bill, the parts taken by John Reeder'and.Leon Garlock. Milk Testing by Leon Gillett and Dale Tiedt in which they Show the value of milk testing and proper feeding of cattle and actually show them how to make the Babcock ‘ Test. - 81 - Court Trial of a man who did not use lime, in which they give the advantages of using lime and finally convince this man that he must use lime on his fields. Parts taken are Judge - Henneth Dixon; Defendant - Stanldy Halters; Plaintiffs - Kenneth Smith and Kenneth Bomer- sheim. The Kinds of Farm Seeds, in which the students have painted and drawn the pictures of the seeds on charts giving a short discussion of them and allowing the farmer to see if they can identify them. A series of slides on eggs, which was in preparation for our egg show, by Ralph Lawrence and Dale Vogt. The Grand Ledge Rural Community and Its Institutions by Wilbur Dexter. He discusses the sociological view point of the community. Debate - Horses vs. Tractors in which they give the important points of each and allow the crowd to decide. Close with some music and the Future Farmers song. At present the club numbers 20 members, 10 Future Farmers and ten'Greenhandsi EggAShow The Agricultural Department has had an egg show for the past three years in connection with the Grand Ledge State Bank in which they stressed better quality of eggs. Below is the catalog that was used in the 1931 egg show. -82.. Thirdtdnnual E G G S H O W Grand Ledge State Bank COOperating with THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTKEET OF THE GRAND LEDGE HIGH SCHOOL March 18, 19, 20 and 21. Grand Ledge, Michigan March 10, 1931 Dear Sir: In offering to the public this catalog of the third annual Egg Show to be held at the Grand Ledge State Bank March 18, 19, 20, and 21, we feel that the support and interest manifested during the last two years have made the enterprize a worthy one. The purpose of the show is to create greater interest in the production of quality eggs, and to demonstrate prOper methods of Judging and grading eggs. The demand for better quality in market eggs is rapidly attracting the attention of every breeder and producer and quality can only come when the producer as well as the consumer learns to recognize it, and to realize its commercial value. Study the classeszand enter all those in which you are qualified with one or more dozen. Carefully pack the eggs with two extras designated as such to insure a full dozen in case of breakage. Bring or mail the eggs to the Grand Ledge State Bank Monday, March 16. Eggs will not be accepted after noon Tuesday, 19:81. Ch 17 o Yours very truly, Agricultural Department Grand Ledge High School Manager of the Egg Show VAS:AAL - 83 - CLASSES Grand Sweepstakes Sweepstakes rosette ribbon given for the best dozen white eggs in the show. Sweepstakes rosette ribbon given for the best dozen - brown eggs in the show. Ribbons given for let, 2nd, and 5rd places in each sub-class. Class Number 1 Agricultural Department, Grand Ledge High School Class. Open to any student taking or who has taken Agricultural courses in Grand Ledge High School. Cash prizes given by the Grand Ledge State Bank. Sub-class A. - White eggs Sub-class B. - Brown eggs Class Number 2 Smith-Hughes student class. Open to any student enrolled in any of the Smith-Hughes classes in Michigan. Grand Ledge State Bank TrOphy to become prOperty of a school when won three times in succession. (Eaton Rapids won last year and the year before.) Sub-class A. - White eggs Sub-class B. - Brown.eggs Class Number 3 Rural Schools Student Class. Open to any student or students in rural schoolszaround Grand Ledge. Cash Prizes. .Sub-class A. White eggs Sub-class B. Brown eggs Class Number 4 Farmers and.Fanciers Class. Open to any grower of poultry. Trophy to become property of person when won three times in succession by an inditidual. Grand Ledge Produce Company TrOphy. (Won by mrs. Howard Hixon last year). Sub-class A. - White eggs Sub-class B. - Brown eggs Class Number 5 marketing class. Open to any grocery, meat market or business house selling eggs to the public. Sub-class A. - White eggs A.M. Smith TrOphyt (Won by Hrs. Brott of Charlotte last year). Sub-class B. - Brown eggs EXPLANATION Broken or cracked eggs will be cut full amount of points allowed for each egg. SIZE: A cut of 5 points will be made for each ounce under 24. A cut of two points will be made for each ounce over thirty. SHAPE: Two-thirds of a point is allowed for each egg if perfect in shape. SHELL TEXTURE: Shell Should be firm, smooth and of fine texture. There should be no wrinkles, roughness, or thin Spots. Eggs should not be cracked. It is an excellent plankto send one or two extra eggs, so marked, to replace any CONDITION: Free from dirt and stain, and unwashed. Washing destrgys the natural luster. UNIFOHMITY OF SHAPE: All eggs should be of the same shape, according to the ideas of the sender. UNIFORMITY OF SIZE: Each egg should conform as nearly as possible to the desired size, as uniformity largely controls appearance. UNIFORMITY OF COLOR: All eggs in each entry should be of the same shade of color. If white, all eggs should be pure white and free from any trace of tint or creaminess. If brown they may be any shade of brown, but should be uniform. DISQUALIFICATION: 1. Positive evidence of faking. 