The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-08-04
THE LOVE OF LAND.
Why Sixty-eight Town Bred Men De
cided to Farm IT.

IN previous paper presented the
reasons that i55 college students gave
me for leaving the farm to engage in
other occupations These students saw
little opportunity in farming, 40 per
cent Of them alleging that the business
offers no financial reward. Twenty per
cent said that the physical labor is too
exacting and approximately an equal
number that no social opportunities arc
offered There replies present one view
Of the yexei question as 70 what the
place Of the farmer IL to Be in our com
ing civilization. There was strain Of
hope running through some Of the re-.
plies that in the future the opportuni-
ties on Che farm would be improved;
but, for the most part, the responses
were hopele-sIy against the business Of
farming as means Of personal achieve
ment,
When | asked for the opinions OF
those who had planned Is leave the
farm, ! asked, also, for the reasons that
moved those who have planned to re-
move from city conditions 10 farm life
and those who reared on farms, intend
ed TO return there after leaving college,
The responses are most Illuminating, and
OF course, they are hopeful for those OF
us who look to the open country to aid
IN some large way in maintaining and
forwarding the best civilization. ss,.o
Sxtg5eight town bred or city bred
students wrote me that they intend Co
pursue farming as a business aaid TO
this end had entered themselves in the
College OF Agriculture. ! should explain,
however, that | used the ward farm.
ing in its broadest sense a. comprising
those many occupations that are direct
~ concerned with the product of the
soil and are in intimate touch with act
nal rural life conditions; for some Of
these young men expect 70 be creamery
men in the small rural factories rather
than actual tillers OF the soil. Many
OF the respondents give more than one
reason for desiring to follow agricultural
work.
The point Of view OF All these various
personal replies Is most significant, and
it is in bold contrast 10 the general run
Of the responses Of those who plan to
leave tile farm. The present replies are
marked BY the prominence given to
ideals and by the sub0rdination of mere
money. Forty per cent Of those who
are leaving the farm allege that they do
80 because there is not money enough in
IL; very few OF the 26l students who
plan TO be farmers mention the expecta
ton Of earning money as the leading
motive and number of them mention
the relatively small earning power, and
then declare that they viii follow the
business in spite of that handicap Near
! liz every one Of them gives higher ideals
of living as the propelling motive, and
these ideals crystalline about two foci--
| the love of nature and the desire of a
free, independent life. Moreover, these
are responses of strong conviction. They
evidence pride Of calling, and not one Of
them is apologetic. They are hopeful (;
| they all have a forward look They are
surprisingly unselfsh Not one of them
asks for power. They show that even
in this epoch Of hurried city building,
the love Of the open country and 81
plain, quiet living still remains as a
real and vital force.
was impressed in the replies 81
those who are to leave the farm, with
the emphasis placed on lack Of money
hard work, and small social opportunity
am impressed in these replies with the
recurrence OF such ideals as love for the
work that one ii doing, education, study
personal influence, happiness, service
home. With these young men, theit
business is To be an affair il the heart
We hear much about tue greed foI
money and power and the great dangers
that threaten our runaway society; bat
/ wonder whether ID the end tho eoun-
try man will not still have hold Of 81
least one Of the reins. Prof. l.. FL Bal
LEY in Century Magazine,