The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-09-15
TWO GREAT PROBLEMS.


Idfe.
At Utica. -. Y, Colonel Theodore
Roosevelt, in a lengthy speech, dweit
on the two great problems OF AmeTi-
can life, conservation and the better
ment of public life. In part. he said:
There are no two public questions
of more vital Importance TO the fu-
ture Of this country than the prob
lem of the betterment OF public life.
Moreover, these two problems are
really interdependent. for neither OF
them can be successfully solved save
on condition that there Is at least
measurable success in the effort TO
solve the other. In any great coun-
try the. prime physical asset-the
physical asset more valuable than
any other-is the fertility OF the soil.
All our Industrial and commercial
welfare, all our material develop
ment of every kind. depends In the
last resort upon our preserving and
increasing the fertility OF the sell.
This, of course. means the conserva-
ton Of the soil as the great natural
resource, and, equally, OF course, 1t
furthermore implies the development
of country life, for there cannot be
a permanent improvement OF the soil
IL the life of those who live on 1t,
and make their living out OF 1t, is
suffered to starve and languish, to
become stunted, and weakened and
inferior to the type of lifel ived else
where. We are now trying to pre-
serve, not for the permanent benefit
of the whole people, the waters and
the forests, and we are doing this
primarily as a means OF adding in
each case there is great secondary
use both of the water and Of the for
ests for commercial and industrial
purposes. In the same way 1t Is es-
sential for the farmers themselves to
try to broaden the life Of the man
who lives in the open country; to
make it more attractive, to give 1t
every adjunct and aid to develop
ment which has been given to the life
of the man of the cities. Therefore,
friends, the conversation and rural
life policies are really two sides of
the same policy; and down at bottom
this policy rests upon the fundamen-
tai law that neither man nor can
prosper unless, in dealing with the
present, he steadily take thought for
the future.
An Old Problem.
"In one sense this problem with
which we have to deal is very, very
old. Wherever civilizations have
hitherto sprung up they have always
tended to go through certain stages
and then to fail. No nation can de-
velop a real civilization without cit
les. Up to a certain point the city
movement is thoroughly healthy; yet
it is strange and lamentable fact
that always hitherto, after this point
has been reached, the city has tend
ed to develop at the expense of the
country by draining the country of
what is best in it, and making an in
significant return for this best. In
consequence, in the past, every civil
iZation in it's later stages has tended
really to witness those conditions un-
der which the cities prosper and the
men decay There are ugly signs
that those tendencies are at work in
this nation Of ours. But very for.
tunately We see now what never be-
fore was seen in any civilization-ar
aroused and alert public interest ir
the problem, recognition of it's gray
ity and desire to attempt it's solu
tioin.
"The problem does not consis
merely in the growth of the city
Such a growth in itself is a goot
thing and not bad thing for tn,
country. The problem consists il
the growth of the city at the expens,
OF the country; and, even where thi
is not the case, in so great an equal
ity of growth in power and interes
as to make the city more attractive
than the country, and, therefore, an
to drain the country of the peopl
who ought to live therein.
The Human Side.
Inc human side Of the rural lif
problem is to make the career of tn
farmer and the career of the farm Ia
borer as attractive and as remue1
ative as corresponding careers in tn
city. Now, 1 am we'll aware that tn
farmer must himself take the lead i
bringing this about. A century an
a quarter ago the wise English farm
er, Arthur Young, wrote of the e
forts to improve French wool: 6
cultivator at the head of a sheep far
of 5000 or 1000 acres would, in
few years, do more for their WOO
than all the academicians and phi
osophers will effect in ten centuries
1t is absurd to think that any ma
who has studied the subject only tn
oretically is fit to direct those WI
practically work at the matter. Blu
friends, wish to insist to you he,
TO Won nra cfina1 man ubo oxr~