The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-01-18
WORLD NEEDS FOOD
Demand Makes Opportunity for
Returning Soldiers.
Thousands Will See Glorious POSI-.
bilities in Settlement of Avail
able Farm Land in This coun-
try and In Canada.

try and In Canada.
The war is over, peace will soon be
signed, the fighting nations have
sheathed their swords, and the day Of
reconstruction has come.
What Of it?
Hundreds OF thousands of men,
taken from the fields of husbandry,
from the ranks of labor, from the four
walls of the counting house, and the
confines Of the workshop, taken from
them TO do their part, their large part,
in the prevention of the spoliation Of
the world, and in the meantime re-
moved from the gear of common every
day life, will be returning, only to find
In many cases old positions filled, the
machinery with which they were for
merly attached dislocated.
Are they to become aimless wander
ers, with the ultimate possibility OF
augmenting an army of menacing
loafers? If they do it is because their
ability to assist In laying new founda-
tons, In building up much-required
structures, is underestimate. Men
who fought as they fought, who risked
and faced dangers as they did, are not
of the caliber likely to finch when 1t
comes to the restoration of what the
enemy partially destroyed, when 1t
comes to the reconstruction OF the
world, the ideals of which they had in
view when they took part in the great
struggle whose divine purpose was to
bring about this reconstruction.
Injured to toll, thoughtless Of fatigue,
trained in initiative and hardened by
their outdoor existence, they will re-
turn better and stronger men, boys Will
have matured and young men will have
developed.
They will decide for themselves
lines Of action and thought, and what
their future should and will be. On
the field of battle they developer
alertness and wisdom, and they VIII
return with both shedding from every
pore.
Action was their watchword, and 1t
will stand them IN good stead now that
the din of the battle no longer rings
In their ears, or the zero hour signals
them to the fray, and 1t will continue
during their entire existence.
But If they return to find their old
avocations gone, their places filled,
the institutions with which they were
connected no longer existing, new
walks Of life and employment must be
opened to them. 1t may be that the
counting house, the factory, the
workshop will have lost their attrac-
ton. The returned soldier will look
elsewhere for employment; within his
reach there is always the Forward
to-the-Land" necessity. In this lies
the remedy that will not only take care
Of multitude of those who may not
| be able to return to their former occu-
pations, whose desires are not to do so,
whose health prohibits them from in
door life or whose outdoor habits from
the past one, two, three or four years
have given them such taste and de-
sire for 1t that confinement would be
unbearable. Farm life will thus ap
peal to them, and the indications are
that 1t will be taken advantage Of by
thousands. 1t means much to them as
well as to the continent of America
| that provides the opportunity to the
world Mt large, and to the stricken and
| famished nations of Europe, who, moi
only today, but for years to come, vii
require the sustenance that can only
largely be supplied by the United
| States and Canada By following tht
pursuit of agriculture the returned sol
der will continue the cause he 81
| greatly advanced when fighting on thu
field of battle. Both countries have
undeveloped areas yet open to settle
ment.
There is little need here to drec
attention to the wealth that has come
to the farmers of Canada within tn,
past few years. 1t is not only in grair
growing that unqualified and almos
unequaled success has followed homes
effort, but the raising of horses, cattle
sheep and hogs has been large source
of profit. These are facts that ar
well known to the many friends ant
acquaintances Of the thousands o
farmers from the United States VIII,
have acquired wealth on the prairie
| of Western Canada. Farms of iron
one hundred and sixty to six hundre'
and forty acres of the richest soil ma,
be secured on reasonable terms, ant
with an excellent climate, with
school system equal to any in tn
world, and desirable social conditions
little else could be asked.
Canadian statesmen are today busil
engaged planning for the future Of tn
returned soldier with view to maxim
him independent of state help after tn
immediate necessary assistance ha
been granted, the main idea being t
show in the fullest degree the coun
try's appreciation of the services h
has rendered.
But now that the war is ended, an
the fact apparent that of all ayoca
tons the most profitable and independ
ent is that of the farmer, there will b