The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-03-26
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The trend of the people continues
to be from the farms to the cities.
Such constant movement has been
going on for some time past, and such
trend does not appear to be in the
least abating. In fact, if there is any
change in its intensity, it is perhaps
increasing. The cities are now over
flowing with workmen from the farms,
who have been drawn there by the
fabulous wages that are being forced
by the present abnormal conditions.
While it is true that the wages being
paid on public works is enormous
abnormal-it is also true that living
expenses of all such wage earners is
practically as high as is the wage
scale, so that the percentage of actual
profit of such workers is thereby re-
duced to minimum.
Such abnormal conditions are bound
finally to prove disastrous to most of
those who are persuaded to leave their
original employment for the will-'o-
the-wist of inflated wages. But per-
haps the worst trouble that must ul-
timatcly result from this breaking
away from the farm will be the ever
increasing cost of living. Just what
the final result will be by the chang
ing of so many from farm work to
public work can at this time only be
conjectured, but the only logical con-
clusion is that if this trend is not
stopped the result soon will be that
the world will go hungry, as practic-
ally everything on which the populace
| depends for subsistence must come
from the farm.
Then again, farm wages are now
much greater than they ever were be-
fore, while for the workers their liv-
ing expenses are either included in
their wage, or else they are very ma
terially reduced. So that, all things
considered---the happiness and general
contentment of country life, compared
to the strife and discomfort that too Of
ten permeates congested communities
it appears to be a perfectly safe and
sane conclusion that the farm worker
will live longer and be blessed with a
far greater degree of happiness and
contentment, than will the one seek
ing higher wages among the hurt
ling hordes of the cities.
Only a bird's-eye-view of city life
as it is at present is necessary to con-
vince one that there is but little sat
isfaction there. Everyone is expect
ing to be "held up" at every turn
and they usually are. Therefore the
desire is soon bred in many of them
to "hold up" the other fellow-and
they sometimes do, or attempt it. Ev-
erything is unnatural. The seething
thousands from the country districts
now ihfesting the citfes stand but lit
tie better show here than they would
against the old time "brace game"
Notwithstanding the fact that the ho-
tells and boarding houses there are
charging prices several times as high
as formerly, there is hardly an en-
ployee in such places that fails to have
their hand out for tip. Nor can you
evade seeing that freebooter hand"
Should you try to ignore it, you may
be slugged and robbed of practically
all your earthly possessions.
In the beginning, this article was
intended to give resume of the dam
gers of the present trend of popula-
tion to the city, with the consequent
neglect of the most productive mines
that this country possesses-the
farming lands--but an inspection of
the actual conditions already existing
in st. Louis, which is typical of every
other large city throughout the coun-
try, which was recently made, has
caused the mind of the writer to be so
full of the strangely lamentable ex-
isting conditions as to make it i'm
possible to intelligently present the
conditions there as they were inn
pressed upon us. But, finally, we
would urge upon all farmers and
farm laborers, the very great impor-
tance of remaining on the farms and
producing the very best crops possi-
BILE. This is by far the better plan of
bringing home the greatest degree of
happiness and prosperity. ~