Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1921-09-30

army trucks 25 automobiles of varied vintages
and makes a score more of bungalow traiiers'
men and women in khaki children OF all ages
family washing Tapping on lines, fires going the
smell of bacon and coffee family breakfast groups,
and big sign that set forth that the chicago
Motor club was entertaining Gen" w. ID. SCOTS
modern caravan route from Brooklyn, N L"
to Bull, Idaho.
'Times change and we with them, sagey re-
marked ancient philosopher. Ihey no. lnueeu'
though probably we change less than do the times
For Chicago, young as II is--it was not lncor-
porated as city until 1S31-has seen many
caravan headed west in the old days But thev
we're caravans of prairie schooners,' drawn by
oxen or mules. And the men and women were go
ing forth to face the unknown fight Indians, turn
w the prairie sod, contend with grasshoppers ana
drought and put up a ffty-ffty battle with fate
for home and living
Not so this caravan. II was travelling In COM
fort and at speed. 1t knew just where 1t was go
Ing II was scheduled for kindly attentions along
the way and a warm welcome Its land was Sc
cured. There was water for irrigation. Houses
and warehouses were ready. Everything down to
the last detail had been arranged. Failure was
unthinkable. Success seemed assured
Shades OF Kit Carson, Marcus Whitman and
Brigham Young! What contrast the Lincoln
highway of 1921 to the Santa Fe trail of the
Thrties the Oregon trail of the Forties the Nor
mon trail of the Fiftes the pixies Peak or Bust
Of the Sixties!
Inc OHufeS OF tie census Ol lJ@O ShoW lhut TIC
trend of the population from the country to the
city has become greatly accentuated since 1910.
! Now, for the first time In the countrys history,
more than half the entire population Is living In
urban territory" That is to say that of the popu-
aton of 1O5 6S3 1OS persons Bio per cent are lv-
! ing In cities and 4S1 per cent in rural communities
In the census of 1910 the corresponding percent
ages were 463 and 53.7.
This is a condition that is regarded as neither
desirable entirely safe. Therefore many are
the projects to get city jewellers back to the SOIL
Back to the soil An American slogan for Amer
leans! Yet the country does not extend a general
invitation to all 1t Is not ready to support
all indefinite number of miscellaneous applicants
Mother Nature Is very far from being the benevo
lent old soul she Is pictured by the fctonists who
write farm prospectuses. She does not give her
bounties for nothing. She demands full payment.
And she exacts full penalty for mistakes.
1t is the surest kind of sure thing that the
country home that pays its own way means hard
work for somebody. There Will be bhsters back
aches and sore muscles that will have to be worked
| from soreness into strength. Ere the biilowing
grain delights his eye. the city man VIII under
stand why providence or nature or evolution pro-
vlded him with eyebrows.
Moreover there Is a slowness and elaboration
in natures ways and methods that to the city man,
used to doing things upon the instant will be little
less than maddening Ii Is useless to rage against
the ordered processes; they cannot be hurried.
! The city man must learn to wait for seed time
and harvest and to possess his soul In patience
So IT is evident that there is balance to be
struck The city Is one thing; the country Is an
other The city cannot be transplanted In the
country And no one can strike this balance Tor
the would-be back to-the-lander; he must do II
for himself.
In striking this balance, however, there Is more
70 be taken into account than the dollars. Ihere
mr.. the beauties of nature. There is pure air
undehled by smoke ana SCOT place In the sun
with no skyscrapers overhead to shut out the blue
sky and the stars and the moon; honest thirst
tbat makes nectar of the gods out OF water IRON
the we'll and buttermk from the spring-house
an appetite that would put soul under the rb'
of Death sleep the like of which no city man eVel
knows
From many viewpoints farming is the highes
and best Of callings. Farming Is an honest bust
ness The farmer is no useless consumer no para
site He is a producer he contributes direct!
n the wealth of the nation. He is Independent
md is beholden to no man for place or favor, IL
does not climb up by dragging others down. LAM
is the fundamental natural resource from whicl
the nation draws It's life. And the farmer Is tn
bulwark of the country
Yes; back -to-the-land is the right thing for tn
right man He will find independence-menta