Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1920-02-12
..BACK TO THE FARM,--oR BUST

Inc prODiem OF h0WAO Keep the
boys on the farm and how.to assure
a sufficiency of farm labor is by no
means confined to the United States.
1t is presenting itself in an aggravat-
ed form in Europe. where, particu-
larly since the war, the influx from
the farms to the cities has taken on
alarming proportions
A recent Paris dispatch quotes the
French minister of agriculture as
saying that France Is unable to sup
port more than half of her A0.0a0,-
900 inhabitants owing to the aban-
donment of the farms by the younger
generation. As a result of the -ex-
odus to the Industrial centers al
most $4,000, 900 acres of fertile
land are idle and the grain crop OF
the republic has been cut almost in
half since 1913. The chief assist
ant minister of agriculture is quot
ed as saying, at a recent cabinet
meeting: Sixty years ago the ru-
raj inhabitants totaled rs percent of
our population. Today less than
1000, 900 French citizens are tilling
the fields"
Here Is obviously a rapid drift
toWotQ du lihpOcciUAC Sldtc VI dIdITS.
The world cannot live without the
farms, and there can be no farms
without farmers. And the move
meht from farm to city will continue
so long as young men--and young
women .too-find city life the more
attractive both in its social and eco
nomic aspects. But there will be
reached soon or late--and II looks
as II II would be soon rather than
lote-a condition. brought about by
the operation of memorable economic
law, when life in the city will be-
come unendurable-beca the peo-
pie in the cities will lack the food to
keep them from hunger and the raj
ment to protect them from cold.
Then the movement back to the
farms will begin by force OF cireum-
stances.
II should begin earlier. Unless
1t does begin earlier the world will
be entering upon hideously fright
full experience. For foodstuffs can
not be produced in a day or a week
or month. And hungry millions
will not be able to wait six months
or year to be fed.
Sound common sense, spurred by
the instinct of self-preservation
should give impetus to an early and
earnest effort to restore the equili-
brium between the city and the coun-
try. Either there must be a halt
TO the shortening OF hours and in
creasing of wages and earnings In
the cities or there must be a COM
pensurate shortening of hours and
increase OF wages and profits in the
country And when farmers begin
to work their "hands" In two shifts
instead Of one and tc DOUBLE their
pay on top of it-then we shall have
to look out for such an increase in
the cost of living as will make our
present grievances seem trifiingi The
easy remedy for that would be still
higher wages In the cities where
upon the farmers would have to raise
their rate of wages still higher also.
And so we would be at II over and
over again, with conditions growing
more and more uncomfortable as we
ran frantically around in the vicious
circle. The man trying to lift him
self by his boot-straps would be
sage by comparison. The process
of everybody profiteering on every
body else will make no nation rich
and no people happy. In the long
run the only things that will do that
are hard work. thrift and equity.
We need mora great deal more
OF all three.