Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-14
LEAVING THE FARM.
Few Tillers Of the Soil Nowadays
Found Sitting as Jurymen.
GREAT STRIDES In ONE DECADE.
Much Pittsburg Money Being Sent Abroad
for Christmas Presents.
SHORT TALKS on VARIOUS SUBJECTS

Mr.. Harry E. Armstrong, clerk of Com
mon Pleas Court No. ., is an ex-newspaper
man, and his training there makes him
quick to perceive what most people in his
position would pass over without recogni-
tion. His attention has lately been at
tracted to the farming depopulation that has
been silently going on for more than de-
cade. but with greatly accelerated pace
during the past five years.
An examination of the list of citizens for
the purpose of selecting jurors, each name
on the list being accompanied by the occu-
patton of the owner, shows that in some
rural districts where once the occupation
farmer accompanied nearly every name,
the agricultursts have become quite
scarce. Instead, the occupations given
are those of artisans of some kind
or professional or tradesman. The majority
of the few remaining farmers are old men,
some Of whom have been serving on jurles
at intervals for nearly half century. The
sons of these farmers have either learned
trades or professions, or have drifted from
home to become brakemen and other rail-
way emplIyes, or clerks, or bookkeepers,
etc, and the cricket on the hearth sings his
strident lay TO the old folks and hired help,
except on holidays, when children, grand
children and great grandchildren come
home to revive memories of auld lang sine.
Many erstwhile farming localities have
given way to small villages.
ALONG THE ALLEGHENY RIVER.
Take trip in your mind down the Allie
Chenv river, from the WestmoreIand county
border, East Deer township is largely occu-
pied by the plate glass works and the nu-
merous population necessary to man them
and attendant stores and small industries.
Sprngdale is largely occupied by villages,
MANY OF whose inhabitants find employment
in the cities. Harmar is largely given up
to manufacturing. O'Hara contains the
workhuuse, around which considerable viii
lage population has grown. Penn and Plum
townships are largely taken up by mining
villages.
Down the north bank of the Ohio river is
an almost unkroken line of villages and
boroughs, and Killbuck, Aleppo and Leet
townships Can scarcely be considered agri-
cultural now. On the south bank, below
the city line, are Esplen, Nimick, Char
tiers, 1vanho, Coraopolis, Stoops' Ferry,
West Economy and Shousetown, where
only the rudiments of two of them existed
II years ago. Out the Panhandle and Char
tiers Valley much the same thing is noted.
Braddock, Miffiin and South Versailles
townships are almost monopolized by small
proprietors, the great boroughs of Braddock,
Mcheesport and Homestead, which would
be cities out West, almost moDopolizinC
those townships, and making what farming
land is left merely suburb. Out the Penn
sylvania railroad will soon be 80 miles of
continuous villages.
GROWTH OF A SINGLE DECADE.
Ten years ago there were scarcely any
boardwalks in ali this scope of territory
spoken or Now one might walk 100 miles
on boardwalk, IRON village to village, and
all this has been 9orced by small property
holders who fight for pedestrian rights
The old-time farmers, if left alone, would
never make walks, and these small property
holders are getting their eyes open, and III
few wears they will insist on good wagon
roads as well. I
Mr.. Armstrong thinks that with the right
kind OF management every steam railway
leading out OF the city will be paralleled by
an electric one, they will become
q necessity. He also thinks it will be Tor
the advantage of the great body of
through travellers who use the steam rail-
ways. Local travel doesn't want a 40-mile-
an-hour pace so much as il wants one reason
ably rapid without the inconvenience OF
waiting on trains, and this electric power
furnishes. the through traveller is the one
who wants TO make time, and the steam rail-
ways, freed rom the bother of local travel,
will be able to make high rate OF speed
with sa.ety.
Ii things go all right for ten years the
next census may show the whole county in
the city and population close to a million,
and then the now djsgruntled granger may
lit up his head and rejoice in a market that
will enable him to make as much on 10
acres as he now does on 100.