The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-07-28
The Soul Of Henry
George
BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX.

trial savior OF the world was lost
cause he needs but TO visit England
TO have bis faith In its ultimate tri-
utnph restored.
A few years ago Joseph Fels,
benevolent American millionaire. Of
ferod to give $4,000 year TO put the
single tax into effect somewhere In
the United States, II all the other
single takers would combine and con-
tribuate similar sum.
A devout believer In the single tax.
as the most perfect solution OF the
Industrial problems of the world, the
writer Of this asticle had not tne
least conception Of what was being
done In the way Of practical DEM
onstration of its efficacy 10 relieve
poverty and misery until recent Wis
II TO England chanced to give the H.
lustration.
Mr.. F'es spends six months of each
year In Europe and six months In
A;merica, All OF his time. wherever
OF his great religion, the single tax.
Here Is how he puts it Into ac-
tive practice:
lie approaches men and corpora
and persuades them to give him the
use OF several acres free of rent
Each acre Is divided into eight
parts, and each poor man who is will
ing to give small holdings a trial Is
permitted to use garden plot.
society was formed by Mr. Falls
In London in 1908.
II obtains. the loan Of land from
owners and lets 1t in plots. rent free,
to needy working men and women,
The total area now controlled by
this society ls sixty-fiv acres
Upon this go men and women have
plots In cultivation.
Including the families, 2soo persons
are thus deriving benefit. Additional
applicants number 800. To provide
for these, forty acres more land arc
needed
Within the metropolitan area there
land
Most Of that loaned to the society
was previously lying waste for years.
The gross retail value OF the prod
ceeds s25 900.
For every ,s5 spent by the society
the plot holders have had s25 worth
OF useful vegetables.
improved health OF the men and
their families has been marked in
many cases,
The value of seIf-help. self-rs-
nance, patience and perseverance
mas been demonstrated
aIot holders have also learned how
great reward well-directed indus
Try can extract from the land.
Few voluntarily give up their pIots
when once esta ablished
Iaklng a summary Of the returns
CenS
men who had them for more than q
year have secured satisfactory crons-
put tne average varies greatly in diff
lerent districts. 1t would be inyidi-
Tus 10 mention particular places, but
IN three cases where the soil condI-
uons were by far the worst the aver
ase is much higher than on the more
favored sites, rising In a dozen In
sosnees TO 90 per cent OF a probable
pehds upon individual Industry and
resolution, md II would be hard to
this work 'iiai
The total value Of the produce
taken at moderate average ex,
ceeds $4,000. this includIns rat
used and sold at the prevailing re.
IN prices OF each district namely
the prices the plot holders wo,,ia
nave 70 pay to shopkeepers or hawk
The total gum expended hy +,,,a
society In the corresponding perioS
TO effect these results is less than
, ,he men would have had to pay col
tpa tp.'Ie1y az rent Tor allotments In
rates.
when It Is remembered that ths
whole OF the land thus employed had
previously been practically waste
IN some cases for many years-the
and their families have profited sub
stantiailt, and help has been rem
dered without pauperizing the recipi-
ents' me men have learned the full
vaIue or Industry. rightly applied TO
The utilization OF the resources Of the
soil - e''o
one pleasant feature OF this work
is the keen appreciation of the WON
en- folk, and the benefits which the
cnao omildren derive from plentiful sup
the mothers say that the children
are far more eager for such food as
the product OF their fathers plots
and labor than they were when it had
F, to be bought in barrows In the
streets. The health advantage to the
young is great and indisputable, and
several instances have come under our
notice where notable improvement
has been evident since the fathers
have held these plots OF land
One wife says that in the whole
OF her married life no more fortu-
nate occurrence had happened than
when we were able 10 grant her hus-
band piece 0f garden. She said.
home than / can describe" and Il
certainly seemed to be case in
which silence was more eloquent than
words.
4 writer In the Westminster Ga
zette says. after visiting some OF the
plots ''Three or four months ago
rubbish. 'the accumulation Of a quar-
ter OF a century. covered the land.
and H. took five weeks hard work on
the part of the man and his family
to get rid OF It. II lay between him
and his desire to get back to the
land, and We can gauge the keenness
of his land hunger by his willing
ness to clear 1t away. The plots are
today an inspiring spectacle. for
here was the first wealth produced
by the land within living memory.
ears and years il had been left idle.
ugly and useless. Many were the
glowing accounts OF crops obtained.
In the voice of each man Is q note
Of pride as he tells OF his work;
and already they are dreaming OF
next summer. when they Will enter
fully into their Inheritance"
E o. Greening, In chapter Of the
One and All annual. deals fully with
the work OF the society. and adds:
''All last summer 1t was pleasant 10
sec the happy. healthy look on the
people, working hard on their ellot-
ment gardens. Men who might have
been compelled TO stand Idle or
saunter and loiter about street cor
bright public house too near and too
tempting soon became absorbed In
the most fnscina ting OF all occupa-
tions."
The soul of Henry George Is
marching on. Success 10 the Joseph
Fels fund.
IL - \