The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-08-02
WIDENING THE FIELD
MAKING GREATER OPPORTUNITY
FOR SONS OF FARMERS.
BUILDING UP THE HOME TOWN
Some Causes for Complaint Which
Can Be Obliterated by the
United Efforts of the
People.

How often do we hear it said that
the young man has not the opportun-
ity that the young man of score OF
years ago had. How great is the CON-
plant of trusts and combinations
which control Industries to the detri-
ment of the smaller ones in business,
and how often is reference made to
business concentration in the large
cities at the cost of the smaller
towns.
Innovations in business methods
have been many. 1t may be said that
this is an era of economical methods;
that evolution is going on continually
broadening the field for individual
effort and making possible the opera
ton of mammoth enterprises. There
can be no doubt as to the detrimental
effects upon small towns of this busi-
ness concentration in the larger cities.
Pessimists deplore the lack of oppor-
tunity for the young men of to-day.
At the same time the large corpora
tions put forth the cry that there is a
scarcity of the right kind of material
for important places of trust. How
ever this may be, there is one thing
evident, and that is, small towns being
kept from advancing narrows the
field for the young men who would
otherwise enjoy an opportunity to en-
gage in business.
Travelling to the large city for en-
ployment, the youth, perhaps, seeks a
clerkship at moderate wages. There
are thousands of others that he must
compete with in the race for success.
His field is narrowed. It is not often
that he has fair competition, and ia
voritism he finds is one of the obstruc-
lions in his way. One of the cures
for this condition is to devise means
of enlarging the scope and Importance
of the so-called country towns.
There is no economical reason why
the large city should have the bust
ness that rightfully belongs to the
small town. There is no saving in
buying goods at a distant point even
though a small percentage may be
saved directly. Whenever a resident
OF a community sends his money to
some other community for the neces-
stiles that he requires, he robs his
own home town of a certain amount
OF business. Employment is given to
the people of the large city instead of
the people of the local community.
1t has been estimated that more
than SO per cent. of the trade goes
from some communities to larger
cities. If this trade were given to the
home town, it would Immediately dop-
bic it's business Importance and give q
corresponding increase in employment
for the people. This means that the
population of the town would be in
creased and the opportunity for en-
gaging In business would be greater.
Not only this, but it is an established
principle that values of farm lands to
great extent are dependent upon the
activity of the town near which the
farms may be located. Thus it is
plain that if the sons of farmers
would have greater opportunities open
to them for engaging in business, it
can be increased by closely adhering
to the home trade and home protec-
ton principle, which widens the local
field for individual effort in a business