The weekly echo., 1933-01-06
Back To The Farm
BY Kelley Miller

The earth is now blanketed with ten
inches of snow. The Farmers are ex-
periencing a depth of depression even
beyond that of their urban partners
in distress. 1t does seems to be the
height of audacity for me to sit in my
comfortable ibrafy on such morning
as this and advise that the Negro
should seek relief on the farm.
Manhatma Gandhi, the philosopher
saint of India, finding his country
bound hand and foot in the clutch of
European machinery, advises them to
eschew technogracy and revert to the
more primitive processes of agriculture
and the spinning wheel No more au-
dacious advice has ever been given by
leader to his people. His advice IS
based on that old philosophy of pru-
dence: where 'tis hard to combat,
learn to flee"
In my last release, I pointed out the
gloomy prospect of the urban Negro.
While in present numbers, he might
linger there and find some sort of
minor place of meager subsistence and
comforts, yet there is there no pro-
missed land to fulfill his hopes, am
bition and aspirations. The urban, Ne
gro, like the under brush in the forest
is shut out from the sunlight by the
overtowering surroundings While he
may be shielded and sheltered from
the stormy blasts he must pay the price
of that protection by being destined to
an emaciated and puny growth. No
human group can become robust and
vigorous by being brought up in the
shade. Every vigorous and robust
people must find a place in the sun.
The whites are now abandoning the
farm because of the hard conditions
of existence. They are filling up the
cities and monopolizing every avail
able avenue of opportunity. Belonging
to the preferred class they take what
they choose and leave the Negro only
the leavings. In order to survive in
this industrial conflict, we must learn
to out work and under live our white
competitor. This has been the secret
and method of the Jew throughout the
ages. He has thriven on what the
Gentiles disdained Every time the
white man abandons a farm, especially
in the mlder attitudes which furnish
con-enial habitat, would like to
see the Negro take it up. He should
value what the white man surrenders
lust as the Jew has worked his way
to independence and competence by
dealing in cast off clothing and second
hand Junk. The conditions on the
( farm are indeed hard and exacting.
l. is utterly impossible to maintain the
urban standard Of living. But sub
! sistence is possible which is more than
can be said of the urban Negro should
depression and unemployment hold
out as they now threaten to do.
On the land, the Negro is on terms
of comparative equality with white
competitors The ground will yield
with equal readiness to the persuasion
of white or black tiller. The markets
are color blind Whereas he is hope
lessly out pointed in city competition
in the country he has an even break
In the city he is suppressed below the
level of white competition and is re-
legated to the lower ranks of manual
and menial service. However thrifty
the waiter, the domestic and the hired
hand worker may seem to be, he car
never be of first class Importance ir
the general scheme of things. Pro-
prietorship develops character anc
power. The Independent farmer is cell
ebrated in song and story. But M
muse has yet inspired the pen of gen.