I wish that I might feel that the place of honor on the program of this session had been deliberately assigned to me and that I, in my turn, might prove adequate to that honor. My subject ought to be sufficiently all‐embracing to serve as a summing‐up of everything that has come before in these meetings.

"A Comprehensive Survey of Rural Vermont." What could be more inclusive in its implications than this title? As a matter of fact the intention of the people involved in this enterprise is to make it just as inclusive as its title implies. That is my excuse for accepting Bishop Booth's most friendly invitation and for being here now. The success of any enterprise looking toward improvement of conditions, physical, moral or spiritual, depends upon cooperation, and cooperation depends upon sympathetic understanding. I am here to ask your cooperation in the conduct of this enormous undertaking of mine, and to offer you my cooperation in helping to carry out your mission in Vermont.

Your conference has had to do mostly with methods of missionary work in rural districts. Our Survey has to do with rural districts. We have, at the outset, then, a mutual interest. The reasons for undertaking a study of rural Vermont are these.

For three years, I have been directing a little unpretentious Eugenics Survey of Vermont. We have been studying through the efforts of our field investigator, a random sampling of low‐grade families in Vermont. We have tried to find out three maim things in regard to these low‐grade families.

1. How far have the successive generations of these families shown the same depressing tendencies? Such as mental defectiveness, insanity of various types, pauperism, criminal trends and various bodily defects of a serious mature. 2. In how far have the conditions or environment been responsible? In how far has hereditary tendencies been responsible for these defects? 3. What grade of attainment and achievement can be found in the better branches of these defective families? In other words, how much is there on the credit side of the account to set over against the social, moral and economic drag upon the community? In an attempt to answer all of these questions, it has been noticeable that practically every family lived at some time or other in the strictly rural parts of Vermont. We found inferior records in the town clerks' offices in the country towns and thereby encountered great difficulty in getting the facts we wanted. We found a tendency to ignore the laws of the State on the part of selectmen and town officials, if by ignoring them, they could keep down local expenses or avoid making enemies. This same thing of course happens in cities, but for various reasons it seems to be worse in the country.

We found a strange sort of local pride, making it difficult to persuade towns to place their defectives in suitable institutions and this was true whether or not they had to pay a part of the expenses of the persons thus committed.

The inadequate rural school, the lack of organized play and entertainment of wholesome sort, the lack of city comforts and conveniences, especially in regard to the chances for spending money, (Query:‐ Would a full sized Five and Ten in each country town in Vermont help to solve the problem? )‐‐These and many other country conditions have long been recognized as contributing to disatisfied young people. It may be true that the old tendency for isolated farm life to produce insane women has come. We hope that that is not true. Nevertheless, the inherent absence of social and other opportunities in the country make for disatisfaction and frequently for migration to the cities.

It has been pointed out by statistical studies as well as by the casual observations of every tourist that there are a great many deserted farms, closed schools and neglected back roads in Vermont. A geologist friend of mine, Professor Goldthwait, of Dartmouth College, has recently published a descriptive and illuminating pamphlet intitled, "A Town That Has Gone Downhill." He shows that the early settlers occupied and worked with apparent success the higher ground on the hills of this New Hampshire town. He points out that with the progress of modern methods of manufacturing, tilling the soil, etc., there has been a continuous process of going down hill for over a century. The highest farms were the first ones to be deserted. A sedimentation process is very noticeable not only in this New Hampshire town, but generally throughout this North country.

The smallest towns have suffered most in the falling off of population. William S. Rossiter of Concord, New Hampshire has shown that in each census decade since 1850 there has been a continuous and fairly steady tendency for the smaller places to grow smaller still and in Vermont the increase in population of the larger towns has just barely succeeded in keeping the State as a whole up to its earlier levels.

Now I am not disposed to agree with those who regard the abandoned farms as a sign of deterioration. The purpose of this Rural Survey is by no means that of finding ways of inducing people to buy up the deserted farms of Vermont or to turn the population of Vermont from the larger towns to the isolated rural sections. What we want to do is to find out, first, what really is going on in the country districts, both helpful things and harmful things and to discover where these tendencies are likely to lead. As a natural outgrowth of the Eugenics Survey, it is our aim to analyze the effect of rural environment on the character and accomplishments of the people and therefore upon the welfare of the State. What good there is, what helpful measures are already being carried on, we shall seek ways and means of promoting there and elsewhere throughout the State. What obvious lacks there are, hindrances to the well‐being of the people, young and old, we shall seek ways and means of lessening.

I have just suggested that the purpose of this undertaking is practical rather than theoretical. We expect to find out a good many things that will be of interest in a scientific way and research workers in Rural Sociology have shown plainly that they are greatly interested in our project and are awaiting our findings with keen anticipation. Our undertaking has been indorsed officially by the most important groups of research workers in the country, the Social Science Research Council and probably to a considerable extent, because of this indorsement, our administration expenses have been covered by a generous grant from one of the great foundations.

However, our first undertaking is to accomplish something or some things for the raising of standards of civilization in the rural parts of the State.

Why has your mission been devoted chiefly to rural problems in your church? Why have we, on our part, decided to conduct a rural survey? Plainly because Vermont is so profoundly a rural State. It seems to be more generally recognized by everybody in Vermont, whether he lives in the country or in a town, that the welfare of the farmers and dwellers in isolated rural sections spells the welfare of the State.

All the institutions and enterprises of the cities, even the most up to date store or bank, no matter how metropolitan it may appear, with its marble and bronze fittings, knows full well that it depends to very great extent upon the country trade. Rural problems are therefore more than in almost any other of the United States, the problems of Vermont.

