Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1913-02-14


you are away from home, with the
sheep cattle, or what-not: if you go
to market, it is longer time away
from home. In the city we have too
many distractions; some of us here in
Spokane know it takes practically six
days week to attend the various
committee meetings and then the diff
terent social engagements, but the
moderate sized town does not have
so many of these things TO do: we can
get together at the grocery store or
some other place if we want to have
committee meeting of some kind.
Blu here in Spokane we have to pick
out our noontimes and our evenings.
The city father has less association
with mis- children. He can have this
and still attend to his business in
small town.
There are more avenues for inno-
cent enjoyment and for right rela-
tionship in the small town. The city
time; too many methods of the wrong
kind of amusement and entertain
ment for children, while back in the
small villages there are not enough
of the right kinds of enjoyment. In
the large cities there are too many
social and class distinctions, but in
the medium-sized town rich and poor
go together; there is more perfect
equality.
There is less secrecy in the small
town. One can live two lives in the
city for years before being found out.
Your boy may be going to the bad and
you do not find it out in time to stop
him. The life of each individual is
largely an open one in the small
town. There is a m oral standard in
the small cOnupity-on general and
definite standard, to which each and
all OF the people must measure up.
But in the cities there are various
standards; every group has differel
standards of morality. A man can
have any degree of moral standard or
moral ideas | think that having the
standard more definitely set makes
the people better.
In small towns every individual
is interested in the success or failure
of his fellow. In the city we do not
get acquainted with the people; we
are not so much interested in them
In the town life there is a oneness
which develops the humanitarian
idea and these men and women who
grow up in the towns and villages are
more democratic. There are fewer
pitfalls and less financial strain in
| the small town than in the city The
price that the wealthy woman pays
for her hat, the price she pays for
| Ter dress, the price the wealthy man
pays for his automobile-al have
tendency in the city to make the
other fellow, who can not afford
these things, feel that he must do
| likewise. Consequently, it strains
the moral fiber and moral integrity
of men and women living in a city
who try to measure up to appear
ances, or to the pace set by the
wealthy people who are able to do
| these things without detriment to
themselves.
There is glare and attraction
Oargely artificial) that is drawing
boys and girls from the country to
the city. If we can check this ten
dency and show that there is larger
manhood and womanhood in the
country towns, and make these towns
more desirable places in which to
live, there will then be wonderful
exodus of men of affairs to the
country towns in order to give their
sons and daughters a fair, square
chance to become real men and wo-
men"
There is much truth in the conten-
ton of Mr.. Sampson as to the advan-
tages which may be derived from liv-
ing in small city, but it must be re-
membered that city is what its peo-
pie make it, and these advantages are
too often possibilities rather than
realities. Pullman possesses all of
these possibilities to an unusual ex-
tent, but it is up to the people to
transform them into realities and, by
taking an active interest in public
affairs, to develop the natural ad-
yantages of the city as a dwelling
place and make it an ideal community
for homes.