2. Double yolked eggs. 3. Stale eggs as evidenced by abnormal air cells. 4. Developing germs or embryos. 5. Any washed or polished eggs. SCORE CARD Size......OOOOOOO...OOOOOOIOOOOOOOOOOOO0.0....0.0. 30 POints ShapeOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0.000.000.0000000.000.00.000. 8p01nts Uniformity of Color............................... 10 points miformity Of ShapeOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIOOOO 5p°int8 Uniformity of Size................................ 12 points Shell Texture..................................... 20 points Condition of Shell................................ 15 points - 85 - Influence of Training in Agriculture Probably the most outstanding student of the agricultural department has been Elbert Kelsey. Hr. Kelsey was an honor student at M1chigan.State College and.a member of Alpha Zeta honorary agricultural fraternity. He returned to the farm and not only is producing good crops and livestock, but is a real leader. He has formed a Delta Township Farmers' Club which cements together the two neighborhoods, Delta Center and Delta Hills, the first year out from college. Harold Strange took the two year general short course and has'been.farming in partnership with his father in home community. Maurice Wilson also took the two year short course and came back to help his father farm a large farm with modern equipment. At present he is working on a big dairy farm. Herman Reeder is outstanding in writing. In 1929 he cow tested to make money to pay his way through the last three years. At the present time he is assistant Editor of the "Michigan State News". Raymond.McMullen, who worked.a year at the Upper Peninsula Experimental Station at Chatam and helped fit the cattle-‘Which were exhibited at both state fairs, is now a freshman in Veter- inary Science, at Michigan State College. There are 15 graduates who took vocational agriculture that are back home on.farmsvand.are active in either helping their fathers or working for themselves. Seven of these graduates have developed leadership qualities and may be better citizens because of the school. Theigreat question in the teacher's mind is "What difference - 86 - may I make in the lives of these students?" ,And the great question in the mind of those who have been in the Grand Ledge Agricultural Department is "What difference is there between those who have had agricultural high school training and those who have not?" They are a select group of boys. In order for them to come to high school with the expense of tuition and.a car, the parents must have a better income than the average. It has been the writer's experience that those boys who have done the best work in voca- tional agriculture are those‘who have had training on their dad's farm under a good.farmer. There may also be a tradition of going to high school Which exists in the family. Without question this whole situation is definitely bound up with the home. Fbur-HIClubs The'writer purposely has not discussed the 4-H club for two reasons: first, the lack of availability of the data, and second, the variation in strength of the clubs. About 8 or 10 years ago, Mk. Tenny, now'at the Michigan State College, did an outstanding piece of work as county club leader and later as county agricultural agent in starting a large number of 4-H clubs which certainly had an influence in the community. At the present time mm. Kardel is carrying on these clubs. They have had a.great amount of influence on a number of Agricultural students. Harold Strange who has spent 10 years in calf club work is a product of 4-H club influence. Agricultural Extension Work Since 1917 the county has had a County Agricultural Agent. At present the county agent also handles 4-H club work. He has - 87 - been very active in holding extension schools and assisting in evening schools and day meetings. In.l930 the Grand Ledge Agri- cultural Department of the high school, in connection with the County Agent and the Michigan State College, held a series of six meetings along dairy lines. There was an average attendance of over 100 at those six.meetings at the close of which a huge banquet was held and.diplomas were given. Professor Taylor of the Dairy Department of Hichigan State College conducted the work. In 1931 the course that was given was Animal Husbandry. Professors Brown, Moxley, and Freeman gave the work. There was an average attendance of about 80. In 1952 the anticipation is for a school in farm crOps con- ducted by the farm crops department of Hichigan State College. There has been one Hichigan State College extension school in the immediate area of Grand Ledge. This was held in Soils in 1930. This type of school is one in which the two or