Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-08-28
FLEE TO THE MOUNTAINS.
Advantages of Country Over City Life
Joaquin MilleS in the Chicago Times.
GET OUT OF THE CITIES

Joaquin Millef in the Chicago Times
GET OUT OF THE CITIES.
So many people. honest and well meaning
no doubt. have written TO me asking about the
Countries travel through that must beg to
answer them all in a lump In The Times. For
1t must be clear TO all that If should attempt
10 write at length and intelligently to each one
should have time tor little else. And, be-
sides that, do not like to advise in such mat
tiers, unless can my way clear and be very
certain of what am about. But will ven-
ture TO advise them TO leave the cities.
Get out of the cities and stay out of the cities.
The cities Of the United states are too big en-
tiTely. 1 mean to say that our population in
the cities is fearfully disproportioned TO our
population in the country.
To say nothing about the cold clear truth
that neither genius nor great Judgment ever
nourished in a city without first drawing its
milk from the country, beg you to compare
England's country population with her city
population, and then ours. Take France If you
ike IL better, or Germany You will be startled
But have neither space nor disposition to de-
bate or cry out against this cowardly DISPOSE
ton to hide away in the commercial pork
packing cities OF America. But will say this
of New York, Il city L know fairly we'll from
some years OF residence there: i never saw
such ignorant people anywhere on earth the
people OF New York. Yes, they read. But
what do they read? The papers. And the
papers they read the New York papers
They simply read of Reconsideration own
sins, their own follies, their own weary and
tireless round and repetitions of crimes set and
served as a breakfast dish by the brilliant men
OF the pens.
Get out of that place and stay out of it, Get
out OF ali such places.
GET INTO THE COUNTRY,
into the lifted hills If you can 1t is only a little
distance to the glorious green and vine-clad
hills OF the Carolinas. Send some one of your
number down there to see those fruitful and
heaithful hills, and my word for it you will not
willingly spend ali your life inside the line of
1oiiy which makes up lie in a great city. Get
Out OF those places with your children. No
n ford
Ms children TO the folies and the sins of a city.
No wise man will, of whatever land. And so 1T
Is with warm heart. should like to responf
10 this cry which appeals To me from the cities
Tor homes and Information about homes in the
west.
Frankly. then, would say first go down into
the pleasant mountains of the Carolnas first,
because that is close by. Get a bit of land there
III you like 1T. Get IT now. 1t will never be
cheaper than it is Next year it may be
double lis present price. Atleast, inquire there
rather than of me. Do You know that nearly
all our grapes i'm the eastern states, as we'll as
elsewhere, came from the Carolinas long ago?
Do you know that The medicinal herbs OF the
CarOlinas took the worlds prize i'll Paris? Do
you know that these silent and vOlcelesS states
have given the world the only new gem that
has been named since Christ was born? Go
down and look at these states. They are close
by, and no wild beast or wild man will dispute
nnd gold there You Will ind plenty of Chero-
kee Indians there still. have seen at one time
at least twenty Iree-born daughters of these
brave people standing the water To the knees
washing for gold. Go down there and see these
lands first.
ii you do not like it there. and can afford to
come 10 the Sierras, why come here and COM
panion with tie peaks. only get out OF the
cities repeat it Tor your OWN good, for the
good of the nation, get out of the city and stay
out OF the city. But don't come to California
with the idea that you can be idle. There are
too many here who are possessed with that no
ton already.
IF YOU WANT a GREAT FUTURE,
to be won with great enterprise, go to Arizona
and settle on the broad 1ieIds OF grass and take
your chances on finding water somewhere
down in the earth. 1 would say the same thing
OF New Mexico. And i advise either of those
territories before California, simply .beeause
they are closer at your hand-the vera Sat0e
reason Tor urging the Carolinas on your ataen
lion before other places. 4 Dob bHa Il
Let ME say this, a traveller and 4 man who
loves Mother Earth and makes himself familiar
with her: All lands more alike than you
Imagine. And wherever man has set his foot
and found the land of milk and honey he has
remained. The honey il in the possession OF
the other man all the time, wherever you may
travel Goodness! didn't We go through all
THIS when hunting for gold here long ago?
How many an old miner will turn to you now
and testify that IL he only had staid where he
was In some mountain gulch, with pure air,
pleasant surroundings he would have, all in
good time, had much gold as he could
carry.
But no. it was always q little farther on.
O1tentime it was tar, far away. Now it was
Owens river, away in the south; it was
Frazer river, far in the north; yet either place,
rs "a rule no better than the nearest little gulch
To our cabin door. 50, in settling, decide what
you want to do. And decide first this: That no
man has any right to stay in a city unless he is
bound by his duties to stay there. The mean
and selfish desire stay IN n city for pleasure
Is about low a desire as / can think VI. In
deed, the selfish pursuit OF pleasure any where,
or of any kind, merely Tor pleasures sake, Is
unworthy OF any man. The pursuit of pleasure
Is woman's pursuit; and very weak order of
women at that.