The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-05
\ GLOOMY PROSPECT.

It is the opinion of those who have studied the subject that the next cen sus will show that the population of the United States will then be about equal ly divided between those who live in towns and cities and those who live In the country. This gradual and con- tinual exodus from rural to city life is not the best thing for the whole peo- pie; and speaking of it. The Butte tMont.) Inter Mountain says:
 Many residents of cities might live h the country as well. more cheapiy, more heaithfuily and more happily; yet the glemor of the street lamps, the clangor of the car bells and the allure ments of the town are. too. much for gently discussed this question. He had done his best 10 amellorRte the condition of certain of his employees and had met with repeated rebuffs- Tt There are So many of them who will not save. who cannot work unless they are given a job and set at 1t They want to live in cities; and look at these huge apartment houses'- waving his hand to one of the pigeonhoie habita- tions as he passed it They are not homes; they are more like tunnels, i,,., . Yet in my own experience I have found how hard 1t is to take people away from the cities. wanted to create q buaue. and have lot of train men live there where they could have real homes and better life. Do you suppose they wanted to do if? No; their wives would in three rooms, than to have a comfort- able home in country town.
 what will or must be the ultimate result of this continually increasing engor cement of urban population may be an open question. but it can hardly be otherwise than hurtful. Country people are the producers, and city peo- pie are almost wholly consumers. When the time comes. as 1t surely will. that the country does not produce sufficient food to feed all the people of both town and country the former will inevitably be the greatest sufferers. There will always be some rich ones in towns and cities who will be able to buy what they need. but there will be a much larger proportion who cannot do so and suffering or crime must result
 The experience and observation of the gentleman quoted by The Inter- Mountain may be verified and duplicat- ed all over the country and 1t is not encouraging. There is less excuse for it now than formerly. The continual spread and extension of the trolley sys- tenn should be a great incentive to ru- rai life It Is fast reaching the point where a business or laboring man can have a pleasant home in the country and yet attend to his business in the city with scarcely more trouble. ex- pense or loss of time than would have been required a generation ago If his home was but a few blocks from his place of business. 4 pleasant and com fortable home within a radius of few miles from any city adds very little to the time and expense required to get to his work.
 It is strange and regrettable that more people do not take advantage of the opportunities afforded for pleasant homes than they now do. Even su- burban home Is preferable in most in- stances to one in the crowded city for people of moderate means. but home and a few acres convenient to a trolley line is much better. few are set- ting a good example by taking advan- taee of the opportunities. but the number iA not as large as 1t ought to be for the comfort and welfare of all ccnceFned. The excitement. noise and glamour of the city is too powerful to be resisted. and the result Is that many are living hard. uncomfortable and stunted lives in the overcrowded cities who might be comparatively indepen- dent in the near by country and be in- finiteiy more comfortable.
 The case is vastly worse in the South than in any other portion of the coun- try, because of our negro population. If it is difficult for an overplus of white people to sustain themselves in the city that difficulty is much magni- fled when the extra and useless popula- ton is composed of colored people They cannot find as many opportuni- ties for making an honest living as the whitesN can. and the natural conse- quence Is a resort to criminal prac- tices to avoid suffering. The daily rec ords of any Southern city will sustain this view of the situation. It is bad now but 1t is growing worse and the indications are that it will continue to do so What Is to be the final out