three members of the neighborhood meet at Charlotte with others from different parts of the county and a college specialist gives the work, and fliese leaders in turn carried the work back to groups in their home neighborhoods. Farm Organizations Most farm organizations have a program of adult education. The most familiar to the writer is that of the Grange. It has. two meetings a month at which a lecturer's program gives dis- 1 cussion on modern farm tOpics and a program of interest along other educational lines. This is also true to a lesser degree of a Farm Bureau and the Gleaners. The Farmers' Clubs have a program which centers largely around education and will be dis- - 88 - cussed in another chapter. The Sghool and the Intermingling of Town and CountgyfiPeOple One would expect that since the country boys and town boys are thrown together in the social groups of the high school that both they and their parents*would intermingle rather freely in other social community activities. This does not seem to be the case; rather the social activities of country life center in strong neighborhood groups and there is a lack of community con- sciousness in social life. The difference may be illustrated by the following incident. The writer:recently took a group of boys to a State Hi-Y conference at Bay City. There were two country boys and a group of about ten city boys. The country boys were anxious to room together and during the extra time at the con- ference were together and.did not mix with members of even their own delegation. The same was true at the local conference. The lack in mingling is due to a number of things. The boys have ex- pressed these factors to the writer'and the following three are the most important: 1. The difference in social background in that the city boys have had plenty of time to mix with boys of their own age in the town and they know all of the boyswand.have known them up through the grade school. Whereas, the country boys coming from the various schools feel they are members of an out-group and even as late as their senior year still do not mix with the town boys. 2. The country boys do not have the leisure time, both after school and Saturdays. They are home working on the farm and do not enter into social activities held by the city group. 3. The city boy goes home for his lunch and the country boys mix together during the noon hour and produce a group of their own. This lack of mingling is not so apparent in a school of this size as it would be in a school the size of Lansing, from which the writer was graduated. We who lived in the country had a very close group and did not mingle wdth the city boys. While in school, business, and banking activities, association of the people is on a community basis. The social life of the farm people still continues mainly in the neighborhood group. It will be noted in Figure liBthat some areas have more students who attend high school and who are in the agricultural department than others. Comparison with the average annual number of tuition pupils from 1915-1929 inclusive shows the same result. The following figures prepared by the Sociology Department of the Michigan State College are arranged by school district. The Strange district has the highest number for the whole area. There are 19.8 tuition pupils annually per 100 children of school age (5 - 19 years). Canada Settlement, most of its district being included in the Strange Neighborhood has 15.3 per 100 children. In the northern part of the community the figures are 8.77 for the Blough district; 9.55 for the Pennington district; and 10.90 for the North Eagle district. Oneida Center school is another high spot with 13.05 tuition pupils per 100 children. The Dolly Varden school in the Delta Center Neighbor- hood has 18.25. This is the second highest school district in the community. There are two explanations of the above data: 1. In the districts and neighborhoods that have the highest numbers of tuition pupils and agricultural students there are customs and traditions favoring higher education. The attitude is that everyone ought to go to high school and every effort is made to see that this is accomplished. 2. Probably the farm income is higher thus enabling the parents to pay the tuition and provide transportation. This indicates that the soil is in a high state of fertility and profitable farm practices are used. - 7L - CHAPTER V -HE CHURCH One of the most important institutions in a community is the church. With the changing modern conditions one insistently hears such questions as the following: Can the church adjust itself to new conditions in time to maintain its leadership in the community? What will happen to the rural church that cannot afford the proper leadership? Will the rural church continue to be a neighborhood influence or will it drOp into a place of secondary importance in the environment of the young people? Will rural churches unite into a larger parish plan? Can the rural church throw over the old methods of purely