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UK ON THE FARM
resident Suggests Making the
Life More Attractive.
IOW CAN IT BEST BE DONE?
Town and Farming Community Might
Work Together to Keep ths Country
Youth From Leaving For the Big
Cjty— Mutual Interests of All.
In the discussion of issues supposed
t 0 pe of much greater importance one
paragraph in President Roosevelt’s re
cent message to congress has been gen
erallv overlooked. It carries a recom
mendation for some sort of action by
the government that may be calculat-
e j to check the onward march of the
farmer boys to the cities.
President Roosevelt is not very defi
nite in his recommendation, as might
be expected. It is a subject requiring
special treatment. Mr. Roosevelt mere
ly suggests that the department of ag
riculture might be given authority to
co-operate with state governments in
developing institutional and social
movements to make farm life more at
tractive. lie says. “The effort must be
made to make farm life not only remu
nerative, but attractive, so that the
best young men and girls will feel in
clined to stay on the farm and not go
to the city.”
Commenting on this topic, the Wom
an’s National Daily says editorially:
“Asa matter of fact, the young man
on the farm is far better off than the
young clerk or salesman who has em
ployment at wages that barely provide
for his bodily needs snd leave nothing
over at the end of the month. The
farmer boy doesn’t see it that way.
however. He sees the bright lights
and is lured Ey what he looks ou as
the many facilities for amusement and
■entertainment. lie sees far greater op
portunities for getting on and getting
up in the world in the city, where
there are libraries, theaters, lodges, so
cial functions and all things that add
to the -pleasures of life. Of course all
these things take a different color
when viewed at close hand and when
the hard, cold fact presents itself that
.all cost money and that sometimes the
price is very high—too high for a ma
jority of young men ever to hope to
reach them. It does little good, how
ever, to tell the country lad these
things. He wants to see for himself.
The best way to cure this fever is
to feed it. Let the farmer hoy ‘see for
himself’ Just how much of the appar
ent brilliancy ,1s the merest tinsel and
the music only ‘sounding brass and tin
kling cymbal.’ ”
In many respects farm life is much
more attractive now than it was a
generation ago. Since boys now reach
ing maturity were born several impor
tant agencies have combined to render
rural life less lonesome and to put it
in closer touch with city or town life,
'me of the most important of these is
the telephone. In thousands of com
munities the towns and the farmers’
houses are connected by telephone,
thus making intercommunication quick
and easy. The farmer’s wife may call
up her neighbors or the stores in town,
and In some communities the stores
now deliver goods within a certain
country radius. The farmer’s daugh
ters may talk over the phone with
neighboring girls—or with young men.
The trolley car lines in many com
munities serve to make the distance to
town considerably less by reason of
decreasing the time required for the
trip, not to mention the saving of both
er in hitching up a team to drive in.
The rural mail delivery routes form
another feature,that makes farm life
more attractive. Farmers get their
mail at their doors every day Instead
of having to hitch up and drive into
town, which used to be done about
once a week chiefly for the purpose of
getting the family mail.
All these things help, but, as Presi
dent Roosevelt suggests, there might
be some official co-operation for insti
tutional adjuncts to increase the at
tractiveness of farm life. As there is
now a schoolhouse in every hollow,
who knows but that a few years hence
there will not be a clubhouse on every
hill? No doubt the president would
suggest a gymnasium as one feature
of the club. It is not to be disputed
that with some such social center near
home the farm boys and girls would
be more content to remain on the old
farm and would think at least twice
before seeking the glare and glitter of
the city, with its attendant hardships.
What helps the country helps the
town. If the best blood of the farm
ing community goes away to some big
city, the town Is sure to suffer there
by. Therefore it behooves the towns
people to co-operate with the farming
Population In the effort to make me
on the farm more pleasant In inanj
communities there is a tendency on
the part of the townspeople to keep
aloof from the country people,
would seem that mutual interests
would demand a closer fellowship an
association. Already it has been s•=
v ested that the farmers be Invited -V
become members of the town board of
Lade or commercial organization Thus
r ß^n SafaC . tor,Utlle '-a.^-
wouh : r ay be that the fnr mers
Tv rth t D 6d t 0 Speud more mon
!;> 1 th ,? toTvn stores less at tlie
citj mail order establishments. Fol
lowing out this hint, it may be sug
gested further that the country young
people be invited to join the town so
cial clubs and take part in the various
functions of the winter season. A
town without a populous, prosperous
and contented farming community
around it is not calculated to be much
o a town unless it be supported by
factories or something of that sort.
