Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1916-10-26

business men to the end that we may
have a revival of interests in the
s%hip.sailing. ship-owning business and
I hope and pray and look forward to
the day when American-buiIt ships,
manned and Differed by American
seamen, carrying American goods and
flying the American flag, may be a
familiar sight in every port Of the
world.
Our National Life.
II want to talk to you today about
one of the great questions which Is
attracting the attention of statesmen
and economists. That is the question
Of our national life and its comparison
with that of other nations whose rise
and fall are 10Y history.
1--WE rejoice in the creation and
expansion of these United States Of
America, In the glorious success at.
tanned by our. Republican form OF
government and in this great, rich.
new country on the North American
continent becoming the modern cradle
of liberty; that in the latter part OF
the eighteenth century our shores
were sought as they are now, by tae
oppressed of all lands and all tongues.
as the permanent home and abiding
place Of all who craved political, re.
ligious and personal liberty.
Here have come the pioneer, op-
timistic, %able-bodied people Of every
cline, seeking a home In the new
world, and with the opportunities pre-.
sented in this great, rich, new land.
The foreigner Is soon acclimated,
naturalized. intermarried and help.
fully assimilated with our people. till
all signs Of his former nationality
have been 'effaced. and through. the
democracy of our public schools. the
children soon take On the spirit OF
the new land. ] remember how par
ticular l was in this connection. to see
to it that my own children, both boys
and girls, attended the public schools.
advocating as | do, their influence for
democracy.
II am a believer In the theory that
our population has been much
strengthened, both physically and
mentally, by the crossing Of the
strains and by the constant oncoming
of emigrants from the old world.
Favor the Average Man.
we must, II our greatness is to
continue and we are to keep in the
front rank of the nations of the earth.
turn u attention to the average
man, the unit of Americas greatness.
We must encourage the maintenance
Of the American home and the Ameri.
can fireside, and think and act In q
big way for the big crowds of work
ers carrying on the industries that
must serve 10 multiply u greatness
in the eyes of all the rest of the world.
"And getting back to the question
Of the drift Of our national life and
the attention to the unit Of civil.
izatiOn the Individual head Of a house.
Agriculture the Basis.
History reveals that the great ma
tons Of the past have all been estab-
lished upon the basis Of Agriculture.
The population at first consisted of
strong, simplifying, nature-lOving
people who titled the soil. AS their
numbers increased and they became
more %affluent, the drift Of pOpula-
ton was to the towns and cities. Pro
duction upon the farms decreased and
consumption in the cities increased,
while the cost Of living mounted.
Wealth brought love Of ease and less
willingness TO labor and toll, until
finally. with physical and moral fab
biness, the population was weakened
and unable to resist the attacks OF
younger nations on their borders who
were not weakened by a life of ease.
In time the cities were b~eleaguered
by the strong, hardy agricultural peo.
pies from without, resulting in the
fall of that nation. Some writer's and
thinkers claim to see in our national
life today the germs of this disease.
l hope and pray not. but this is some.
thing for you to think about.
The remedy consists of building
counter attractions in the life Of the
country, and that rests with both
parents and children. We should plan
to encourage better living conditions
upon the farm. Among the means to
this end of which l have already told
you in part is good roads and the
solution Of the problem of quick, easy
transportation all over this broad land
Of ours. Good roads are the key to
the whole back-to-the.far move.
ment. Other factors are the rural
telephone, rural electric plants for
both lighting and power and some
provision for an improvement Of the
sanitary conditions In the smaller
farm homes. What housewife would
not be encouraged and delighted to
have the convenfences Of artificial
light and hot water supply in the
home, all Of which can nowadays b
procured at astonishingly small costs,
The enlarged use Of school property
as a social center for the development
Of the social side of the country life,
its use as an auditorium for public
gatherings, debating and study clubs
and a thousand other things. which
suggest themselves.
"As soon as country life is made
attractive through these agencies and
as soon as the conveniences and ad'
vantages compare favorably with
those to be obtained In the cities
then and only then will this seemingly
disastrous drift from country to city
stop. Farm labors should be lightened
and profits increased through the use
Of lavorsaying machinery. Psrticu
larly is this true Of the women's