The Ordway new era., 1909-04-16
THE FARMERS NEEDS
Attracts Attention of Thoughtful
Men of America

grass VIII grow In the streets OF every
city in the land.-Willam Jenninp,
Bryan.
| III there is one lesson taught by his
TORY, u Is That the permanent great.
ness OF any State must depend more
upon It's country population than upon
anything else. No growth Of cities.
no growth Of wealth can make up for
a loss in either the number or char
acter OF the farming population
Theodore Roosevelt.
| Thus the two leading eXponcnts Of
public life in America plead against
the migratory movement of the BOYS
and girls Of the farm to the factories
and the cities. How to prevent this
movement has been subject OF study
by statesmen, sociol0gists and politi.
cal economists for years: but as a
factor Of national importance it has
never before assumed the proportions
it reaches today.
Contrarily, every effort Is being
made to induce residents OF large
cities who are unable to get work to
seek employment on farms in the
west and the southwest. Strange as
I may seem these people who. in
great majority Of cases, are reduced
to state of dire poverty and distress
refuse to leave their crowded and
filthy tencmcnts, which breed disease
with every succeeding day, for place
where they can satisfy their wants
and breathe the pure air of freedom.
The situation is, Il paradOXical one
and well worthy OF the great amount OF
attention being given IL. 1t may be
said, however. that efforts toward the
correction OF this evil can hardly be
expected to meet with any marked
success for years to come.
Reasons for this are many. Sociolo-
gists may advise what action to take
to make the farm boy satisfied with
the calling they would force upon
him. Statesmen may enact legislative
measures which would make that
calling more attractive; but what can
they offer the country boy which will
make his life so promising financially
as a business career in the city?
The mistaken idea is prevalent that
the farm boy leaves his home because
he is discontented with his social
environment. and that his country
life does not offer enough OF amuse-
ment, in other words that lie is dis.
satisfied with his home life. This is
not true. The farmer boy loves his
home, It's surroundings, loves his
parents and it causes him many heart
aches to leave them; but he does leave
because he sees in the city more OPP
portunities for meeting people tinan-
cially, socially and politically promin-
ent; and more opportunities for
making a mark in the world.
The desire of the farm boy to enter
the commercial life Of the city is, In
vast majority of cases, first instilled
in him by his parents. With natur-
al pride they over-estimate his
capabilities and believe he can es-
tablish a name for himself that will
be as illustrious as that OF many farm
boys who have preceded him. The
result in a large percentage of cases Is
that he ekes out bare existence at
some small clerkship from which he
cannot or never does rise above.
or course, this is not true in all
cases. Men who have been most
successful In business careers spent
their boyhood days on the farm. But
great many farm bred boys would
have been better off and far more con-
tented In life had they been satisfied
to be "a big toad in small pond
rather than small toad In big
pond"
Agriculture is the foundation OF our
national prosperity. To safeguard
that prosperity some financial induce.
ment must be offered the farm-preu
toy to follow his fathers occupation.
The North Atlantic States farmer
r Uses 1884 worth of products from
farms averaging 90 acres each. Ihe
South Atlantic States farmer raises
only s4s4 worth of produce on Farms
averaging 1os acres. The farmer OF
the North Central States raises Sl'o'4
worth Of products on farms averaging
IA acres, while the South central
States farmer raises but S36 worm
of produce on farms averaging 100
acres each. These figures are OF the
last census year.
Therefore 1t Is easily seen that the
farmer must learn intensive cultiva-
tion Of the soil and turn from tne
extravagant methods Of the past
There should be fuller scheme OF
| -,,, ...,oc hut n new kind OF