The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-04-15

sole of your foot shall tread upon is a
gift of God. He makes known the good
things of the land only to those who,
like Joshua, have the will, the strength
and good courage to stand alone and be-
lieve that there shall not any man be
able to stand before them all the days
of their life. And like him they will
be obedient and observe to do accord
ing to all the law and mediate there
in day and night. Then their ways
will be prosperous; they will act WISE
ly and have good success, for the COM
mandment is: BE strong and of good
courage; be not afraid neither be thou
dismayed, for I, the Lord, thy God is
with thee whithersoever thou goest."
persuaded my wife to the belief
that she could raise chickens; that
poultry raising is a fruitful source of
dependence, self-support and self-re-
spect for family But some city
friends thought I was about losing my
mind, unreasonable or fearful crank.
It has been said by an English paper
about England: 1--WE have to face the
fact that the spring Of all our social
disorder is the divorce Of the people
from the land and the system Of land
lordism is held responsible for this
condition Of social disorder, and of
driving the people from the soil into
the slums Of the Cities" in order that
the country may remain a green soli-
tude to be used as a pleasure for the
rich" But in America it is not al
ways landlordism alone that drives
people from the soil to the slums in
the great cities. Blind leaders are
still leading others that are equally
blind. Brute force and cunning are not
out Of date, though our high state Of
civilization, popular education and a
pure religion ought to make it so.
Many years ago a farmer said to me:
IT wish I was rich and could buy this
whole valley" "And what would you
do then?" I asked. IT would go to
some large city and induce as many
poor families as I could to settle on
this land, cut up into smaller or larger
tracts from ten to forty acres each, as
much as each family needed for good
living would sell or rent it to them
on easy payments and long time, and
then I would spend the rest Of my
days in going from farm to farm and
showing them how to manage the soil
and raise better crops and better stock
as a means to a good living"
What benefactors there might be If
we could induce Rockefeller, who has
recently given $32,000,o00 to general
education, or some other rich man, to
give a million or two for starter to
every state in the union for such a
purpose suggested by my thoughtful
farmer friend In the wonderful rich
and beautiful valley OF the Grande
Ronde river in Eastern Oregon. Tt
would be a grand education work If
the home of every poor family could
be made an agricultural college and
every settlement have it's faculty of
agricultural professors and teachers.
Tt is said that $4,000 children in New
York City go to school every morning
without their breakfast. How happy
and we'll filled might they not be II
their Parents could be persuaded and
helped to a piece Of land where they
could raise vegetables, fruit, grain ane
stock. Their mothers might even be
able to give them eggs for breakfast
every morning, when only rich city peo-
pie can afford them at 40c to soc dozen.
This Is what our eight-year-old daugh-
ter has. because her city born mother is
fully persuaded by her rustic other
half and her experience Of few years
on the farm that raising poultry is a
business worth following.
And every other branch Of agricul-
ture is worth doing. All should be
taught in every public school In our
land Every boy and girl should be
brought up to know the value Of mon
ey; that every dollar must come from
honest labor that to know and to do a
thing right and we'll in any honest in
dustry is of infinitely more Importance
to rich and poor than art, music and
literature Industrial education that