Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-03
WORK
QUITS NOVELS TO ENGAGE IN
PHILANTHRoPIc LABOR.
Famous English Author Comes to
America to Investigate It's
Land Settlements.

II. Rider Haggard, the famous English
novelist. author of "she, ;" liking Solomon's
Mines, Montezuma's Daughter" "The
Brethren" and many other popular works
OF nctlon, arrived in New York yesterday
on the liner Teutonic He Is ACCOMPANIED
py MS daughter, Miss Angels Rider Hag-
gard, who will remain with him during his
Two months stay in this country. Mr.
Haggard comes as a commissioner of the
British government under the Cecil Rhodes
requests to investigate the land settlements
OF the United States so as to report on
plan to find homes in the country for the
poor Of London and other English cities.
Mr.. Haggard is the typical rural English
man In appearance-taIl, bronzed, bearded
and broad as to the shoulders. He walks
with swinging stride and looks like an
athlete. There Is little in his appearance
to suggest the man of letters. When he
talks he has trick of thrusting his big
strong hands into the pockets Of his loose
hitting tweed trousers and displays an utter
lack of gesticulation.
He is a Rapid Talker.
His accent is not SO broadly English as
one would expect. When interested he
speaks with great 4rapidity and with an
earnestness that carries conviction. AS he
proceeds his face grows animated, and he
smiles frequently. There is just the slight
est tinge of gray in his dark hair and beard.
His nose is large, his eyes are blue his jaw
strong and his forehead high and retreat
ing. His jaws fairly snap when he seeks
to emphasize point in his remarks.
My novel writing is mere incident in
my life" said Mr.. Haggard to New York
reporter. My great work is to seek a solu-
ton OF the agricultural problem. For two
years l studied the rural sections of Eng
land and sought to find a cause for the
abandonment of the land for the supposed
attractions of the great Cities. During that
time l went over every county in the Brit
Years ago. while sstin a young man. I
was struck by the sad decay in agriculture
and the quitting of,agrfcplture by what was
formerly known as the yeomanry of Eng
land. They were the backbone of the en-
pire. My studies among them drove me to
certain conclusions. ,rt
Freeholders Disappearing.
''The great class or small freeholders
were everywhere disappearing. They were
drifting to the cities because Of the poverty
OF their wages, the lick of prospects for
their children, dufiness and stagnation In
their their industry and the supposed tempta-
tons of the great hives of population
Il understand that the conditions In this
country are much more encouraging, and
that is why / am hereto study them and
IL see IL some lesson cannot De Cleaned for
the dement, OF the people at home.
so far as have been able to Judge the
only solution in the end is to give to the
man in the country a property interest in
the land so that he will have something to
look forward to not only for himself but
for his children. Their work Is hard, and
they grow Respondent when they find that
they have nothing to look forward to but
toll and a precarious livelihood. Let them
once know that they can become landhold-
ers, even In small way, and they imme-
diately grow ambitious and thrifty The
man who owns his own little homestead is
likely to think three or four times before he
commits his children to the chances of the
city's slums. Even II his work is hard and
exacting he will stick to 1t hopefully.
His Solution Of Problem.
That Is the solution. believe. Of the
greatest 4s~ikem we have in the ciyilixeQ