Norwich bulletin., 1921-04-08
rwrttsn Speciality For The Bulletin.)

Cwrfttea Specially For The Bufletin) I wonder if you noticed the recent | statement from the census bureau that | 5431447e of the inhabitants of this | country live-or did live when the cen- sus of 1920 was taken-in towns of over | 2,5Oo population. There are 2,7Ss nunic- qualities of this class m the United States What Is even more suggestive is the fact that about three-quarters of these are crowded in the 2S7 cities having over 250oo inhabitants each.
 I forget at this moment just what the 1920 census made the total population of the country, but 1t is ir enough, fancy, to assume that at least one-hah of our people now live in cities, vil- lages or other like communities And that a good third of the total popula- tion is congested in the bigger cities.
 When the United States first became a country there wasn't hah-a-dozen cities in it and even they were hardly more than would be called villages. now. Philadelphia was Ne only one with as many as 50,0o0 inhabitants New York city had but 22,OOo, Boston about the same. The vast majority of the people were farmNrs. When to the number of those actively cu1tivating the soil were added the thousands of fishermen from every little hamlet along the Atlantic coast and the other thousands of hunt CTS and trappers and lumbernen who frtnged the inland frontiers and kept pushing steadily further back for the benefit of the farmers moving them when all these were added together the remainder, comprising city residents was so small as to be practically insignfh- cant
 That was the character of the popu- lation for which the founders of the new nation made a constitution, and planned a scheme of government.
 The first president was 8 Virginia farmer, who, having led the Continental armies to victory. promptly returned tc his beloved farm at Mount Vernon tc resume what he regarded as a much better and more worthwhile life. From that farm he was conscrinted sorelv against his will. to act as the first civi chief ma agistrate. And from the presi dency. after eight years he ioyful1y re turned 70 that same farm and took uI once more the work of an active farm CT
 That was the way we began; a Pa ral community, made up of simplicity ing hard-handed and hard-hearted coun trymen. ftly led by men of. their own class who were inspired by their ow,
 
 kept on for the first half century. A singular illustration of the success which we achieved in foreign and iu1par tial eyes during those early days. Ie me quote an extract from a letter fror Sydney Smith. the famous English es savist and divine, to Lord Jeffrey c Ehnburg. The letter is dated Nov. 2; ISIS:
 T doubt if there ever was an instanc of new people conducting their affai, with so much wisdom, or if there eve was such an extensive scene of huma happiness and prosperity" In anothe letter to Earl Grey dated only a wee later. the same writer says:
 There Is nothing so curious and fl teresting as the rapidity with which th Anerlcans are spreading themselvt over that immense continent" Tney are very sensible people: an seem to have conducted their affair upon the whole very well. Their economy and their chean gover, ment will do some good in this countr tEngland) by way of example Their a lowance to Monroe (their presidentl to'ooo per annum and he finds his ow victuals, fire and candies v
 You will observe that there hsa he. some change in the matters of gover, mental "economy"> and "wisdorn" . hatteringly described as American cha acteristics by this critic of a little ov hundred years ago. Very few neonI whether at home or abroad. would wri Iii such terms now. Is 1t a case of can and effect or Is it a mere coinciden, mat the change should have occurr simultaneously with the excessive 2, top-heavv development of city life7
 we'll have to leave that to profoun students to answer. That the ty tendencies have grown, side by air can't be denied, whatever we may hi about their relationships to each otb,
 The census figures mako cIear +,, at least half the entire oonulatior me land is now a city population,
 he eastern states which you and I kn, Sest such as Massachusetts. Rhode land, connecticut New York. New T, sey and Fennsylvania the proport;on even greater. Tn all these states city population rB $ clear majority. VI was formerly the taA is now either wa g1ng the dog or perfects- capable of , Ing Y whenever occasion arises. Tn. mas been complete reve@sal in f source of power as well as in the idle Of government from the days when nation of farmers, led by pracN farmer, started out on it's new care
 We of the farms think what we nI. ed about the heahhfulness of this chan That is our privilege and our right. E whatever we think, we can't change fact And. as this life s in the main very practical affair built on and