Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-05-17
The Man Without a Vision.


We have read somewhere in an old book
something like this: 'Where there is nc
vision. the people perish" AS this book
rs mainly religious. we naturally assume
that II meant that where there was nc
religious teaching. there could be no per
manent civilization. But these sayings of
wise men of old some way have a good
many different applications, and we got a
new idea f'om this particular saying when
talkin.s WITH an ,ducator from the south.
We suggested 10 him that the best thing
tttnt IN" s"iIe iii the Appalachian noun
tains copid 10 would be to move down to
the factory district and get work for
themselves and their grown children, leav-
ing the mountain sections of North Caro-
Una. kentucky and Tennessee to grow up
IN timber. for which they are supremely
well fitted. To this he replied, in effect:
That doesn't work out practically as
you would think. Many of these people
are moving down. Being used to poor
houses. they naturally drift to poor houses
such as are found in the Sums. AS their
women folks have been used to doing most
of the work. they depend on them to sup
port the family: and hence in winter
many Of them become objects of charity.
The trouble with these people is that they
ave no vision. When the young people
get a vision through contact with the mis-
sion school. and come to see what life
really means. then they become exceed
ingiy able ana useful citizens, with marked
originality"
Such in substance was the result of our
friends observation and experience. This
set us to thinklng about a conversation we
mad last year with the 'Lochile." or the
head of the Clan Cameron. He told us
that the chofters in Scotland. to whom the
government had given 30 acres of land at
the very minimum of rent, were quite apt
ia allow their wives and .hildren to do
the work. they themselves preferring to
serve hunters and fishermen in the season,
and that they wish to rave their lands
on lower terms. The idea was that if you
give people something. they naturally ask
for something more.
Then we began to think about our North
American Indians. who also allowed their
women TO do the work. while they spent
Their time in war or In the chase. We
began to think OF the people in the lower
civilizations in the Old World, the peas
ants of Russia and Bulgaria, who, nav
ing no vision themselves. allow their wives
and children 20 do the work in the fields.
From these our thoughts turned to the
tram ps and vags and buns, who have no
vision except to get enough to eat In the
summer and a place to 'hole up" In win
ter. p~atronizing soup kitchens, becoming
what an English poet described as bread
and treacle wasters"-treacle meaning mo-
laasea. Then We wondered how many of
this class. that fills up our towns and
cities In the winter. living on charity,
were once farmers We ond how many
OF them would have come to this condi-
ton II they had a vision when on the
farm.
Male man without a vision seems to us
TO be a lazy beggar. who works only when
ne has to. and is satisfied with the gratih-
cation OF his animal instincts. If he once
sets 30 far as to have a vision Of a home,