Evening star., 1914-08-01
Country Means Emancipation.

To me. therefore, the country means
emancipation. I am only beginning to
learn the lore of the soil. but I have
learned enough to know that given land
can wiring q living from it. My family
need not want With the 5000 which
Jane inherited years ago and which re-
mains untouched / could face the loss of
my position with comparative eQuanimity.
But I am determined that money shall
remain. as 1t has been. an emergency
fund Of iast resort. 1 believe 1 can work
out the problem OF independence without
1t, and daily / grow In eagerness to try
So now you see what it means most to
me. Ambition has taken the place Of
the long years OF stagnation.
I have a definite object now to work
toward. and have set myself to the task
before. That doesn't mean have thrown
caution to the winds. / think I am
planning my life more cautiously than
ever in the past. In fact. outside Of con-
trtving to hold my Job there hadn't been
much plan to my existence. We struggled
to keep out Of DEBT and made fitful at
tempts at saving, but they never lasted
long because there was lacking definite
purpose. l am going to continue to hold
my job for a time, or try to. and can
do it now without any taint Of the craven.
But am going to devote every available
hour and every dollar We can lay aside
to the building up Of business Of my
own right out here in the country-a busi-
ness of corn and cabbages and 'spuds, -
of chickens and eggs and milk and but
ter.
My contract for Sunny Knoll pro-
vides that I may renew my lease for a
period Of two years from next March.
At any time before expiration Of the two
purchase at an agreed-upon price. That
is what I am going to do. And am
going to do it out Of the profits from the
place and the savings from my salary.
Big Job, But Possible.
know 1t looks like a big contract,
but it can be done. I'll not be able to
pay all cash. but can make an accept
able first payment. Then rent will stop and
what now goes monthly to the landlord
will help pay carrying charges. We have
figured 1t all out in family council. and
the program has unanimous approval.
This is even more a first home to the
children than 1t is to Jane and mo. The
boys are eager to help now. and their
help will grow more valuable each year.
Ambition has como to them as well as
to me.
At the end Of the 1rst year I expect
had when we started. but that isn't dis
couraging. Salary still just about
reaches from one payday to the next,
though there is less painful stretching
have drawn rather heavily on the few
hundred dollars In cash we had in the
bank: But the money hasn't gone merely
for things to eat and wear. with nothing
COW. a pig and chickens a beginning
at implement equipment. both for farm
ing and poultry raising. some new build
ings and fencing and a crop to be har-
what we have drawn from the bank
AS it Is certain We would have saved
little or nothing had We remained ir
town. this should leave the livestock and
Besides, I have put into tire soil q lot
of fertility, which I will not cash OH
until next year.
And there still remains a credit item
help but believe that ought to be worth
good deal in real money next year.
When l started last spring my practical
farm knowledge was nil, and my program
fair 1 had no definite purpose except to
get out and dig and plant seeds and grow
something anything, to eat. I made a
lot of mistakes. and some Of them were
costly OF course. still have an almost
appalling lot to learn and am bound to
make other mistakes, but ought to Off
set them through profiting by the mis-
takes already made. / certainly will be
much better equipped mex. spring than
was last. and II break even this year
there ought to be a proit next.
A Foundation for knowledge.
I remember that when was a boy /
read Gibbons Rome. waded through that
ponderous. heavy volume. with hardly q
glimmering Of understanding. was "cul-
tivating my mind" II any single sprout
of eruditon took root it perished long