Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1920-03-04
CITY OR COUNTRY

In every country town, in every
farming community. we find young
men who are pining for the gay life
and the higher wages of the great CT
ties.
In every city we find men of mature
years, heads of families, who would
give anything to get back to the SAN
ity and purity of country ife-but
they can not.
And there you have the situation in
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 CT
ties. They seem fabulous compared
with his more modest earnings in the
country.
He becomes fired with a desire to
coin money, breaks his home ties, and
joins the millions of toilers in the
maelstrom Of marts of commerce.
But once there he is soon disillu-
stoned. He finds that his wages are
perhaps double or treble what they
were in the home town or on the farm.
He also finds thai his expenses are not
only doubled or trebled, but are four
or five times as heavy
If his room is sanitary, though mod
est, he will pay from 81 to Sc week
for it. His meals, if he is a light EFT
er, will cost him from $40 to $18 per
week. If the Lord has blessed him
with a healthy appetite, 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-$21 to 500 per week, all accord
ing to what he eats.
| For a shave each day he will pay
25c to 35c, and hair cut will relieve
him of SO to rs cents.
His laundry bill comes high, his
clothing is frightfully expensive, and
he can pay SIS or S25 for a 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 81 to SIS, and he pays car
fare about every time he turns around.
If he gets married his troubles be-
gin in real earnest. The furniture
for his little four room fiat will cost
him from $500 to $1,000, and the fiat
itself will squeeze him for $50 to SIS
month. Then the grocer and the
butcher and the baker will cheerfully
rob him of his last cent and take the
shirt from his back.
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
a pauper.
It 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 a decent vacation, to saw
nothing of the expense of moving and
establishing themselves in business
in the God given freedom of the coun
try.
They are anchored to life of toll
and drudgery, with not hope for the
future, and must remain anchored un-
til death sewers the chains.
Fortunes are made in the large CT
ties, 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
rinety-nine out of every hundred who
chase the rainbow of city life.
At home the young man has indi-
viduality and is free agent. He is
of some consequence in his own COM
munity. In the city he is but a little
cog IN a great wheel that grinds out
greater wealth for some captain of in
dustry. He is nobody, is unknown
and no one cares whether he goes up
or down.
Does the prospect appeal to you,
young man?
Unless you are endowed with an
extraordinary amount of brains and
business acumen, your best opportun-
ity IS right here in this community,
wnere everyone knows you, and where
they respect you for what you are.
ShQniff ID