The herald., 1897-06-13
SUNDAY. JUNE I3, 1907.
THE RACE WILL SUFFER

Among the most noticeable tendencies
of the day is the crowding Of popula-
ton into large cities. In general, coun-
try life is becoming more and more un-
popular. AS they read of the growth
of our large cities superficial thinkers
reach the conclusion that the ratio of
growth is maintained in rural popula-
ton. The careful student Of statistics
knows this is by no means the case. The
ratio of rural to urban population grows
constantly smaller.
Nor is this thing confined to the
United States. There are few cities in
this country which have grown so rap
idly as Berlin in the last five, or ten or
twenty years. The same is true of MANY
European cities. Taking all Europe and
all the United States as two separate
wholes and the rush of population to-
wards crowded centers is quite as
marked in one case as in the other. So
far as we have got, too, this tendency
Is increasing very steadily.
The reason for this are readily found
and are such as to justify the gravest
misgivings that are entertained by the
better class of social science students.
It Is not noble ambition. nor are they
high aims, nor generous impulses which
are driving or drawing so many young
men and young women from the farm
and from the rural village to the great
seething vortex of city life. The noblest
ambition, the highest aim the least un-
generous impulse that lies at the root of
this development is the desire to make
money. After this follow lower and
more corrupting and more degrading
ambitions and desires.
Life on the farm is slow. The country
is too quiet. The mere rush and noise
and excitement of the city are all there
is of the enticement to many of those
who leave the old home and family
and friends to seek a livelihood among
strangers and in conditions new to those
who come to the city. The glamour
of city life, the gay scenes, artificial
though they be, the flash of the
footlights at the theaters, the mock
manliness of smoking cigarettes before
the beard first sprouts, the compan-
ionship of kindred souls for young maa
and young women, all combine to ac-
centuate the dullness of country life and
to shed halo of fascination over that
of the city. Even the young girl born on
the farm, who may be compelled to seek
employment, prefers the foul atmos-
phere of a big factory to the kitchen
where honeysuckles climb up by the win
dow and where the robin tunes his matin
song. because in the factory there IS
companionship and the country is lone
ly.
1t is useless to deny the greater at
traction of one mode of living as COM
pared with the other. Yet there is no
greater mistake possible in life. There
is no need to theorize about the matter.
The history of the past and the expert
ence of the present combine to teach
how vastly preferable is the country to
the city as to the influences in building
men and women and shaping character
Nearly all the great figures of all time
since Abraham owned bands of cattle
since Moses kept the sheep of his Arab
father-in-iaw, since David tuned his
harp on the hillsides of Judea, have
been built in the country. The strength
of muscle, mind and spirit We're nur-
ture d by the sweet airs, the quiet scenes
and simple living of rural life.
OF all the presidents how many Were
city bred? Van Buren, and Arthur We're
about the only ones. Washington gained
the simplicity of his nature amid the
grand and quiet scenes of old Virginia.
So did Jefferson. Jackson's life was
passed in similar scenes in Tennessee.
Webster came from a New England
farm. He saw the sun rise over tho
quiet New Hampshire hills or spring
flre-crowned from oceans vast expanse,
Clay grew UP along the slashes of Ken