Evening journal., 1892-12-17
WHERE MEN AND WOMEN GROW

WHERE MEN AND WOMEN GROW
BY the ireside, alone in the evening of
our lives, we are apt to notice more
shrewdly the changes in the world out.
side than we did at midday, busy with
our comrades. The change in the world
which vexes me most is that there are
no longer any individual men or women
in 10. They are all combining into
masses They march, drill. and
man@uvre in step -Rebecca Harding
Davis in the January number of The New
Peterson.
That is a shrewd observation on one
of the prevailing evils of the day-seg-
regation.
Cities. towns and hamlets have grown
with unprecedented rapidity to an un-
preeedented extent within the last two
decades They began TO grow, at an alb
normal rate perhaps, thirty years ago,
and then got tremendous stimulus, at
least in this country, from the tariff leg
islation which favored factories to the
disadvantage Of agriculture.
The legislation which made factories
more profitable, made farming less
profitable Labor which was invited to
the cities forsoolS the country. Energy
ability, skin, left the bucolic pursuits of
the contented. useful, honest farmer to
live in the dust the glare, the whirl Of
the factory.
Addressing the Delaware Grange,
few days ago, and referring to the edu-
cation Of boys for agriculture. John O.
Higgins, himself farmer, said:
regret to say that our people are not
loyal to their calling If they educate
at all they want to see their sons go into
the professions Agricultural depres
sion is no doubt partly chargeable with
this preference. believe it to be an
ill-founded preference, proved to be 80
by the fact that the boys who stick to
land are today the most comfortable
members of the families of this PENN
sula Send the boys up for farmers
education; there should be many knocl--
ing at the doors that the new and now
ample rooms cannot hold them. Cities
and towns contain regiments of under
lings, ILL., paid and often ill-fed who, but
for this parental weakness would be in
dependent Delaware farmers.
81 he bone and sinew, and the brain, too,
Of this country do not come from the
segregated masses Of crowding humanity
in the cities.
When this country wanted soldiers in
any Of the wars they came from the
country where men are Independent,
where there are no bosses, no factory
masters Where have our generals.
Presidents preachers, senator's writers.
editors, orators, merchants and every
body come from2 They have not come
from the city. II is difficult to mention
a man who has accomplished any great
achievement in any branch Of science or
art, any man who has become eminent in
any profession, or labor, or discovery,
who did not grow up in the country
Mems minds and souls seem cast in the
same mold, like their hats, ia the city
The segregated masses Of human atoms
lose their individuality. AS Mrs Davis
says, They march, drin, ard man
9vre in step in unison with thou
sand other men Of no more individuality,
who are commanded by Grant, who
hauled oordwood into ST. Louis, or by
Lee who planted wheat and shucked corn
on the James liver bottoms.
There are individual men and women
still. The lament above is not true; but
it is pertinent to the times. Il agrees
with aud confirms the remarks of Mr.
Higgins that those who stay ON the
farms are happIest. They live useful.
contented, honest lives. The glare and
iinsel Of the city may be absent but the
shame, aud sorrow, and crime, are also
absent