The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-25
RUMOREDP PAGE MAY RUN FOR GOVERNOR Much Interest in Famous
 Southern Novelist SOON IMPORT FOOD
Howard Gross of Chicago Says United States Will Soon Be Unable to Feed People-Girls' Studio
 Club Is Big Success
BY ROBERT LEE CART0TR.

BY ROBERT LEE CARTTR.
 New York. February 17.-(Special. 1.-The news that Thomas Nelson Page may run for governor of Virginia has been re- ceived in New York with a great deal of interest, for the famous southern nov elist has as many friends in the Big Village" almost as he has in his native state.
 The opinion here is that Virginia would do herself proud if she should make 'Marse Chan" her chief executive. He would be a worthy successor of the long line of distinguished gentlemen who have filled the executive chair at Richmond. Moreover his election would be a refresh ing example of the office seeking the man, for MT. Page is not only maAiiig no efferot to get the nomination, but is actually away on a pleasure trip to AL giers at the very time it will be made.
 Before his departure MT Page said.
 My only part in politics is ,an trying. with my friends, to promote the great principles of democracy. I am a stuuent or politics, and take an interest in all public questions, but am not and .never
 S~~fA e~saNSiy tnSd5cu III pfdtliCui politics.
 The only political position I ever held resigned. That Is record which few politicians can boast of. I, when young man, was elected alderman in Richmond. After serving short time I quit"
 When pressed for reply as to whether or not he would accept the nomination, MT. Page contnued:5
 I guess would be more likely to &C., IL
 the nomination upon me-
 When asked for an expression of opin- ion on the entry of scholars into the field or politics, MT. Page said that he thought 1t praiseworthy move.
 The mere fact that man has been a student" he continued, 'better eouips him for any office to which he may be elected than not. In Greece the men who achieved regulations in the politics of that country were the students We hear too much talk, even in business life. thar scholarship is not essential to success m life. It Is not, but the man who possesses its advantages is better fitted than he would be without tflem J. P Nor gan, who stands at the forefront in the financial life of New York, is probably one of the best educated men in this coun- try. He had reputation as a scholar be- fore he made his reputation as a business man."
 Within 20 years this country will be obliged to import food now grown in plenty In this country. and inside of 50 years we shall not be able to feed our people, unless we adopt an entirely differ ent system of farming" declares Howard Il. Gross of Chicago, president of the Ma tional Soil Fertility league.
 Population is overriding production and either we shall have to begin soon to provide means for increasing our pro- auction or shall have to change our sys- tenn of living. This is the only country fr the world where all the people eat the same kind of food. It matters not whether man be millionaire or a laborer, he has an ample supply of all the good things of life. The working man as well as the capitalist has meat three times day. if he wants it. An Eu- rope the man who works in the factory Is glad to get meat once 0 week. In the Orient the laborer never eats meat, out subsists mostly on rice. While we have vast country, some of it perhaps virgin soil, the time Is rapidly approaching when our soil will be exhausted of its fer tility, and then we shall have to begin to replenish it.
 Just think of 1t, The countries of r.i- rope have had their farms under cultiva- tion for hundreds of years longer than those in the United States, yet the av- craze wheat production in this country Is only 14.3 bushels to the acre, while the production in Germany is 2s bushels, in England B bushels. in Belgium 34, and in Denmark 40 bushels At this time 9 per cent of our corn is consumed at home and 91 per cent of our wheat. It is not a difficult matter to figure that within 20 years at the most we shall consume all of our wheat and corn and other cereals. and shall have to buy from abroad. Ana then, unless we get a move on ourselves we shall not be able in 50 years to feed our people.
 '"The Department of Agriculture has been doing a great work. Tt has pub- lished and is publishing vast amount of valuable literature, but a great deal of this does not get to the people who should profit by it. For many years the agricul- tural departments of Europe were unable to get real results from the work of their scientists and experiment stations, and if was not until they began sending men into communities and keeping them there to teach the farmers better methods of cultivation that they solved the problem. The result has been that all over Europe the farmers are producing upon soil that cannot compare in fertility with that of this country many times larger crops than we are in the United States.''
 There are in New York some 12,009 women students, from out of town d. vided between the various arts, running mostly to music and drawing and paint ing. Their problems are so many that one wonders sometimes how their young backs bear them so bravely.
 The Studio club, an organization for girls who have come to New ork 10 study one of the arts. has opened club home at B East Sixty-second street. where 70 girls can be made comfortable and happy at from s7.50 to $10 a week, while they follow the road that is going to lead. some day, to Parnassus It Is to be a self supporting proposition, outside of the initial cost
 The club which Is affiliated with the Young Women's Christian association, js run not for poor girls or for rich girls, but just for girls. Some of the members come from wealthy homes and turn to the club because it offers them companions ship and shelter without unreasonable re- strictions: some of them have but little money saved when they reach New Yorx and find the moderate prices of the club an attraction. All are young women in dead earnest There is not a dllletante a mo ho