The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-06-23

Michigan. the seat of the University
of Michigan. This high school may
well be considered almost distinctly
preparatory school, as fully eighty
per cent. of its graduates enter the
University. I quote directly from
Mr.. Pattengill's reply to my inquiry
"You are right about the use ol
the trolley cars by farmers children
Off-hand, / can think of several cases
now in school, and am confident that
investigation would show many more.
1t certainly is an advantage to the
farmer to board his children at home,
and, besides, they are there out OF
the way of many temptations and dis
fractions. Their school work is bene-
flied accordingly. / believe that there
would be less tendency to leave the
farm if all farmers children could be
kept at home during the period Of
high school education. And the troll
leys make this possible today as never
before"
DR.. James B. Angel, president of
the University Of Michigan, in re-
cent letter to the writer, after stating
that statistics are not available as yet,
inclines to the belief that sooner or
later the university, beirg accessible
by trolley to the farming community,
will perceive results that even now
are apparent in the high schools. DIR.
Angel says:
''I have great hopes of the social
and intellectual results of the entrance
of the trolleys into the rural districts.
There can be no doubt that the con.
sequences are to be most benefceut,
and I trust that it will do something
to turn the tide back from city life to
country life, which would be most
beneficial to this country"
The number of periodicals publish
ed in this country today devoted to
the culture of the open, to country
life as distinct from farm life, would
seem to me to sound the note of this
hegira. Ten years ago periodic re-
turns to country life were possible
only to the rich, but today the city or
small town dweller of very limited
income may, by way of the trolley,
get back to the dirt for at least three
months of the year, if not for all of
it. The trolley passing the door of
his little country holding, delivers
him, at minimum of cost, at the
door of his factory or Office in ample
time to begin the days work. And
the same trolley car puts him down
in his country dooryard for the even
ing meal with his family, which in
the meantime, has concerned itself
with its garden, its sunshine and its
pure air. I have among my acquain-
tances half a dozen men engaged in
commercial work in Mid West towns
who, enabled so to do by the trolley,
now live in the country. I know
man who, up to three years ago, was
a race-track gambler, but who now is
a successful breeder of fancy poultry
on the line of trolley road. The
trolley did it in his case, as it did in
the case of a Chicago newspaper man.
who reports crime during the day and
plays with his garden, nine miles out
on a trolley line, in the evening.
Among the benefcent services rem
dered the smalltown dweller by the
trolley lines of the Middle West has
been the opening of vast area of So
called ''lake country in Wisconsin,
Michigan and Ohio. Until the COM
ing of the trolley these charming lit
tie lakes were inaccessible to all save
the farmers living in their immediate
vicinity. Today hundreds of delight
full and absurdly Inexpensive cottages
line their shores. In them, during
full six months of the year, live the
families of the small-town business
men round about. And these little
lakes have in no sense become "re-
sorts" !; rather they constitute the
yaison detye for numberless sylvan
communities, and thus has the trolley
given the country estate, on small
scale, to the man whose income ranges
from $500 to $500 year.
Thus far among the interurban
trolley antagonists none has been more
violent in his opposition than the
crossroads merchant, who, in the
event of line passing his door, sees
the trade of his neighbors detected
directly to the terminal town. But.
in the last analysis, whether this
crossroads merchant succeed or fail
in the face of a passing trolley de-
pends absolutely upon himself. The
trolley will do one of two things: it
will put him out of business or it will
make him better merchant. So far
as have been able to observe, the
latter rather than the former has been
the general result. A case in point {:
He was the proprietor of little
store at the crossroads. His availa-
Bile trade numbered perhaps two hum
dred persons. A trolley line went
through. He lamented the ruin that
he saw of nights in his dreams. Not
far off was charming little lake. A
number of people from the two trolley
terminal towns came out and erected
summer homes on the lake. His was
the only store at hand. His trade
grew, but only as he acceded to the
growing demands of these lake dwell
ers. In three years he has built two
additions to his store and new house.
He is fourfold better merchant to-
day, doing tenfold more business than
he was before the trolley line went
through" He saw the possibility
and realized upon it.
But perhaps as significant result
as any that has obtained to the farmer
from rural trolley development arises
from the new esthetic point of view
that contact with his country-dwell-
ing city neighbor has given him. The
townsman going into the country to
live along a trolley line carries with