Evening star., 1932-02-26

making one countryman, then we are
Of it.
The appeal of a novel about country
people Is irresistible. These may be
from any country, England. Norway,
france, america; the interest in them
Is tne same, because they deal with the
same setting and the same type OF
problems.
The latest Of these is Cali Home the
Heart, py Fielding Burke, published by
Longman. Green. Here the lover OF
the country finds delightful picture
OF mountaineers, their trials In culti-
Vating the soil and their homely pleas
ureS.
No one interested in nature can help
must realize that upon him depends the
success Of the cities. Happily, in Amer
lea, there is a graduated scale from the
city 10 the farm. 1t is by way of the
small town.
Inc typical American small town.
with lts Main street, its high school.
ana perhaps with q small college, is
ABOUT as much country as it is city.
FARMERS come into it every Saturday
at least they did up through 1929.
Retired farmers 60 to the small towns
to live and their sons 20 to the cities.
But the point Is that wherever q man
Is ne Is what he is. Many a country
boy goes to the city, buys himself suit
OF clothes OF the typical movie star"
pattern. leaving little vest showing
''reg'lar city feller"
His very brother might put on the
same suit and look for ali the world
like the country jake he is and will al
ways remain. 1t Is like this real tan
the inhabitants Of the Eastern Sho'
secure; 1t Is In their blood, as well as
in the pigment of their skin, and II they
lived in the city thousand wears vol
could still tell that they came from the
Chesapeake Bay.
What We like to think of As most of
all distinguishing the countrynan the
man with the heart of a col1ntrvrnan
whether he lives in city or town. suburb
or farm, Is the mental slant on life
which makes hip realize the profIInditv
and true value o( the home life
The country dwsller, in the main.
never had q bath room, as we of the
cities know bath rooms but aIwavs he
had a vast belief in the value Of the
farm house. He may have had a fine
barn. too, but he had a good home,
everything taken into consideration.
And he loved that home. One NAV
think that he loved it more than the
typical city dweller loved the place he
rented one year and moved from the
next.
The farmer gave this country its
indwelling respect for a home Of ones
own. The vast movement which today
is sweeping the country toward per-
sonal home ownership has its inception
in the mortgaged farm houses of the
country, where men and women toiled
to make home reality.
The second major mental slant Of the
countryman it seems to us. is an ap-
probation of the part the homely plays
in life. For him the little things of
everyday. the usual features Of nature.
as manifested hour after hour. are
life. He does not ask for kick" or
thrill" but only for sunshine and
sunset, for rain and clouds, for snow
and warmth, for such supremely natural
creatures as horses and cows and pigs
and dogs and cats. For flowers and
vegetables For life.
He believes-what is true for most
men-that home and work comprise
not two-thirds Of life but just about
two-halves. and that 1t is possible. II
one has the right temperament and
average good fortune, to get honest and
seemly recreation in that time. II
these things constitute being a country
man. and we believe they do. then we
are happy to call ourself such.