emotional appeal and on the basis of an intellectual approach to religion become a spiritual force in the community religion? If the church can not do this then there is a danger of a decline in rural life and a resulting peasantry. Churches were established very early in the development of rural life and those which stimulated and interpreted the religious experiences of peOple played a funda- mental part in the development of the rural community. Neighbor- hood life was especially motivated and influenced by church activities. Of late years the large concentration of wealth and popu- lation in urban centers has drawn the best ministers and leaders from the country churches. This left the rural field almost entirely to the very old or very young. The young man went to the city after he had served his apprenticeship in the country, to what seemed a larger field of service and larger financial reward. The older ministers were turned back to the country when past their age of most effective service. With the great advance of physical and biological sciences and the increased complexity of rural life, people have insisted on their religious activities keeping up with the other experiences of life. Otherwise, they are meaningless. The fairly recent and.rapid changes in rural areas have caused neighborhood boundaries to vary greatly and sometimes to disappear entirely. Churches have not always met these changes in a systematic way. Many of them have kept the same old methods and types of organizations while schools, for instance, have made their ad- Justment through consolidation. The science of agriculture is advancing rapidly and farmers are becoming more progressive. Therefore, only those churches that are able to interpret religion to these people in terms of their everyday experiences can interest them. Churches have been handicapped in this respect for until very recently ministers have not studied the social and economic aspect of rural life as a background for their work. There are few ministers so trained even at the present time. The Grand Ledge community like most pioneer communities, built churches along with its homes and.achools. Fortunately these churches have maintained a virile religious leadership and several of them have modernized their programs. Some neighborhoods have rural churches that are carrying on fine, constructive religious programs with activities for old and young. The plan and power of the rural church is well illustrated by the accom- -98.. "I (I Ledge Communi‘rj P658 5 , 1 Delta , ' lumen , yo“ , M! I L Figure 13. The Location of the Churches in the Grand Ledge Community. - 94 - plishments of such churches. The city of Grand Ledge has 13 different denominations which indicates little cooperative study or inclination for community interests. Possibly no one knows Just how many churches a city of 3,578_population needs, but probably 13 are too many. De Brunnerg;w states in his book that about 1,000 people per church is a reasonable norm. The three largest churches in town, the Congregational, the Methodist Episcopal, and the Baptist, have a total membership of 760. Of these 67 are rural members. 0f the 10 churches left only 5 have a regular membership list. The ten churches have a total membership of 425 of which 167 are rural members. The buildings of the above mentioned churches are above the average for a community of this type. They are substantial buildings of wood or brick. Most of them are painted, the lawns mowed and in general are well cared for. There is a lack of good dining room and kitchen equipment. The Eagle church has bought another building for this purpose. The Congregational, Methodist and Episcopal in the town are fairly supplied, the best open country church as regards equipment is at Delta Center. This church has a well equipped kitched anddining room. Only two churches have regular stage equipment and these are home made. There are three churches that have pipe organs in Grand Ledge. The one at the Congregational is a Mohler and rivals those in larger Lansing churches. The Congregational Church had a moving picture machine but this was sold to the high school and is used almost entirely in the Agricultural Department. The department loans it and sends an operator, usually a student, to a great many farm organizations, churches and schools. - 95 - The pastors for the most part consider the city as a com- munity apart from the country. They participate in rural affairs only for speeches, funerals, etc., and then only occasionally. There is no ministers’ association since only a few can agree on general policies relating to the community. They have tried union meetings but they have largely failed due to the denomina- tionalism of both the pastors and the people. Most of the ministers have had a four year college course and three years of seminary training. The Methodist church has had a man with a Doctor of Divinity degree as its pastor. In the past the Congregational church has had a man who held a position in