The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1910-08-01

for the privilege of living in the city
The setting of the tide Of population
toward the city began when the city
possessed some real advantages that
were not found in the country. To
day this condition is reversed The
current still flows cityward only be-
cause Of habit. There is a tremendous
amount of inertia to be overcome be-
fore the direction of the flow of hui
man beings will be reversed, but the
day Of about face is coming.
You may travel for hundreds of
miles through the west, where broad
arabic fields stretch out Oh every side,
with a population of not more than
four to the square mile. Even in the
fertile Mississippi valley there are but
twenty-five people located on each
square mile. In the east the country
population is more dense, but here
there are thousands Of quarter sec
tons and eighty acre tracts Of land so
fertile that ten acres properly titled
mean prosperity.
Contrast this with New York city.
with 12.578 people to the square mile,
or Chicago, with 11.44S. The cities
boast of their size and greet each add
cd Thousand enthusiastically. AS we'll
might sardine can ask to be packed
more tightly. The city is calling for
men that it does not need, for which
il has no work at living wages and nc
room without crowding some one else
little closer
The country is calling for men-call
ing with the voice of opportunity
There is room for all and to spare
There is good living for all and
surplus besides. The decentralization
Of the cities, the movement to thu
country. means saner, cleaner living
There is less of strife and sordid self
isbness out in the open country, wher'
the grass is green and the twitter o
song birds replaces the city's din. Chill
dren raised in the hayfelds make tn
men of brains and Drawn for whicl
the world is calling. Out in the coun
try it is possible for every man t
have home. The humblest lahore
can be covered at night by his ow
cottage roof The future of the III
pure and healthy home life, and ne
where can this be SO surely attaMe
as III the country.
higher standard of living is poss
in 20 l. a (.l
build a house for the price of two {
three years rent in the city. He ca
have fresh vegetables and fresh me;
and fresh eggs On the farm that mas
the canned and cold storage produce
Of the city disagreeable memor.
Forty cent eggs mean doing withol
TO the average city dweller. To II
coUntryman with a small flock of pot
try they mean prosperity. The ma
with his own COW doesn't complain
the high cost of milk and butter, f
grass is always cheap.
III the country the everlasting stru
ple to keep up appearances is not f
70 keenly as in the city. The usele
extravaganza that makes the bill f
clothes the heaviest drain on the CT
mans pocketbook is lacking. Men al
women are taken more for what tn
are worth and less for what they see
TO be. The man who lives beyond
income in an effort to appear mo
than he really is is looked upon wi
disapproval. In the country the staI
ard Of living as it applies to the n
things-food, clothing, shelter, boo
and papers-can be maintained mu
higher than it can on an equal siz
income in the city. The template
to reckless extravaganza are mu
less, and the margin for saving is c.
sequently much greater.
From the standpoint Of the avers
individual and for great many "
are above the average country life
present is much more desirable in
most every way than city life: Sc