The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1911-08-17

COUNTRY TOWN ON MARKET DAY.
tricts and its pauperism. The country
town has no slums. and every one is
self supporting. The red light and
criminal districts of the cities are un
known to the country towns. The po
lice force and the criminal courts of
the city are unnecessary. and the
money which these would cost can be
used to plant trees and build side
walks.
The cities are crowded almost to the
limit of human endurance. The coun-
try town has less room than the cOun-
try itself. but still there is plenty for
every one. The cost of food that Is so
alarming to the city dweller is more
or less of a joke to the resident of the
country town He has garden In his
back yard and a cow in neighboring
pasture. The cost of living may have
affected his ability to purchase lux
uries. but he will always have plenty
to eat.
The country town has distinctive
place to fill in the development of thu
country. Some people would do away
with the country town altogether and
let all the farmers business be done
in the citieS. Others would have the
farmer patronize his home merchant al
whatever cost An average between
these ideas will represent the attitude
of the majority of the farmers toward
mercantile business in the large cities
would be an unwise policy. The tend,
ency is rather in the other direction
The movement of factories to smaller
towns where the employees can live
more comfortably is becoming general
Decentralizing Of the mercantile busi-
ness must follow.
The growth of the mail order busi-
ness has been regarded as spelling the
doom Of the country town. That the
mail order business has grown to Its
present proportions is the fault OF the
country retailer himself. The country
town is essential to the prosperity OF
the farmer, but the farmer Is more
essential to the prosperity of the coun.
| try town If instead of appealing to
the sentiment of the farmer and trying
to caiole of frighten him into boycott.
ing the mail order houses the country
merchant had handled she problem In
| businesslike way there would have
been no mail order scare In those
country towns where the importance
of the surrounding farmers is recog
nized and an attempt made to give the
farmer a square deal there is little
complaint of mail order buying. It Is
the merchants who treat the farmers
unfairly who are most ready to raise
the cry against the mail order houses.
In a good many towns the farmer +
, directly Disseminated against. Tht
stores maintain delivery service fol
their city patrons. The farmer goe.
to the store for his goods, The city
man usually pays once inOnth-some
times not so often. The farmer nearly
always pays for his goods In cash o.
produce. Yet both must pay the sam'
price. The farmer is helping to pa!
the cost of a delivery system from
which be gets no benefit. He is help
ing to pay the interest on credit &C
counts and sometimes the account
themselves. II instead of working
desperately against anything tha
bears the name of parcels post on tn
ground that 1t will encourage mail oI
der buying the merchant would tur1
j In and work for low rate parcel
) post on the rural routes he would e1
!. fectually curb any tendency the CON
!, munity might have toward mail or1t'
buying. II be would deliver certai
classes Of goods to the farmers b
such a parcels post he would be gis
ing them no more than a square deal.
Another way in which the merchant
y