Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1920-03-27
CITY OR COUNTRY

of the great cities.
In every city we find men of mature
years heads Of families, who would give
anything to get back to the sanity and pur.
ity of country life-but they can not
And there you have the situation in a
few words.
The young man in the country store. or
the bank or the blacksmith shop, or on
the farm. reads Of the high wages that are
being paid in the cities. They seem fabul-
Gus compared with his more modest earn.
ings in the country.
He becomes fired with desire to coin
money, break his home ties, and join the
millions of tOilers in the maelstrom of marts
of commerce.
But once there he is soon disillusioned.
He finds that his wages are perhaps double
or treble what they were in the home town
on the farm. He also finds that his ex.
penses are not only doubled or trebled, but
are four or five times as heavy
If his room is sanitary though modest, he
will pay from 81 to Sc week for it. His
meals if he is light eater, will cost him
from $40 to 1913 per week. If the Lord has
blessed him with healthy apeptite, only
the Lord knows what they will cost him
they vary from 81 to So in any respectable
restaurant per meal-or SO to SO per day
or %21 to 1868 per week, all according to
what he eats.
For a shave each day he will pay 25c or
:}5c. and hair cut will relieve him Of so
to Is cents
His laundry bill comes high, his clothing
is frightfully expensive, and he can pay $15
$50 for pair of shoes. And he must
dress up to his part or get left in the
shuttle.
Then a show will touch him up to the
extent of So to S., and he pays car fare
every time he turns around.
If he gets married his troubles begin in
real earnest. The furniture for his little
four room flat will cost him from $500 to
$1,000, and the flat itself will squeeze him
Of $50 to $75 month. Then the grocer
and the butcher and the baker will cheer.
fully take from him his last cent.
There is only one way in which he can
beat the profteers and other sharks in the
great cities-the county will bury him free
Of charge if he dies pauper.
1t is this class of men in the cities who
would give an arm to get back to the coun-
try again. But they have families, their
money goes as fast as it comes, and they
seldom get enough ahead for a decent va
cation. to say nothing Of the expense Of
moving and establishing themselves in bust
ness in the God-given freedom of the corn-
try.
They are anchored to a life of toll and
drudgery, with no hope for the future, and
must remain anchored until death sewers
the chains.
Fortunes are made in large Cities it is
true. but they are made by men who have
money with which to make more money.
There are a few notable exceptions to
this rule, but this is the story of ninety
nine out of every hundred who chase the
rainbow Of city life.
At home the young man has individuality
and is a free agent. He is Of some conse-
quence in his own community. In the city
he is but little cog in a great wheel that
orinds out greater wealth for some captain
of industry. He is nobody, is unknown, and
one cares whether he goes up or down.
Does the prospect appeal to you, young
man.
Unless YOU are endowed with an extra