The Coconino sun., 1919-04-25
HOW TO BUILD UP
 THE OLD HOME TOWN (Continued from Page iEleven.)


 high school, band, ball team, and we had big celebrations every year.
 "A farm near live town soon dou- bles in value. l sold my forty acres at good advance and bought an eighty, gradually adding to it until I had 200 acres of the best land in Iowa. then felt no need of asking favors, and I found it easy to patronize the mail order agents that came almost weekly to our door. l regret to say that l was the first in the county to make up a neighborhood bill- and send it to a mail-order house. Though we got bit once in a while, we got in the habit of sending away for stuff.
 Gradually our merchants lessened their stock of goods--for lack of pat ronage. Finally we began to realize that when we needed bolt quickly for machinery, or clothing for sickness or death, we had to wait or send away for it, which wasn't pleasant. One by one our merchants moved to places where they were appreciated, where there was cooperation in the commu- nity, and men of less energy moved into our town.
 Gradually our town has gone down; our business houses are 'tacky' in ap- pearance, number are empty; our schools and churches and walks are going down; we have no band, no E brary nor ball team. There is no business done in the town. Go down to the depot when the freight pulls in and you see the sequel in mail order packages.
 "Nine years ago my farm was worth S195 an acre; today I'd have hard matter to sell it at $167 an acre. It is too far from live town'--so every farmer has said that wants to buy. He wants a place near schools and churches, where his children can have advantages. 1 have awakened to the fact that in helping to pull the town down, it has cost me S5,600 in nine years. Like the majority of farmers, I didn't figure far enough ahead.
 "This sort of business means the do- ing away with country towns. What will it mean to farmers to have only few large cities at distance of 500 or 1000 miles? What are we going to do with our children, who are de- manding even better advantages than we had?
 Those cities we help to build .re- turn no favors; they take our money but offer no credit in time of need. If we want high schools, and so forth, we must raise the money and build near our farm homes or send our boys and girls to the cities at great expense amidst temptations of which the farm has no equal.
 These are some facts that need consideration, and I have decided f the safest proposition all around is for the country people to look after their own interests and. build up their own country towns that bring value to their farms. Let those who want to patronize the city mail-order houses go there to live, getting their living where they give their patronage. The remainder of my life will be given to building up the home town that l have helped to pull down. Brother farmers, you can take my advice or get your knowledge the way I got mine.
 HANS GARBUS."
 The retail store as way station in the channels of trade is an indispens- able factor in perpetuating the com mercial life of community. With the destruction of the commercial life of the central town or city of com munity all other forms of social life must cease to exist, because they all depend upon commerce and for trade For this reason the citizens-and speaking in a broad sense, that in- cludes the farmers--need the town fully as much as the town needs the citizens. Let him not suppose that in the, few packages he carries home from the local store are contained all the things he receives for the money that he passes over the counters of the local merchants. Substantially all the comforts and conveniences of modern civilized society are passed out to him in return for his patronizing his home merchants. The surest way to deprive himself of those facilities and environ ments that make life worth living is to withdraw his patronage from his home town.