The Holly chieftain., 1908-11-20
WHERE % YOU BUY2
HssMs Trading ls Next TO the
Very First Law Of Mature.
STAND sY YOUR OWN TOWN.

Whoe TIVE We'll Known Writer'S IhsHa
Il Mail oetse rradsrs-es1s Feed
Fer RsAsstisa BY Woman Whs Buys
Through tn. cstsissuss.
We are face to face with the fact
that the commercial strength Of ths
country town. the sstural social and
business center Of every rural COM
nunity. u being gradually undermined
By the peculiar" corapstition Of tho
% called catalogue houses In the larger
cities. Last year At least S25J.OO0.O0o
that should have gone IT. the retail
merchants Of the middle ives, was sent
away from home to these mail order
concerns. This II serious. 1t Is dou-
bly, serious because 1t IL q cash busi-
ness and q continual drain on the
finances Of the whole rural community.
for none Of 1t ever comes back. The
money that the farmer or the wage
Garner spends with the retail merchant
IN his home town remains In circuia-
ton In the neighb0rhood. but the money
sent away il like 10 much lifebioOd
b reached by the tax collector TO be
made to bear Its share Of the cost Of
public improvements and public pro-
tsction.
Every good citizen owes allegiance.
Afst, to bis family: second. to the cOm-
munity In which he lives. and. third.
to the nation. This IL the theory. Ac
cording to Richard A. Haste. well
known writer on home trade topics.
But when the nation il In peril ana
calls for help men sacrifice both family
and friends for the nations good. We
call this patriotism. And the first
duty Of the loyal citizen is to the ma
don, for 1t embraces both the COM
munity and the family welfare.
We don't think much of the men who
ran away to Canada to escape their
duty during the days of the civil war
We don't think much Of the woman.
who neglects her family that she may
entertain her friends. Selhshnesn.
when home is the object. is almost
virtue. What are We to think Of peo-
pie who pass up their town and do
their trading in the cities In the hope
Il saving 4 few cents? II they live In
tAe town, II they be lawyers. doctors.
preachers, teachers, bankers or COM
mon wags earners. II Is from the town
thsy get their living: II they he farm
srs. It Il the town that affords them
markets and the good things Of mod
srn civilization. and. more than that.
Il = the town that gives value to their
farms. What shall we think Of such
people II they deliberately ignore the
allegiance they owe to the community
foe protection and the very bread they
eat and send their money. nome Of
which may come directly from the
public purse, as in the case Of school
teachers. to the cities for the things
they can get at home? What shall We
think Of them1
This IL what William Allen White
thinks Of them in Emporia. Kan. 1t is
stfaight talk, but is has the ring OF
sood sense In It.:
The man who buys his goods Of .
mail order house and expects his
nslghbors In Emporia to buy goods Of
him or buy labor of him or to buy
professional service Of him Ia econom-
ically lsech. He Is sucking Industrial
bseod out Of the town and gives none
back. He sends his profits out Of
town like Z Chinaman and has no
more. right to 4 standing in the com.
nunity than 4 foreigner. We are all
Asighbon industrially in this town.
and the man who sends away for bis
goods Il not one Of us. He is Of an
ether industrial system and deserves
no mans support In Emporia."
What Il true of Emporia. Kan. is
tue Of every other town in the United
States. One Of the primal obligatio
any good citizen owes to the commu-
nity in which he lives IL that Of recip
rocal trade. It il only thus that the
community interests Of the country
can Be maintained.
This buying Of catalogue houses and
through soap clubs n fad that has
grown up In the commercial garden
Ike rank weed. It grew and hour-
ished because thGe was no attemp.
made to keep the garden clear of sucl,
srowths. People have been SO busy
about other things that they simply
forgot the obligations they are under
to their neighbors and to themselves
- a community. And even since
there has been 4 marked awakening to
the need far civic improvement. for
building up he Industrial aud ethical
interests Of the home town. the work
ers seem to have overlooked the most
imn0rfanf fNature NJ II all-tho nro<. =