the state organization. The cpen country and village churches have not faired so well. As has been stated before, the young men, the older men and the untrained men are often delegated to the rural churches. The Wrights at Wacousta, the Snells at Eagle, and the Kelseys at Delta are exceptions to this rule. They have somewhat more of an evangelistic type of program than the larger city churches. The church programs in the city appear to meet the needs of the city. They include besides the usual program of church, Sunday School, and Ladies' Aid; Boy Scout Work, Girl Scout Work, Hi-Y and Girl Reserves groups, (although the scouts, Hi-Y and Girl Reserves are under the direction of the school at the present time). This plan was adopted in order to prevent duplication and to allOW’a welfare fund drive for money which may be canvassed from the entire city instead of drives by churches of several denominations. - 96 a In the following table some detailed facts pertaining to these churches are presented. Table VIII Hemberships and Services of Churches fResi-z 7N0. iniNo. iniflo. of:No. influxiliary :dent : :Sunday:Y.P. :Rural :Rural :organi- :Mem- :No. in:School:organ-: Mem- :Parishzzations Church :bers :Parish: :ization bers : : Grand Ledge MgE. 335 1,000 523 75 35 5O L,B.G, Grand Ledge First Congregational 260 100 50 40 17 63 L,G,Y;M. Grand Ledge Bap- tist 165 165 100 20 15 15 L,B. Wacousta 162 600 145 50 162 600 L. G.L. Catholic 150 150 20 none 100 100 L. G.L. Episcopal 120 120 60 42 none none L. MhllikeniM.E. 100 1,000 125 25 100 1,000 L. G.L. Free Meth. 80 800 70 none 25 25 0 Eagle MQE. 67 600 100 30 67 600 L. Strange Presby. 60 100 50 none 56 100 L. G. L. Christian Science 40 50 18 none 12 12 0) Delta Center M.E. 37 75 60 25 37 75 L. Delta Mills M.E. 35 75 70 25 35 70 L. 7th Day Advent 35 35 18 none 30 30 0 Hoytville Free M. 20 20 35 none 20 20 0 Auxiliary organizations : L. - Ladies Aid B. - Boy Scouts G. - Girl Scouts YeMo - Y.M.C.A. - 97 - Religious education was taught in the Grand Ledge public schools for a few years. The ministers were the teachers and because of their fundamentalistic beliefs in some cases the students were not interested.and this program has been dropped. One fifth of the population of the Grand Ledge community are members of churches. About 30% of the townspeople belong to church. If we consider the population outside of Grand Ledge to be 4,000, 18% of these belong to church. Therefore, the pro- portion of people in the country belonging to church is less than in the city. Probably one reason is that the city dweller has more time to go to church on Sunday, whereas the farmer must do the chores before he can go. To get this work:completed, and then drive several miles to church is a task that a great many farmers feel is too great, especially if they have been working hard in the field the other six days of the week. Perhaps they would go more if the organizations maintained a more complete and interesting program. Another reason might be that quite often there is less pastorial visitation in the country and hence there has not been the interest manifested. The city churches often have stronger programs. The leading "number in the pariah" in Table £3 refers to those whom the church serves whether they are members or not. Parish is a term used by Congregationalists while Constituency is used by the Methodist Church. These data relating to number in a parish are not especially significant. One church may think it influences all within the borders of its area lines. Another may list in its parish those persons that the pastor has called upon or have used the church. The meaning of the term influence is indefinite. - 98 - Six of the churches do not have young people's organizations because their denomination does not sponsor this type of organi- zation. The auxiliary organizations include Ladies' Aids, Boy and Girl Scouts, Y.M.C.A., Y.W.C.A., and others. These are listed as to their respective churches in the table. Seventy per cent of the churches have an.organized Sunday School the rest teach groups of small children in other ways. In addition to the churches there are Hi-Y, Girl Reserves, Boy and Girl Scouts and.unstable evangelistic organizations. There are six of the latter type in Grand Ledge who maintain no regular membership roll. Estimating the membership of these to exceed 250 it*wou1d.be conservative to say that 25 per cent of the popu- lation are members of a church. The number of those people who attend some form of religious activity as sponsored by the above organizations would exceed 6,000 which is 66 per cent of the population. The status of the rural churches is indicated by the fact that in the community six of the eleven rural churches established are active and have strong programs. Two of the five inactive ones are being used as community halls; one was torn down; one burned down. The remaining one is unused except for occasional funerals and.other meetings. The sociil programs of the rural churches include activities