Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1915-09-09
1t Points a Good Moral
By WALTER FERGUSON.

tlOUh Oh OkidnOlild llldl tic tOWnS, ana
more especially the smaller ones,
would be worth nothing without the
support given them by the farmers.
In the smaller towns the merchants
would be unable TO remain open a
day without trade from the pro-
ducers OF the community. who are the
farmers. While admitting that this
fact is true, there is another side to
the question much less analysed but
equally potent. Ii is the merchant
of the small town who pays for the
things that develop community CEN
ter and fix the valuation of the land.
The land close to the small town, as
a rule, is worth an average of rs per
cent more than that ten or more miles
from the center.
This fact was amply illustrated in
settled community in a Northern
state not so many years ago when a
prosperous country town practically
died from want of support The land
values were high and a succession of
abundant crops had fixed prosperity
that seemed permanent and impreg-
nable. The values of land in the par
ticular community were the highest in
the state and the country town that
was the social and business center was
regarded as the most substantial in
that section. First buying away from
home habit developed to an alarming
stage and for several years an in
creased indifference toward the local
merchants grew until failures were
recorded where prosperity seemed as
sured. Merchants and business men
accepted the lack of interest in their
efforts to build and maintain the COM
munity as an indifference toward
community cooperation, and those
who were able moved away. Others
who tried to keep up the standard of
old failed, and still others who re-
manned and met conditions as they
were, allowed their stores to dwindle
until they amounted to practically
nothing. A fine city park that was
the pride of the entire state, which
had been maintained by subscriptions
from local merchants, and handsome
trees, on which it was impossible to
place values, were allowed to die. A
place of beauty became one of de- {
serted interest. The town, that had
the proud record of never having /
turned down an extra tax for public t
rejected the necessary Il
increase over the legal levy for the b
schools and the efficiency of this most t.
potent factor in the specialization of t
he community was all but destroyed. a
The contract for a Chautauqua that n
lad been thirty years an annual event "
n the county was cancelled because fl
t had always been better than the h
ctual patronage had justified. The t.
xtra expense had been met by the c;
merchants clubbing and using some IL
hing over a thousand tickets as a,
remiums. The county fair, which v;
ad been largely supported by an II
nnual contribution of from SIS to it
100 each from local merchants, in tt
EDITION to like amount for charity tc
dvertising in the annual catalogue, TIL
as not started in the town as it had re
cen every spring for twenty-five 81
ears. The board of directors scat tn
red over the county held the fair Sc
list the same, but without contribu- la
ons and support of those merchants fe
no had left and scant amount from sa
lose who remained. The first time an
deficit was ever allowed to stand sa
as recorded this year. 1t was not nit
e first deficit, but in former years ste
e merchants would hold a meeting a by