New-York tribune., 1907-08-17
Ere,,ek Statesman Plea for a Re
turn to Farming.

-. -,sr,v recent essays calling for q re-
iA'e.- .v-icuIture. the present study ought to
'@ "a, rank Its author is the leader OF the
republicans in France was Minister
aos.,,Y+,,rA from 1852 to 1855, and president
.. chamber Of Deputies in 1889 until 1885,
- teceme for a short time Prime Minis
,-nlike many arguments in favor Of a re-
", o4 farming. these lines from NJ. Meline's
rof one sidedy economic or sentimental
nc The writer has a native fondness for
Y o.,,ntrv. II appears; but instead of letting
-... .c.ate a lyric cry for return 10 nature, a
80 life or what not, he seeks 20 prove from
s.-icaI and economic considerations the ad-
F5-+arss of rural life There is an undertone of
l-r.s,oeu- everywhere perceptible; but this SEN
1T does not carry the burden of the books
lesie
.ossru industrial progress is toward a state Of
..srs On which the needs OF society for manu-
,,--e5 goods will he met ever more easily by
r-,aTer number of skilled workingmen: In
,rs,ch. therefore. an ever increasing proportion
os sbe popuiatiOn VIII be forced to find nveli-
.a05 outside the factories. This means. says
a.. .-i,sr. that men must fioek to enc or both
e ,ae eniy other classes of occupation. becom-
s.e either producers Of raw materials or else
fzslernen AT present, because Of the attrac-
.,,,s the large cities offer, THOUSANDS prefer 10
u.,n a precarious living at the latter occupa-
ssoz- as a result, shopkeeping and commission
snr ssye ceased te he the profitable businesses
,bev cree were, the competition among those
uho follow these lines having waxed inordinately
4rrseus There are. according To NJ. Meline,
ehos,t five times as many middlenen to-day in
France IS there is any need Of; some interesting
statistics are cited showing the remarkable in
asssse Of small shopheepefs in various fau-
hnu-es Of Paris during recent decades. this in
svesc being altogether out of proportion 70 the
iuc-ease Of population anG parallel 20 rise in
rs-sa prices. The writer believes that the alb
rurrnas rise Of retail prices for standard COM
vuodities in France is chiefly due to the rush
d. men 10 the cities and the consequent multi
-siestiaB ef mdde,nen Who combine 10 maintain
8 level o. prices at which they can all exc out
a. existence with small clientage- This proc
ess hurts both the industrial class and the
farmers in the end; and it will bring about its
ozn destruction by forcing the farmers TO start
cooperative societies for the sake Of handling
lie largest possible quantities Of products
through the smallest possible number of mid
seren and by slowly driving many would-be
ruiddemen into agricultural pursuits Thus IL
u-s eor-e about that the industrial and the in
,errsssisry classes will eventually he reduced
70 a small percentage OF the total population;
and the masses wifi spread out over the coun-
tysids, there 20 enjoy spener or later all the
advantages Of modern indsstrialisn, as well as
The pleasures ana healthfulness of life in the
open fields.
This author is too experienced a statesman.
however, 70 fancy that such bare formula as
tits enc states the whole truth fairly. Although
s. oFa-
opinion that men rsil return TO the land in large
aunabers enly when the balance Of human salts
far,ior is In fayor or country life The problem
Involves much more than the simple question
q financial profit and loss: SO long as working
men living in dark tenements forget their sordid
Surroundings ST the sight Of parades, picnics'
political meetings, cheap theatricals gay saloons
s-d hurdy-gurdies. while their rustic relatives
have 70 20 To bed at seven for sheer WEAKNESS
ara lack of diversions, the eitywaFa rush Will
rot atate On account of the dangers or under
developed agriculture therefore, il is the duty
Of the French government to make the rural
districts attractive by systematically encourag-
.ng the organization of village libraries, clubs.
parks and Fairgrounds and by offering farrn-
sFs various financial inducements Speaking for
FEanee Il. MeIine believes that:
II is the desertion of the lard by the boHroeoists
s.st sy narrowing the ranks OF It's purchsses aaS
led The bulk OF the capitalists 10 cass LuIaL ptut
elsewhere When they see the sgeil-to-do bouTgeois
giving uP his country estate and settlns IN tow; NJ
Iksy gay 10 themselves il is much better 10 pay
railway shares or government bonds, which VIII
always be negotiable than 10 eacuInDer thein-
selves with possessions Of which they may be un-
aus sf'erEaid 70 d5spo5e ,.e,- ssa the 1oyroeois
class settling eOprl again IN the country and tax
ing pride and pleasure in their estates, ana me
to secTr M @ richest soil and the best sites. the
value Of landed property viii go up WIKI fuSh-
Frances problem seems therefore TO be mat
q discovering the means Of inducing the middle
class 10 return 10 country life; for TINS expert
enced observer tells us that where the small
capitalists go the masses viii follow. II this
observation is correct. the American reader VIII
be quick 10 observe the radical difference be
tween the situation in France and that in our
country At present there are small investors
enough in America who are anxious to go into
farming but are deferred in no small measure
By the difficulty OF coaxing laborers away from
the Industrial centres There are hundreds OF
charming country villages from Maine TO Cali
fornia which can offer lahorers and small farm
eFs alnost as many pleasures ana sociai aofah-
fages the large cities can: the spread OF iroi-
ieys and telephones has turned vast regions Oh
flaming land into suburbs. NJ. Meline recog-
nizes that our agricultural problem is not that
OF his own land at all Speaking Of the United
States. he says:
than the ElT opean nations, greatly does thelr
Industrial production exeeed their own oeiidlIoS,
ard they dc things with such a rush that II seems
loss bic pull them short But 1--WE look more
Closely their condition are soon reaSSUfeo
far as they are concerned. they may succeed IN
running all the rest Of the world. they can never
ruin themselves. because they can always IAN PACK
upon agriculture which they have been careful uh-
Mks Great Britain sacrifice 10 nasufactures
They have had the wisdom. TO keep the TWO forms
Of Industry abreast and 10 neglect nelt!ter- lner
extraordinary energy could not have been better
Erided than IN has been. Their greatest efforts
lave been 10 turn their soil 10 account and develop
their agriculture ia the consciousness that therein
law source OF their Wealth and