The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-02

II ephone lines are being extended into the rural districts in all directions, giving the people direct communion ton with the towns and with each other. The troiley-car system is gradually reaching out from the towns and cities to give the farmers and their families the opportunity to go and come easily and expeditiousls from place to place. and various othei changes have taken place looking to- wards the betterment of country life
 Ali this, as we said. has been look. ed on as . general good for country people, and we had not heard 1t se- riously doubted until recently. Some days ago, however. The New York Post quoted a prominent writer and student as saying that the changes re- ferred to would have an effect direct- iy opposite that which had been ex- pected and claimed. His argument is that the more the family in the coun- try sees and hears of life in the city the more anxious will they be to go there and mix with 1t. He says that If the farmer who likes to read can have his paper delivered to him each day he will have strong desire to live In town where he can easily get all the papers he wants; that if the young people. especially. can talk to friends and acqusintances In. town. and hear what is going on they will long to be there in person; and that if they have the opportunity to ride to town at any time on the trolley car 1t will give them such a taste of city life that nothing else will satis- | fy them.
 | Such, in brief is the line of reason- ing employed by a man of whom The Post speaks very favorably as an au- thoritS on such matters. Whether he Is correct in his premises and deduc- tions is, not assured. but it would be- unfortunate if such should prove to be the case: One of the great problems of the present day is to find some way to prevent city congestion. One of the curses. as we may we'll term 1t, of the present time is countryphobia or city mania. whichever we may call 1t, though perhaps both are correct. There appears to be an unconquera- ble desire. especially among the younger people. to quit their country homes and go to the cities. The glare and the tinser, the noise and the bus tie, the mixing in and with the crowds. the close and constant asso- citation with their kind; all tend to dissatisfy them with country life and entice them away from 1t.
 l Unfortunately these rural dweIiers In their brief visits to the city usual- ly see but one side of urban fife. To their casual glance everything is pleasant. and attractive. and all Is coy- cred with the rosy hue of enjoyment. I taAs q general thing they do not see the other side of the shield They have little conception of the incon- veniences. the hardships and the pri- \ vations of city life, especially on thh part of the poor. They cannot see that city people are often hard put so 1t to obtain necessities and conven- aiences which come to the country peo- pie almost without thought or effort, and without cost. ', In short, the visi- tor sees the city people wearing good clothes all the time,, living easily to all appearances, seeing all the sights and attractions. and this Is about all he realizes. He cannot know that many of those whom he envies would gladly give up all these luxuries for the certainty of a bare living under different conditions.
 And so it Is that this false concep- ton of city life Is responsible for the constant migration from country to city, and the congestion thus caused has the natural result that always follows over-population. Thus 1t is that want and misery and crime min- gle with ease and luxury; the exhi- bition of wealth and enjoyment in the upper strata and the reality of pow erty and wretchedness among the lower orders of society.
 This is the undesirable result of over-popuiation. and to find reme- dy has been the quest of students and lovers of their kind in all civilized countries. The problem has been to make rural life not only more agreea- ble and pleasant but really more de- sIrable. In short, the object and de- sire has been to encourage migration from city to country, instead of the reverse. And this object. and the desire to accomplish it, has been one of the main reasons underlying the effort to add to the pleasures as well as the conveniences of life in the country. This has had much to do with the extension of the mail deliv- cry system. the spread of telephone lines and the reaching out of the troll