for young pe0ple in training, recreation, farm programs, besides the usual parties and picnics. The programs presented in the appendix illustrate the varying social efforts of these churches. The training of young people includes summer conferences, summer camps, teacher training for Sunday School classes and Christian Endeavor and Baptist Young People's Association Con- feronces. As the leadership of both.pastors.and laymen begin to see the value of organizations‘and‘become trained in handling these organizations more of them are developed.and the present ones are modernized and placed in their proper position of influence in the community. The programs included.are trying to fill the needs as their pastors see them in the community. This is indicated by Church nights, Children's Day programs, Ladies' Aid.and.Men's Classes that most of the churches have in their program. All through the community organizations and programs there seems to be a lack of’recreation. The only evidences are summer camps. The rural church pastors vary in the amount of influence they exert in the opmmunity. At Eagle, the pastor plays an important part in the Farmer's Club, P.T.A., and other neighbor- hood organizations. He is a young man who expects to be a medical missionary in Africa. Reverend and.Mrs. Wright at Wacousta have a tremendous influence in all of the rural organizations in three neighborhoods. To further illustrate the church situation in Grand Ledge community, a shortLe?;*;;: Xijk Associaiign We, +“w3'un3\.515rcu i Vsreny 5+9e3121£ (:1I :elit“ to@ether for the nlrc.=e ~I :crninr a casserat'Ve as aciet; i under the cceperafiva association Jan of the state cf hich.. and for that punpree state the tailoring Article I The name of this ess301aticn shall be; ”The Cooperative hilk Association, Art-1.016 II The purje3e cf this aficec‘atzjn and the enterprise, business and p1..:s th i: which it 'Icpises to eng19;e is "Tc secure and maintain a better :1 ice for our dairy products." Article III Members Any bona fide producer of dairy product Pin the area covers: or the owners or lessees of land upon which dairy products are produced may become a member of the association by agree— ing to the constitution and the member's agreement. At any time the board of directors determines that a member has ceased to be a bone fide producer of dairy products, or that he no longer receives a share of such products as a landlord or lessee, his membership may be terminated and the company may refuse to accept his products. The violation of the by- laws or of any contract entered into by the association with a memb er, shall constitute a sufficient cause for the expulsion or suspension of such a member from the association by the Board of Directors, and said Board may expel or suspend such a member at any time provided that an opportunity is given the member to answer any charges made against him. Article IV. Me et:~ngs The annual meeting of the association shall be held at the Grand Ledge High School Gymnasium, on the first Monday in June of each year at 10 o'clock A.M. The Board of Directors shall hold a monthly meeting. Special meetings of the members may be called at any time by the president or the Board of Directors.‘ Such meet; inge shall be called also whenever ten members shall so request in writing. Notice of the annual meeting shall be mailed by the -secretary to each member ten days previous to the date of the meeting. Ten days before the date of any special meeting the secretary shall mail notice of such meeting to each member, which shall state the nature of the business to be transacted at such meeting. Article V. Quorum _ (Two—thirds) of the members in good standing present in person or represented by ballot shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the member— shin. Article VI. Directors and Officers The board of directors of this association shall consist of 10 members, who shall be divided into two classes. Page 2. At the first electicn after the adoption of these by- lar~ the members sha.ll elect from among themselves (5) direc or s for a term of one gee r. and (5) directors for a term of tvc years. At the expiration of the terms 01 the directors so elected their sucnesscrs snel? be elected in like manner, for terms of two y‘ars. Directors shall hold 0 fice until their successors here seen elected and qualified and have ent red upon the niseie cc of their duties. The board of rirectors shall meet within five days after the first election, and after each annual election, and shall elect by ballet a pre siden.t and a vice—president from their number, and a c;rrtary-tr3aeurer (or a secretary and a treasurer) rho may or may not be a member of the association. All officers shall hold office for one year or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Any vacancy in the board of directors shall be filled for the unexpired term by a majority vote of the remaining members of the board and directors so chosen shall hold office for the unexpired portion of the term of