The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-06-23
LIVE QUESTIONS.
A Series of Articles Contributed BY
Advanced Thinkers.
FARM REFcRM-TaE HoPE or TIE
NAIiGN

III all the states Ct the cast, rorth and
west there has CT ia5c yeas been mad
rush to the cities. Wits tie exception CT
the border states, this has rot been so in
the south. Education u.s made The dif-
ference The south hes not been so ad-
vanced in TIE 50 called Education; -
neither has It been SO advanced il Ger
stocking its cities with an idle and dis
contented population. 1t Is, hnwevcT.
fast assuming to itself "a Imitation Ct
the educaticn Of tie east, ,cr.h and
west, which, if rot intercepted, Eay
lead to the sane dire rcsni,s.
TIE movement ci.;wara ia tie east,
north and west has lately been some
! what reversed by the introduction Ct
farm .aforn. which aims to encourage
and assist the snrplns masses OF sise
cities to return to the country, and also
to encourage the male population to re-
main Oh the land. The situation forced
upon the people by education is one in
which the sympathies of the thoughtful
humanitarian and patriot can be stirred
to their depths From thousands cf ez-
amples let one here suffice: Recently a
young man came often to my docr, sell
ing country produce. He proved TO be a
graduate CT the Western Maryland col
lege. He had passed civil service exami-
nation IL Baltimore and had answered
score of mercantile advertisements, but
had been unable to secure clerical work
solely by reason Of the numbers await
ing openings.
He had to return to bis fathers farm.
He said lie could no longer stand day s
work on the farns and he was very dis
conso!ate. have since heard that he
has taken to drink. This is q sad IL
stance Of what is going On all over the
land. The boys are tcld to get an "eda-
cation, 50 CO ID, and they Will speedi-
ly beco1 the cities principals CT
schools, heaus of firms and bank presi-
dents, and the girls are tod that they
also Will as speedily become tho wives
of such distinguished meC.
It has been ascertained that Owe SO
out of every 100 who enter city business
fail, and it is 10 this sad reality, adGed
to that Of rarely obtaining a city opcD-
ing ii the first place, that the youth CT
our land have been seduced By the ed
! ucator, the preacher "nd the politician
alike Within the past year Farm Re
form records some 200, 600 persons as
leaving the cities and stasnated mining
and manufacturing centers and hetaE1ng
themselves 10 farms, either Bought Or
rented or accepted unGer agreement wi.h
sore colonization society. Most al these
persons represent !. class having some
little means with WHICH to make the
move. They have Or = needed to hear
that people who can work need not
starve in the country, and they SC Bat
aside from this class there is another
and totally dependent class, with no
means at hand to move, with bodies
emaciated from lack Of proper food,
clothing and shelter, to whom help
must be extended in order to get them
to the farms. For these unfortunates
charity or state aid must be given.
Washington city has, believe, by an
ad1nixture of charity and state aid, IN
dertaken to place It's 200 poor families
upon 10000 acres of land, but not until
next year can we know the result. The
figures already submitted tend to show
that the total cost ef this experiment.
will be much less than that heretofore
REQUIRED to sustain the same dependents
by the usual forms of charity. Not
books, but bread: not idleness, but
works the cry CT the masses at the
present day. All people cannot be clerks;
all cannot work On railroads or III iac-
tories or mines, but all can work on the
land. Every one has an opportunity IN
the present to perform q duty IN his re-
specrive line that will tend to relieve us
of the troubles now threatening our
country. This duty lies in preaching, III
publishing, in leeislating and Ill finan-
cially assisting Tie farm reform move
ment until that situation is reached IN
which there are no dependents ID the
cities and TO further educational iEclte-
nents in the rural districts 10 seduce
the youth cf tie land to them. People
must be taught that they must make
their livelihoods out of the soil, not oct
of tricks played Oh their fellow men.
'.If man is educated, he'll be sharp
enough to make y living whether he
gets work or not, I" said man to me the
other day who represents the class plead
ing for our so called education. His ut
terance proves how our education is
breeding too many men who try to get a
living without work. We must break
with the idea that nothing is worth IN
dertaking that does not promise tor
tune. Men who are starving want food
men who are shiyering want clothing
and shelter These can be had for every
man, woman and child in the nation II
we Go our duty We must pull together,
rich and poor alike, in the future If we
expect the wall CT distress and the cry
of revolt to be no mere heard III the
land. All that we eat, drink, wear and