The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-08-03

blessed.
| 1t is a common occurrence for people TO
visit Decatur for a day a week or
month to escape the discomforts of the
city and breathe the fresh air of DeKalb
as pure as that Of the mountains In iso-
| lated and inconvenient places. While
| these visitors receive their comforts by
coming to US, very often learn things
of profit from them and knowledge OF
the world that many of us would have
never known save for their coming.
| We had the pleasure and the profit,
hope, of meeting intelligent French
| gentleman at Decatur Inn and spending
an afternoon one day last week in hear
| ing him tell OF some of the customs across
the water. From this gentleman's account.
| France is a most wonderful agricultural
country and in his opinion, these hills Of
Georgia could be made just as wonderful
in that line. / wish that every farmer OF
the south could have heard him tell of
! just how the people of France live and
| farm, remarkng incidentally that from
what he could see In a visit to our coun
try, the lands here were just good and
would yield as well under the same treat
ment and methods as is practiced in
| France.
TO start with, the schools are brought
to the children instead Of the children
having to go to the schools. The churches
also and the conveniences of village life
are brought to the people and the loneli-
ness Of living in the country and pursuing
agriculture is done away with.
These French farmers, from this gen
tleman's account, live in villages some
thing on the order of plantation negro
quarters of before the war, saving. of
course that the houses are of brick in
Cfo nd ~ Z IcAy hsqa Afa T.
of comfort and freedom rather than that
| of the quarter for slaves. Instead OF
the farmer building to be In the midst Of
his work, they build for the coyeniences
| of their families Instead OF the chill
drent having to travel three and four
miles along lonely and dangerous roads
to arrive at school, the school is at
| home, and the men travel the distance TO
| their work. Instead of the good wife
having to remain in lonely homo day
after day by herself and little children,
she Is given the sociabiity of village CON
tact and the conveniences thereof
To hear this gentleman talk, should
fall as a suggestion to the land owners
Of the south No one can doubt but that
the loneliness Of country life in Georgia
has much to do with the dissatisfaction
that has appeared in our country homes.
other things as much as we please, but
| 1t VIII do no good till country life is re-
lieved Of It's loneliness. and has the
| other advantages of people living close
! together as in villages. The truth Is
that IL rough, strong men had to stay
! all alone IN some Of the houses where
frail and ti1nid women do stay day after
| day, and often at night, there would he
| no living in the country-men would
| never stand the loneliness, much less the
| fear. that turks in the conditions Of life
on the farm here in Georgia. Then,
| say as l have said before in other con-
nections. these drawbacks must be re-
lieved, it should be every mans desire
to correct every drawback that attaches
to farming. and how to do this IS the
greatest question that confronts the
southern people today
! These suggestions from strangers with
| IN our gates are well worthy Of consid-
| eration-this IS the way to learn. The
! northern visitors laugh at out implements,
al our little mules ana Texas ponies and
| slip-shod harness, and 50 on. They all
agree that people in the north would
starve under such methods and thus pay
a deserved compliment to the soil and
| climate Of the south. But the making
of greater quantities Of produce is not
the most important thing. How 10 re-
lieve the anxiety and loneliness Of coun-
try Hfe is the more important. what
matters It & abundance In produce Is
everywhere upon tho farm II the good
wife lives In loneliness and constant
dread or course an abundance Of prod
nee is 10 be desired. and we should
consider every suggestion that points to
that but other matters must be con-
sidered Also Schools, churches and
something Of conyeniences as attach to
the village idea is just as important as the
abundance of produce and the dread AND
loneliness must be relieved or this abund-
ance fails to satisfy ana agriculture
stands d crippled industry.
I have been impressed from listening
to this French gentleman that this farm
ing from q village IS entirely practicable
here in Georgia. Concentrate the homes
of a settlement IN some central location
without reference to the roads as they
now stand-the roads will regulate them
selves Say that the farmers IN a radius
Of 4 miles get together and build a vii
lage in the center of that radius and
work the land from there. It IS much
better for the men who work the land
to labor under the Inconvenience of going
q distance to their work than for the
women and children to spend their lives
whore a loneliness brOods and fear Is
upon them. And the Importance of thus
regulating our schools is Illustrated from
the fact that the people move as they do
move to the villages to secure these school
conveniences. AS we stand today rural
schools are worthless. Concentrate the
homes and bring the schools there and let
every community pay its own teacher
while the public money now thrown away
or our schools could be used TO better
advantage in building roads that would
have to be built under this suggested
system.
I learned much of the difference in
economy between ourselves and those
French people. There is more waste OF
produce here than the French farmer
makes. They would be Mortified to see
fine crab grass and weeds that cattle
relish go to waste and lie and rot as 1t
does rot everywhere in Georgia. They
save every srrg of grass and weeds in
that country and their fuel is secured
by cutting the twigs from the Italian
poplar. These trees are trimmed at a
certain time of every year, and so the
Frenchmans fuel is secured. What
would those people think of the waste
in our woods? But we have it to waste
The Lord has done more for us than
for them, and while we are thankful
for these favors, we should all strive to-
gether to profit by any suggestions OF
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