Marble Hill press., 1921-09-29

arm, trucks - automobiles Of varied vutugcs
aud makes a score OF more of "hunguloN traIlcrS
men and women iu hhakl. children ut nl' ages.
family washing Happuc ou lines fire, going the
smell ut bacon aud coffee. family breakfast groups
and big sign that >,t forth that The Chicago
Motor club was entertaining Gen w. II SCOTS
Iuoden caravan cn route from RrooAlyu, y. y,
30 Buhl. Idaho
Times change and We with them Sasely re.
marked an ancient philosopher They do. indeed,
though probably Nr ehanEr less than do the times
For Chicago. Young ms II is--lt was not iucur-
pora,ri as q City until lS'7-haS seen many
caravan headed west lu the old days. But they
were caravans ~ prairie Schccucrs" drawn by
oxen Or mules And The men and women we're go
Inc forth % face thr unknown hsht Indians. turn
NJ The prairie sod contend with grasshoppers and
drought sud put up "a nfty-hfty battle with fate
for q home and living
Not So this caravan. Il was travelling In com.
fort and at speed II knew Just where Il was go-
ing. 1t was scheduled FOR kindly attentions along
the way and n warm welcome. lis land
cured There water FOR irrigation. Houses
and warehouses we're ready Everything down TO
the last detaA had been arranged Failure
unthinkHble Success seemed assured.
Shade, N Xii Carson. Marcus Whitman md
Brigham Young! What contrast the Lincoln
highway uf 1921 20 the Santa 70 truu % the
Thirtics the Oregon trail Of the Forlies the Nor
mon tran ~ the Elfties the pixies Peak Bust"
~ the Sixties
The figures u the census Of 1890 show that the
trend "f ihe population from the country 10 the
'ity has become greatly nccentuated since 1910
Nov for the urst time In thu cDuntrys history.
more than hall the entire population is living in
"urbah territory" That Is tu say that ~ N" pOpu-
iation "t lu5GN3luS persons SO per cent are liy.
lug In cities and IS per cent IN rural communities
ln the census Of 1910 the corresponding percent
ages We're 4G3 aud 537
This Is q condition that * regarded as neither
desirable nor entirely safe. Therefore many are
the projects To get city dwellcrS back to the soil
Back to the soil An American slogan for Amer.
tcans' Yet the country does not extend a general
invitation to an conner, II Is not ready 90 support
Dn Indefinite number of miscellaneous applicants
Mother Nature IS very far from being the heneyo
lent old soul she is pictured by the hctonists who
write farm prosp"ctuses. She does not give her
bOuntes for nothing She demands full payment
And she eSacts full penalty for mistakes
1t is the surcst kind Of sure thing that the
country home that pays its own way means hard
work for somebody. There will be bisters back
aches and sore muscles that will have to be worked
from soreness into strength, Ere the billowing
grain delights his eye the city man Will under
stand why providence or nature or evolution pro
vided him with eyebrows
a Moreover there Is a sowness and delibcration
in natures ways and methods that TO the city man
used TO doing things upon the instant will he little
less than maddening. II il useless t" ruga against
the ordered processes; they cannot be hurried
The city man must learn 10 walt for seed time
and harvest and to possess his soul in patience.
so 1t is evident that there is balance To be
struck The city Is thing the country Is an
other The city cannot be transplanted In the
country And no one can strike THIS balance for
the woudbe back-to the-lander, he must do 1t
for himself
In striking this balance, however, there is more
20 he taken into account than the dollars. There
nre the beauties OF nature. There is pure air
undehed by smoke and SCOT place In the sum-
with no skyscrapers overhead TO shut out the blue
sky and the stars and the moon honest thirst
that makes nectar Of the gods out Of water from
the well and buttermk from the spring house
m appetite that would put soul under the ribs
~ Death; sleep the like OF which no city man ever
knows.
From many viewpoints farming Is the highest
upd best of callinEs. Farming Is an honest bus
ness The farmer Is useless consumer. no para
site He Is u producer, he contributes directly
to the wealth Of the nation. He Is independent
and is beholden 10 no man for place or favor. He
does not climb up by dragging others down, Land
~ the fundamental natural resource from which
the milton draws its life. And the farmer is the
bulwark OF the country.
Yes hnck-to-the land Is the right thing for the
right man. He VIII nnd ndependence--menta,