the member whose place he was elected to fill. (8) members of the board of directors shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the board of directors. Any director or officer of the association may, for cause, at any general or special meeting be removed from office by a vote of the majority of the tdtal membership, present or represented by ballot, in accordance with the procedure outlined in the cooperative Association Law. The association may provide, at a regular or called meeting of the members, a fair remuneration for the time actually spent by its officers and directors in its service, except that no director, during his term of office, shall occupy any position in the association on regular salary, nor shall he be a party to a contract for profit with the accociation different in any way from the business relations accorded other members. Article VII. Duties of the Directors. The board of directors shall manage the business and conduct the affairs of the association and shall make the necessary rules and regulations, not inconsistent with law or with these by—laws, for the management of the business and the guidance of the officers, employees, and agents of the association. The board of directors may employ a general manager, fix his compensation and dismiss him for cause. He shall he ve charge of the business of the association under the direction of the ho. rd of directors. The board of directors shall require the treasurer and all other officers, agents, and employees ch? rged by the association With responsibility for the custody of any of its funds or property to give bond with sufficient surety for the faithful performance of their official duties, the premium on which bond shall be paid for by the association. The board of directors shall meet each month at the office of the association in the city of Grand Ledge. Special meetings of the board shall be held upon call of the president or upon mritten request of (three) members of the board. n . n‘.’ - .» . I d . o ,p to l' o . - ~- 0. ' . I C ' II II ' " -I a o I ' I O ..c O n ‘ .p‘ i 0 ..V ., - t . I V It J .. .-' t g ' "on ‘. ... 'o ._ .. x. . I . l. ' n . . I . . . s :' ...? _' ' I'. .‘- . 1'. o " .. . _. . I .' ‘ i l or' ‘ _ v . u . .. -. . '0 4 _ . L” t . ' “ O ‘ 'J A. . . . . . It _‘ v- . vfl ' {.1 ’.’ _ a N . . .1,‘ I. . .. E n, 0’ a’;. ‘I' ’::. vv~ I on}. I‘o o O ,~:;.I:: ' o I :. MAJ-4?; ' Page 3. Article VIII. ' Duties of Officers. The president sha11~-- a.‘ Preside over all meetings of the association and of the board of directors. b.Sign as president on behalfl of the association all papers which he is authorized to sign by the board of directors. c.Call special meetings of the association and of the board of directors and perform all acts and duties usually required of an executive and presiding officer. In the absence or disability of the president, the vice president shall preside and perform the duties of the president. The (secretarymtreasurer) shall-~- a. Keep a complete record of all meetings of the association and of the board of directors, keep a membership roll. b. Sign on behalf of the association all papers which he is authorized to sign by the board of directors. 0. Serve all notices required by law and by these by-laws. d. Receive and disburse all funds and be the custodian of all the property of this association. e. Keep a complete record of all business of the association and make a full report of all matters and business pertaining to his office to the members at their annual meeting and make all reports required by law. f. Perform such other duties as may be required of him by the association or the board of directors. Article IX. Duties and Powers of the Manager. Under the direction of the board of directors, the mangger shall employ and discharge all employees, agents, and laborecs. He shall have charge of the grading, packing, and inspection of all products handled by the association, and sh all hate control of the brands and labels and their use on such products hn accordance with the rules of the association. Subject to theterms of the contracts made by the members with the association for the marketing of their products, the order of the board of directors, and the by-laws and rules of the association, the manager shall have entire charge of the sale and marketing of such products. Article X. Emergency Capital At the time of uniting with the association, or any time thereafter when called upon by the board of directors, each member, in consideration of the maintenance and operation of the association, shall give a negotiable promissory note, payable on demand to the order of the association. Such note shall be for the sum of ($25) and an additional ($1) for every producing cow. - ‘ Such note shall'be the preperty of the association for the purpose of being pledged by the board of directoss as collateral security for any loan that may be necessary in the conduct of the association‘s business and also for the purpose of securing the payment of any