The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-11-25
PASSING OF THE
COU TRY TOWN
IS STORY OF HOUR
Small Towns Rapidly Be-
coming Things Of the Past
as Trade Centers of
Rural Communities

Kansas City. Mo-, Nov. 25.-One
Of the outstanding features Of sur
vey of social conditions in rural COM
munities of the middle west by l..
VI. Birkhead, pastor Of All Souls
| Unitarian church OF this city. is the
decadance Of the country town. The
! survey is based on observance made
| by Birkhead in moro than SO towns
| in Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa,
! Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas. Nebras-
! ka, Colorado, Illinois and Wisconsin,
while he was on q lecture tour. DR..
| Birkhead, who Is an active social
worker, discussed community prob
| lens in each Of the towns and made
careful inquiry as to local conditions
| in order to make his lectures per-
| tinent.
Almost everywhere, DIR. Birkhead
reports, the country town is either
actually losing in population or is
barely holding It's own. lna'ead of
being the capital, as it were, of the
surrounding farming district. leading
in business enterprise. education and
prograss, almost everywhere, the
country town Is out-classed by the
| farmers.
Leadership Is needed, DR.. Birl;head
says, but there is nothing to develop
leadership, no satisfactory oppor;u'
nifty for young people, and they go
elsewhere. In one community 30
per cent of the young people went to
the city.
The country town merchant, accord
ing to DR.. Birkhead, conducts his
business by time-worn methods, and
the mail order house takes his place
In addition, he says, the retired
farmer Is not an asset to the town.
seeming to rot out" after leaving
the activities of farm life.
On the other hand, DR.. Blrlthead
says, the farmer Ia wideawsl;e and
progressive so long as he remains
on the farm. Cooperative c. erprises
are sprlnging up everywhere. There
are cooperative hardware and en-
eral merchandise stores. There =. o
cooperative mills and elevators own
ed by farmers. The projects are In
corporated, the farmers are stock
holders, they hold meetings and ap-
point salaried men to administer the
business.
Great pride is taken in the schools,
DR.. Blrkhead's survey shows, but in
! every town there were from one to
five dead churches. Some signs Of a
movement to establish community
churches were apparent.
The farming communities have re-
ceived their inspiration from the ma
tional and state departments Of ag-
riculture. from the agricultural col
leges and from the farm papers, ac-
cordlng to DIR. Birkhead. There Is q
farm agent in practically every coun-
ty who represents the state depart
ment of agriculture. Farmers Insti-
tutes, which began at state agricul-
tural colleges are now held in diff
ferent towns and lectures on farm
subjects are given.
In many countries there is n wo-
man demonstration who advises with
The women concerning everything
about the homecoming modern kit
chen equipment, laundry machinery
and similar subjects.
There IS nothing like this for the
country town---no organization for I'M
provcment.
"The two great needs Of the farm
are better equipped homes and good
roads," DR.. Birkhead says. 1.-THE
American farm IL the best equipped
IN The world. but modern improve
ments In the homes are greatly need
cd. In many cases the barns are
better equipped than the houses. per-
haps having running water where
there is none Mt the house."
In many places. farm tenancy Is
Increasing and the permanent good
OF the farm and OF the community
suffer. The tenant does not take
the same interest In keeping up the
value OF the land, nor in the Cos
operative enterprises Of the corn'
mun!ty. Tho condition Is due to
farmers and leaving their lands to
tenants. In some counties. rs much
as co per cent Of the farm land Is
occupied by tenants"