The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-01-12
TO UTILIZE ABANDONED FARMS.

IO UIILlZE ABANDONED FARMS.
 The proposition to buy 100000 acres of abandoned farms in New England and to plant upon them the surplus popula- {, tion of the large cities, whose stay where it simply means to increase pow business as well as good philanthropic backing.
 The philanthropists interested in it Include John Wanamaker, Mrs. Ealing ton Booth, Nathaniel s. Roseman, man. ager of the Hebrew charity fund of New York and William E. Sessions, secre- tary of the Massachusetts state board of agriculture. On the business side, the enterprise is a corporation regularly launched under the laws of the state of Maine. Its president is A. Willis Lightbourn, secretary of the Wool ex- $change; it's treasurer, George M. At }sirs, and its general manager, Charles Roblee. President Lightbourn says of the scheme:
 Our organization, while business en- terprise, is founded on a basis of true public spirit, and it's Incorporation un- der the laws of Maine is hailed with de- light throughout New England, for our success means the putting of new life and new blood into territory whose fruitfulness should produce mill lions of revenue.
 This last statement by MT. Light iS trIia tta successful it will be as great a boon to New England as it is to the impoverish- ed citizens of the great cities who are thus to be put in a way of earning their own living and of being comfortable. There should be no reason why the scheme should not be successful, except the disposition of people to suffer priva- lions in the city before they will con sent to live in comfort on a farm. But perhaps the conditions are growing more favorable to country life At least many of the drawbacks which once existed in it's loneliness are appar- ently in a fair way to be removed. The bicycle, for example is used on the farm as well as in the town, and en- ables the rider to go to the town or visit his neighbors with east, and thus wipes out the distance of separation which has made farm life so lonely. With the progress of good roads, and a constantly extending trolley system, it may be possible that here in New Eng land a few years may see the end of Loneliness as a characteristic of our ru- Tal life.
 It is very evident that the coloniza- lion scheme, started under present con- ditions, has a far greater chance of success than similar schemes started under the conditions of ten or twelve years ago. Their failures, therefore need not necessarily mean the failure of the present scheme. Its success if it does succeed will be, as the man at the head of it points cut, boon of as great value to this New England coun- try as to the people whom it removes from the congested conditions of city life. We need to have our New England farms settled up again. We need the variety of employment which comes from farming as well as from a man. ufacturing population. We need the new markets which prosperous rural life would make for the local tradesmen. We need above all to have our attention called to the fact that life on a farm is not necessarily lonely and that it may be as remunerative as life in the city.
 With so much staked on the success of this latest colonization enterprise il must receive the best wishes of all who feel patriotic interest in New England and the cheerful assistance of all wht can aid it either by money or by coun sel.-Waterbury American