debt or claim due by the member to the association, including the settlement of any liquidated damage that may result from theihilure of said member to live up to his contract with the association. All produce offered for shipment shall be inspected before shipment. If any produce is not of good quality and in good condition for shipping such produc‘e shall be sorted and prepared for shipment at the expense of the owner, or it may be turned back to the armor as products unsuitable for marketing "K ., :8. c3 ‘11:. J0 All brands, labels, trade marks, and the like estaolisaad by the association shall he lejlstc?c€ and become its property and they shall le Attached only to such grades as shall be approved by the board of directors. Article XI. Duties and Rights of Members. ‘ A member shall have the righ to give away or retain for his own use such of his farm products as he may wish, but he shall not sell any products contracted to the association to an outside party, except products offered to and rejected by the association. , . Any member who receives an offer for his farm products which is greater than the price presently obtainable through the association may submit this offer to the manager. If deemed advisable, the manager may authorize the member to accept the offer, but payment for the products shall be made to the association. Products sold in this manner shall bear their proportional share of the association's expenses, and settlement therefor shall be made to the ember as hereinafter provided for. Each member shall have a number or mark which shall be permanently stamped on every sock,‘box, barrel, crate, basket or other container, packed by him or under his direction, for shipmmnt through the association. Any loss occasioned by improper packing or grading shall be charged to the member whose mark is found on said package. Each year each member shallzreport to the association on request the approximate acreage of products to be grown by him that year for sale through the association. During the growing season eachmmember shall furnish such information concerning the crops contracted to the associathn as mayts required by the manager . . Each member of the association shall have only one vote. No member shall be allowed a vcte so long as any past-due debts or obligations owing by his to the association remain unpaid. Voting by proxy shall not be permitted. Absent members may vote on specific questions by ballots transmitted to the secretary of the association. Any member may Withdraw from the association on the first day of(June) of any year by giving notice in writing thirty days prior to said date, but such withdrawal shall not affect any right or lien which the association has against the retiring member or his property until his indebtedness to the association is fully paid. Any member having a grievance or complaint asainst the association may appeal to the board of directors (or) to the members at any rezular or called meeting. Article XII. Expense and Payments. The expense of operating the association shall be met by a percentare charge laid upon returns for produce sold, or by a uniform fixed price per package; and upon srpplies purchased, the amount of suchchafge to be fixed by the board of directors. ' After the season‘s expenses are paid and a prOper sum set aside to cover the depreciation of the association’s property and provision is made for a reserve fund to be fixed by the board of directors, the balance of the season’s returns shall be paid 6% on the remainder of stocks and dividends in accordance with amount of milk thcy send. Page 5. , Article XIII. iccnuyie and i.ditin;. 'sz. ’ This association slat: Lrsaail a :ysteu of account: and provide other accwzsting 23.9.~.rten==.nces that may be necestatgfi to conduct the business in a. safe and orderly manner. ” The books and business of the association shall'oc audited semi-annually by a committee of auditors selected by the membership from among themselves. A complete annual audit shall be made by a competent accountant previous to the date of each annual meeting, at which meeting his report shall be presented in full. Special audits shall be made upon order of the board of directcrs or upon a majority vote of the members at any regular or called meeting. Article XIV. Amendments. These by-laws may be amended at any meeting by a two— thirds vds in the affirmative of the members present, or represented by ballot, provided that notice of the proposed amendment is included in the call for said meeting. AI. .« . s o . - 1 p . . . -‘-.. ... . ‘U’LC.—.v I a. o. .. 0.2.10 0" ' . C s I“ o i‘. . o 0;. t ‘3‘. I '0 l.f 0‘ ...... ,\ . a 5.... c 7 fi.‘ A C C D O . mg} SJ..- - ,,”v o g ‘. . _ ._ ' .¢\~',g 9 o. 1“ .30 ',4 .0 O o.-' O Q.‘ 39. O a. o-' .HOQ‘ ...) 0.4 can u... '- n :- r 92' . 0...... .' o O ‘ ‘-‘-'4v - £1 ‘9 0" .f: ...». ; 7‘. - a» f it. .0! l 0 if}. ... v ‘0‘—’:;' o." c - o'.’ ..L‘ . 1's: .- .- O U ' 1""; n‘ - ~ _ .far _vg. , ‘ f‘j' . ... 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