The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-12-20


advertising during the long dull sea
son in midsummer.
Men who work for wages of from
nine to fifteen dollars per week, If
they are reasonably steady in habits,
can usually feel assured of steady
work as long as their health holds
out, but with the cost of living
where it is now and with prospect
of being higher rather than lower,
they have mighty little to
look forward to in the way
Of profit At these wages
1t is practically impossible for them
to ever lay up anything or even to
own their home. On these wages, 1t
Is only by the most rigid economy
that they can support wife and bring
up a family. In their old age, II
they live that long, they can count
on being reduced to living on much
smaller income and perhaps depend
ing on relatives or even on charity.
II would seem as though their lack OF
prospects for the future would open
their eyes to the gloom Of their stu
alton. There is one remedy and
only one for the man of average abil-
ity, who knows that he is likely to al
ways have to work for moderate
wages, and that remedy is the move
ment back to the farm. The rural
sections of every eastern state have
been depopulated by the call of the
towns and cities. Great industrial
communities have grown up where 1t
Is harder and harder for the wage
Garner to live because the depopula-
ton of the farms has made food per-
manently high. All economists agree
that there is little likelihood of farm
products ever being permanently low
in price again. This means that
from now on, the best business for
the man of ordinary ability will be
farming. No farmer, unless a loafer
or drunkard, or too dense to learn
ever comes to want. Farming is
business and a profession combined
and brains will count on a farm just
as much or more than they will in
other places, but any man who is
willing to work ana study and learn
from books and observation can hope
to get ahead on a farm and lay by
something for old age, which is some
thing that cannot be done in the
towns and cities by men who have
TO work for small wages and are ex-
posed to depressions, shutdowns, fail
ures and all the changes and tran
sitions of industrial activity. Through
out the rural sections of New Eng
land, New York and other eastern
states, are thousands of farms once
prosperous and supporting large fam.
lilies, which can be bought for little
money. Some of them are back from
the railroad but in healthy, attractive
locations and within reach Of schools
church, and rural mail delivery and
rural telephone service. There are
hundreds OF these farms in Vermont
that can be bought for less than wha
the buildings cost Most Of then
can be bought for little none!
down and reasonable credit for tn,
remainder II would be a foollsl
thing for a man who knows nothing
about farming to think he can go on
TO a farm without previous trainin
and make It pay, but any man unde
fifty years OF age who is willing {
work and study, and learn from tn
intelligent among his neighbors ca
learn farming and have reasonabl
hope of prospecting. better than b
ever could at small wages in city {
village. The long winter evening
are at hand and n man who wish'
to better himself might we'll get son
OF the well known works on farmir
and study the question In all seriou
ness. There is a text book used
the Bennington public schools viii,
gives a pretty good insight into elel
entary agriculture. We presur
that copies Of this book could be
cured through the superintendent
schools at cost, and there are dou
less others which might be had. T
cheap lands Of this country are
longer In the west but 1. the ca
near to market and where the prot