A great many people are skeptical about surveys and no wonder. Innumerable surveys have been made and what have they amounted to? Many of them have brought about the desired results, but in too many cases they have failed to accomplish anything commensurate with time, money and effort involved. I have had a theory that I knew the reason for this failure or at least one important reason. I have felt that a Survey of the rural schools, for example, could accomplish little unless the investigator studies along with the schools a great number of other factors in the local situation. The condition of the roads in winter and spring may make it impossible for children living more than a mile away to get to school at all. If the farms and industries near the school are not paying, the town cannot support a capable teacher or buy good chairs and desks. If the school is poor, the more ambitious parents will move elsewhere in order to get better education for their children.

The taxation problem has a great deal to do with the administration of the school. Many other factors have to be considered and if they are not considered, little can be learned about the rural school in its relation to the local community. All that one can say is, the school is good, it is bad or it is indifferent and that tells us practically nothing.

Every other aspect of rural life, including the religious aspect, is so bound up with social, economic and educational problems that in order to learn anything worth while about one aspect, it seems as if an effort should be made to learn about then all.

Being a biologist, I have been trained all my life to look for the interaction of factors in bring about a stated result. Seldom in the animal world is it possible to study one special phase of the life of an organism profitably without taking into consideration the other phases as well. It has seemed to me that the same thing applies with much force to the study of the human animal. His interests, his accomplishments, his capabilities.

If I may be pardoned for interjecting at this point, an outline of the Comprehensive Survey of Rural Vermont, I should like to have you look at the list of subjects to be investigated. This list is in a state of flux and changes are being made in it almost daily. It is probably too long and it certainly needs rearrangement. Important additions have been made and others will follow. In general, however, it serves to indicate the wide variety of things having to do with rural life that are contemplated in this investigation. We have designated certain of these subjects as background studies, others as the human factor and amongst these, comes the little study in which I am particularly concerned, that of the Eugenic aspects. Citizenship is the climax of the whole thing. Too comprehensive a term, no doubt, but involving all the essentials of the entire undertaking.

Without going into the story; which would be tedious at this time of the steps in the process of getting this enterprise onto a working basis, let me give you briefly the set up of the organization at present. I have already mentioned the Eugenics Survey of Vermont as the parent organization from which the idea originated of conducting this more elaborate investigation. The Eugenics Survey, having fulfilled that function, now drops back into a subordinate position as one of the participating units in the Comprehensive Survey.

Second, the Social Science Research Council stands in the position of the official sponsor by having assisted in the drawing up of the plan, making many suggestions and revisions before taking action for indorsement. The matter has been before the Council at three of its semi‐annual sessions and is being watched with interest by that organization.

Third, the foundation which granted a sum of $84,000 for administration expenses.

Fourth, the University of Vermont. This organization now comes into the picture as the depository of the funds and the official sponsor of the undertaking. The donor foundation looks to the cashier's department of the University for a proper accounting of the expenditures and the President of the University is the Treasurer of the Vermont Commission on Country Life. The Trustees of the University have had the entire plan before them and have given it their endorsement, excepting the responsibility for the handling of the funds.

Fifth, the Vermont Commission on Country Life. A large and fluid organization in the sense that its membership is constantly changing, was organized at a dinner at Hotel Vermont on May 17, 1928. It is as representative as possible of the geographical areas and the various callings. There are farmers, country store keepers, agricultural county agents, country lawyers, doctors, members of the Women's clubs, scattered throughout the State, ministers of several denominations, school teachers and superintendents, owners of creameries, wood working factories and a great variety of other sorts of people. The Commission now numbers about 125 and very few of these people live in towns or cities.

The Executive Committee of the Commission is the working body under which the Survey is being conducted. I wish that I had time to give you the names of these people. They are taking their job very seriously and are making what they feel to be a real contribution to the welfare of the State in undertaking this task. The Chairman of the Executive Committee and of the Commission as a whole is his Excellency, John E.Weeks, present and probably‐future Governor of Vermont.

Six, participating units.

The National Committee for Mental Hygiene of New York City. The Institute of Social and Religious Research (N. Y.) The National Child Health Association. The National Health Council The American Country Life Association. And most of the Departments of the State of Vermont have definitely and officially agreed to cooperate in the investigations in the field. This list will be considerably increased as time goes on. Some organization department or other unit will be invited to enter the organization as an active unit and the heads and representatives of all participating bodies together with the Executive Committee of the Commission will cooperate, first, in the conduct of the studies, and second, in the setting up of improvement programs based upon their findings. Each phase of the investigation will be conducted under advice from a special Committee of the Commission.

Wherever you may be located throughout Vermont, you will probably be brought into contact with our undertaking. You are undoubtedly personally acquainted with several members of the Commission, even as now constituted, and you are invited to suggest socially minded, broad minded, optimistic men and women in your communities who would welcome this opportunity for service. You will probably be brought into contact with the investigators. A year from now there nay be from 50 to 75 specialists carrying out the plans that are now being formulated and that will be formulated between now and next June. Most of the active field work will be done next summer and fall and during the summer of 1930. The work must be brought to a close by June 30, 1931, but, and here I am expressing the most earnest desire of all those concerned in the enterprise, the real work will then be just about to begin.

Dr. Henry C. Taylor, who has come to us from Northwestern University as the Director of this Survey, has expressed it as his strong conviction, that the purposes of the Survey will entirely fail of accomplishment unless the Vermont Commission on Country Life becomes a permanent organization. Most of the recommendations for improvement that will be made will unquestionably require a good deal of time for their accomplishment. The people of Vermont will have to do the work. The lawyers, the doctors, the school teachers, the farmers and the ministers, should by the summer of 1931 have a strong consciousness of a new future for Vermont and of their part in it.