The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-22

versitieS and departments of government
devote years and volumes to the study of
the minutest, details of agriculture,
arboriculture, horticulture; but they new
er think of 'domiculture The preserva-
ton of the American forest is matter
OF greater moment, apparently, than the
preservation of the American family.
ITO our minds it has seemed that the
best system of Horticulture is to bring
unemployed land, unemployed labor and
unemployed capital together. That is
ceeding. One of our best coloniSts today
is man who was a confirmed drunkard,
and had delirium tremens over and over
again.
Our latest experiment is particularly
graln ying. 1t is Fort Herrick, near
Cleveland, and close by Mentor, Gar
fields cid home. The land was donated
by the owners, James Parmelee and Col.
Myron T. Herrick, who is well known in
New York. We have an excellent mar
ket for garden truck in Cleveland, and
while colonists are working their land,
their children can support the family by
picking berries for the farmers round
about. 1t doesn't hurt them a bit, and
they have plenty of time to go to school
lilies the children have earned 81 and So
day all summer, and they are healthy
and happy.
''At Fort Romie, near Del Monte, Cal.
we have 700 acres and 70 colonists, who
are going to have fruit farms in time:
We have had drawbacks in the way of
faulty irrigation there AT Amity, in
Colorado, we purchased another thou
sand acres of land this spring. Alto
gether we have sold IS, 900 worth of bonds
this summer and located 100 fresh colo
niSts. The women and children are our
best colonists They look after the little
things-the gardens, and pigs, and cows,
and poultry. They weed the beets and
pick the berries. A widow make splen-
did coloniSt. She has to hire her ploW1ng
done, but aside from that she can run
the ia inst well and she
will tend to it better than almost any
man.
Then you are well satisfied with this
latest development of your work.
Satisfied? No; no man was ever sat
isfied when he saw a chance to go still
further" The lean, nervous hands OF the
commander worked eagerly.
Let us have the pensioners, he said.
DO you know how civil pensioners are
increasing in this country? The railway
companies are -pensioning old employees
now So are the steel companies. An
drew Carnegie has just given four or
five millions to pension his men. the
Pennsylvania Railroad company has ex-
pended $200,e00 in pensions recently, So
have the big Chicago lines. Then there
are all the military pensioners.
"SuppOsing a company pays penStoner
S. a week for ten years-pensioners are
pIoverbial for living forever you know
he dies. if he has any dependent on
him, they are left to charity We would
take that family for $500, put them in a
nice home. look after them till they get
on their feet. pay 5 per cent interest
on the money, repay the loan in time,
and when the pensioner died, his family
would have the home.
IF the companies will give us the cap
ital we will look after the pensioners,
any number of them. / know they say to
u.s. You have been fortunate because
you have taken only strong, able-bodied
men. Be careful how you go to putting
on old disabled ones But when a man
has worked for a company for twenty
or thirty years and been pensioned, you
will find he is the cream of employees.
He has brains every time, and We'll trust
to his brains to make up for his lack of
muscle.
Anyway" said the commander. ere
member this result of my observations.
classes of men will work if they can see
the hope of home before them. 1t is
the everlasting grind for grub and moth
ing more. that takes the heart out of
him. We are issuing thirty-year gold
bonds now. bearing per cent interest,
and secured by a per cent sinking fund,
tesides being Internationally guaranteed
by the Salvation Army. What we want
is for congress to give us 81, 600 guar
antee. The government has guaranteed
railways. and has given large sums for
agricultural. scientific and commercial
purposes. Let it give us this guarantee
and we can Immediately raise the whole
amount from the public, and conduct an
experiment in 'domiculture' on a scale
worthy of the nation. Was it not Car
dinal Manning who said: Domestic life
creates a naton?' We believe in domi-
culture"