WORKS, GEORGE A., and SIMON O. LESSER. Rural America Today. Pp. xx, 450. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1942. $3.75

• Author: C. Arnold Anderson
• DOI: 10.1177/000271624222400169
• Published date: 01 November 1942
• Date: 01 November 1942
• Subject Matter: Articles

227

concerning

some

of

the

causes

of

economic

insecurity

and

labor

displacement

in

planta-

tion

areas

of

the

Southeast,&dquo;

this

study,

Monograph

XXII

of

the

WPA

Division

of

Research,

resurveys

246

plantations

pre-

viously

surveyed

in

a

larger

study

reported

in

Monograph

V,

Landlord

and

Tenant

on

the

Cotton

Plantation,

by

T.

J.

Woofter,

Jr.

and

others

in

1936.

The

earlier

study

covers

the

crop year

1934,

and

the

resurvey

pertains

to

the

crop

year

1937.

The

authors

found

that

the

plantations

required

fewer

resident

families

per

1,000

acres

of

cropland

in

1937

than

in

1934,

while

at

the

same

time

the

towns

and

cities

were

not

absorbing

the

surplus

population

as

rapidly

as

formerly,

because

of

the

in-

dustrial

depression.

Lack

of

employment

opportunities

between

seasons

and

a

low

per

capita

Federal

aid,

compared

with

other

areas,

aggravated

the

difficulties

resulting

from

extremely

low

incomes.

These

con-

ditions

were

further

reflected

in

poor

hous-

ing,

inadequate

sanitary

facilities,

meager

diets,

and

low

educational

standards.

The

extremely

high

interest

rates

prevent

ten-

ants

from

moving

up

the

agricultural

lad-

der.

With

these

problems

in

mind,

various

remedial

programs

are

considered.

The

earlier

report

concluded

with

certain

rec-

ommendations which

would

tend

to

alle-

viate

the

difficulties

in

this

problem

area.

The

second

study

is

able

to

reveal

some

progress

in

the

way

of

adopting

some

of

these

recommendations.

The

most

encour-

aging

part

of the

report,

however,

is

the

observation

that

in

many

Southern

areas

a

consensus

has

developed

as

to

the

things

which

need

to

be

done.

With

such

a

state

of

mind

among

Southern

people,

the

au-

thors

justifiably

anticipate

progress

in

the

improvement

of

the

socioeconomic

life

in

the

plantation

areas.

The

effects

of

the

war

on

this

plantation

region

have

no

doubt

brought

about

un-

foreseen

changes,

such

as a

lessening,

if

not

elimination,

of

the

population

pressure

on

the

sources

of

income.

Some

of

the

undesirable

conditions

may

be

overcome

in

ways

other

than

suggested.

Perhaps

the

postwar

period

will

bring

economic

and

social

reorganization

which

will

produce

satisfactory

adjustments

in

this

problem

area.

Nevertheless,

studies

such

as

the

above

are

a

valuable

contribution

to

the

field

of

social

research

and

social

planning.

Not

only

do

we

find

an

analysis

of

the

factors

producing

the

ills

of

the

lower

so-

cial

stratum,

along

with

definite

remedial

suggestions,

but

we

have

here

a

study

of

contemporary

social

change,

a

field

of

ut-

most

importance

if

we

wish

to

keep

pace

with

development

in

our

own

society.

HANS

H.

PLAMBECK

Montana

State

College

WORKS,

GEORGE

A.,

and

SIMON

O.

LESSER.

Rural

America

Today.

Pp.

xx,

450.

Chicago:

University

of

Chicago

Press,

1942.

$3.75.

This

is

our

best

analysis

of

&dquo;the

Nation’s

number-one

educational

problem-rural

edu-

cation.&dquo;

It

is

the

first

full-length

study

of

this

problem

which

recognizes

that

the

schools

are

community

agencies.

And

the

book

can

be

read

by

ordinarily

literate

citi-

zens.

The

authors

begin

with

a

clear

demon-

stration

that

dollars

and

children

are

not

distributed

over

the

Nation

in

parallel

pat-

tern,

and

they

show

how

these

inequities

can

be

and

are

being

corrected.

A

discriminating

sense

of

proportion

is

revealed

in

the

decision

to

use

but

a

small

proportion

of

the

book

to

present

the

easily

shown

inadequacies

of

rural

schools

in

teaching

the

conventional

subjects.

The

usefulness

of

the

book

is

enhanced

by

the

greater

attention

paid

to

the

growing

points

of

rural

education:

vocational

guidance

and

training,

libraries,

health,

recreation,

social

welfare,

older

youth,

adult

education,

county

planning.

In

each

case

the

fum-

blings

of

typical

schools

are

contrasted

with

the

pioneering

of

a

few

schools.

Now

we

have

a

usable

guide

for

social

reform

where

nearly

all

agree

reform

is

needed.

This

book

talks

the

language

of

scholar

and

citizen

alike.

C.

ARNOLD

ANDERSON

Iowa

State

College

MYERS,

ALONZO

F.,

and

CLARENCE

O.

WIL-

LIAMS.

Education

in

a

Democracy:

An

Introduction

to

the

Study

of

Education.

Rev.

Ed.

Pp.

xxviii,

436.

New

York:

Prentice-Hall,

Inc.,

1942.

$3.25.

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