The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1910-12-22


causes that often make folk in the
country disagree with each other and
that, in their turn, make the develop
ment of the country districts and the
Improvement of the lot of the farmer
so gradual an accomplishment.
It's the little things that lead up
to and govern the big things in this
life, whether on the farm or in the
city.
Quit fussing with your neighbor
about the trif1ing damage his chick
ems do to your flower or truck gar
den. The thing is too small to quar-
rel about, with so many infinitely
bigger things that may be material
lied only by cooperation, and coop
GRAFTON between pickering neighbors
is an impossibility.
Once in my old county, two prom
inent men became mixed up in a
lawsuit at great expense for twenty
or thirty years over a tiny strip of
cheap land, worth at best but a few
dollars. Finally the court divided
the land between the two, a COM
promise they could themselves have
reached and saved hundreds of dol
lars, their self-respect and the cost
in community stagnat1on-for no
community goes forward when it's
people are at feud with each other.
In this same county I once saw
forty-one fool neighbors in knock
down drag-Out fight over the de-
finition of a word. I also saw man
severely cut within a stones throw
of my home in a quarrel over five
cents. Of course his family, and the
family of the man who did the cut
ting, had to suffer, for the aggressOr
in this case was sentenced to the
changing.
These incidents that I mention
have been and are common in every
rural community. There is visible
an improvement, but it needs the
hard work of every farmer in the
United States to help it forward.
If half the energy spent on these
needless and silly disputes, many of
which blossom into tragedies, were
concentrated on getting along with
your neighbors and working together
for the common improvement, the
so-called rural problem" would be
settled in short order.
You might take the initiative, for
instance, by organizing an improve
ment society for the neighborhood.
If your neighbOrs will not fall in
with the idea, it is not going to hurt
you to go ahead on your own hook.
AS soon as they see the results, they
will "come across" For example, a
number of years ago, church in my
neighbOrhood had no shade trees
around it. [ went out and put in
about five dozen young shade trees
without consulting the brethren. Re-
member, they had had about fifteen
years to improve the looks of that
bleak place with a few trees and a
little grass, but the excuse always,
"no time"
The first Saturday after the trees
were set out Conference was held,
and my case was before that august
body The members charged that as
I was not a member of that church I
had no right to put out trees, grass,
or anything else, that might beautify
the grounds and give them lovelier
environment in which to worship
God without their permission.
They wanted to know by what au-
thority I Quilted in" After several
hours wrangling they could not To-
cate authority or presidents of any
nature. Anyhow, the trees stood and
today there is a fine grove around
that particular church. That is the
result I was after, regardless of i'm
IiotA hn be