The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-03-05
CITY OR COUNTRY.

FARMING community, we lind young
men who are pining for the gay life
and the higher wages Of the great
cities.
In every city we find men of ma
ture years, heads Of families, who
would give anything to get back to
the sanity and purity Of country life
but they can not.
And there you have the situation
in a few words.
The young man in the country store
o the bank, or the blacksmith shop,
or on the farm, reads Of the high wag-
esthat are being paid by in the cities
They seem fabulous compared with
his more modest earnings in the coun
try,
He becomes fired with a desire to
coin money; breaks his home ties, and
joins the millions of toilers In the
mealstrom Of marts Of commerce.
But once there he is soon disi,lus
ioned. lie finds that his wages are
perhaps double or treble what they
were in the home town or on the farm
He also finds that his expenses are
not only doubled or trebled, but are
four or five times as heavy.
II his room is sanitary, though mod
est, he will pay from 81 to SO a week
for it. His meals II he Is light eat
er, will cost him from $40 to Sl8 per
week II the Lord has blessed him
with a healthy appetite, only the
Lord knows what 1t will cost him -
they vary from 81 to S3 i'm any re-
spertable restaurant per meal-or SO
to SO per day--or S2l to S63 per week.
all according to what he eats.
For shave each day he will pay 25c
or Soc, and hair cut will relieve him
Of SOC 20 75c.
His laundry bill comes high, his
clothing is frightfully expensive, and
he can pay sl5 or S25 for a pair of
shoes. And he must dress up to his
part or get left in the shuttle.
Then show will touch him up to
the extent of 81 to S5, and he pays
car fare about every time he turns a.
rouad
If he gets married his troubles be-
ginA in real earnest. The furniture
for his little four room fiat will cost
him from $500 to 81 600. and the fat
itself will squeeze him for $50 to $75
month. Then the grocer, the butcher
the baker will cheerfully rob him of
his last cent and take the shirt from
his back.
There is only one way i'm which he
can beat the prohteers and other |
sharks in the great cities the county
will bury him free of charge If he dies
a pauper,
1t is this class Of men in the cities |
who would give an arm to get back to
The country again. But they have
families, their money goes as fast as
it comes, and they seldom get enough
ahead for decent vacation, to say
of the expense Of moving and
in business in
the God-given freedom of the country
They are anchored to life of toll
and drudgery, with no hope for the
future, and must remain anchored
until death sewers the chains.
Fortunes are made In the larger
cities, it is true, but they are made
by men who have money WITH which
to make more money.
There are few notable executions
to this rule, but this is the story of
ninety nine out oS every hundred who
chase the rem bow of city life.
Ai home the young man has indi-
viduaIity and is free agent, He is
of so.7e consequence in his own CON-
compunity. In the city he Is but a
little cog in great wheel that grinds
out greater wealth for some captain
of Industry. He is nobody, is un-
known, and no one cares whether he
goes up or down.
Does the prospect appeal to you,
young manp
Unless you are endowed with an ex
traordinary amount of brains and bus
iness acumen, your best opportunity
is right here in this community,
where everyone knows you, and where
they respect you for what you are.