Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-03-05
THE PROBLEM OF COUNTRY LIFT
(Florida Times-Union.)

advantages must be provided to make
country life attractive" and we have
been acting on the conclusion 50
reached; while the inhabitant of the
city has been entreated to find moral
health and happiness in the country,
we are informed that the purest gold |
of the rural districts has been travel |
ing toward the streets and skyscrapers
perhaps we should conclude that the
country has little too much of moral
health and happiness for its own COM
fort.
For decade we have been advised
to see the growth of the Western
states and accept their people as the
real up-to-date Americans-the mel
who had saved us from the conso-
quences of our own folly, and now
could serve US as guides and teachers.
We have done so, and the South has
lost many of its distinctive character
ics-especially in politics have We
departed from the ways of our fathers,
and some of us have proclaimed the
wisdom of the new departure; we have
been asked tonote that Western farm
ers rode to market in automobiles,
talked to each other over telephone
wires, churn ed butter by machinery and
lighted their barns and stables with
incandescent lamps. 1t has all been
very fine and romantic, but very much
like Robinson Crusoe and Looking
Backward-we have felt ourselves
walking on air, and only after a pincn
or a shake could we realize that the
same old world was still about in
stead of Fairy Land But we still
sighed to know that New England was
happy because she had been finished,
while the West was being finished and
soon would be happy, while only thu
South and the sage brush states re.
NAMED to be converted from the err
ror of their ways.
But, being still sane in our mo-
ments of reflection, we have asked for
the results, and these the census re-
ports give us. OF all the sections, the
South has most largely increased in
material wealth-surely that is some
thing. Others may be richer, but We
are not envious-sufficient for us it is
to know that We are growing according
to the standard adopted at Washing
ton despite the burden of tariff that
taxes us heavily to enrich our neigh
bors; perhaps it might be found that
in lettering things than material
wealth we are not behind those who
boast more of morality and education
G. 70 r. 10 F,,A
Having found comfort as to our own
conditions, how is it with our wor-
shipful critics? Since life in the cities
is found unhealthful by the Country
Life Commission and the metropoli-
tan papers carry columns of details
as to graft and corruption every day,
let us leave the cities out of the court
! for moment and inquire as to the
happiness of the rural population
which the candidates assure us con-
stitute the backbone and support, the
hope and the glory of the country.
Let US assume also that the rural
| population will suffer something to
keep a place in its old home-it is
stolid, but also conservative; when
it becomes unpatriotic all of us are in
a bad way. Yet the government re-
ports declare that certain states are
losing their rural population, and.
strange to say, these are all the states
of New England and Ohio. Indiana,
Iowa and MissOuri-the states we had
been charged to accept as examples for
our imitation! Why should the rural
population desert these? If people TO.
their own mental and physical health
should leave the city for the country,
why should the rural population de-
| SeFt these for either, their owD citia.