UNRESPONSIVE CITIZENS.
\
Suggestions as ts Interesting Them In
Civic Improvement.
Many complaints come to the city
beautiful department conducted by
the Los Angeles Times regarding the
indifference of the citizens in various
sections to all phases of civic im
provement work, and a remedy is ask
ed for these unhappy conditions. While
attending a fanners’ institute a short
time ago in a small town about 100
miles from Los Angeles a small bunch
of active citizens wished to know
what could be done with what they
were pleased to call “the old moss
backs ’ of the village. A considerable
number of residents had lived there
for a score or more of years and yet
would not contribute a cent or give
any labor even to clean up the streets,
though all enjoyed prosperity and a
bank account of limited size. The
town in question has a peculiarly di
lapidated look.
Education and demonstration have
been proved to be the only effectual
means of ameliorating such conditions,
and the transformation will necessari
ly be slow' and the campaign prolonged
and arduous. Though the work must
eventually be accomplished, the Hues
of least resistance must be sought for
and followed at all times. It.is possi
ble that all or nearly all may be pre
vailed upon to join some move fqr the
amelioration of present conditions.
This entering wedge frequently con
sists of cleaning and grading streets,
the necessity for which is recognized
by 7 all. For the next move some sec
tion must be sought where the major
ity of owners in a block favor curb
and sidewalk or street trees, and the
“head camp or fortress” of the major
ity of inossbacks must be left for the
last or until their properties are behind
those of the others in Improvements.
One point must not be lost sight of—
make no one angry except as a last
resort. Try every other available
means anfl then patiently wait for
some time before venturing to give
any one or more a ‘'piece of your
mind.” Vinegar seldom catches Hies,
though occasionally it becomes neces
sary to make a man angry before he
will fairly awaken to anything. Even
in Garvauza. Cal., where co-operation
in public improvement has accom
plished so much, we have members
who are never heard from accept In
protesting that the society’3 funds be
not used for general Improvement
which does not meet with their indi
vidual approval. We cannot afford to
stop the wheels of progress for "moss
backs.” even though we grant them
a respectable hearing. Effective civic
improvement is always accomplished
by the unremitting toil of a few, so
be neither weary nor discouraged, for
in the end you shall win.
PAID TAXES WITH TREES.
How Poor Man of Missouri Town Mad#
It Beautiful.
The stranger in Macon, Mo., invari
ably notes the large number of mag
nificent shade trees that border the
streets of the town. The place has
come to be known as the City of Ma
ples. and the inhabitants take pleas
ure in telling how these fine trees were
acquired, says the Kansas City Star.
In 1872 John W. Beaumont, an ener
getic real estate man, went broke and
could not pay his taxes, which amount
ed to sll6. He offered the city coun
cil in lieu of the cash 10.000 young
maple trees, from one to two inches
in diameter, all ready to set out.
was that or nothing, so the council
took the trees. By public proclamation
the mayor fixed an arbor day. and ev
erybody who would agree to set them
out and care for them was given from
six to ten trees. At that time the town
was almost bare of trees of every kind
Almost in a day Mr. Beaumont legal
tender for taxes was in the hands of
the inhabitants, and they so faithfully
carried out the mayor’s injunction that
todav there is hardly a street in own
which is not beautifully shaded by
thick leaved trees, suggesting a town
many a public spirited
JLn who has contributed much of
hi; time and means to encourage the
, Jwnent of thrift and beauty, but
oTa hot summer’s day the
. r who mid nis taxes in trees is
remembered^with the deepest grati
tude.
Wanted: Scrap Iron, Brass,
Copper and Lead.
Jos, L. Wagner & Son.
SSO FOR $25
The Progress has a $50.00
scholarship in the Southern
Telegraph School and Business
College at Newnan, Ga., which
it will sell for $25--a dirt cheap
price, because you cannot enter
that reputable college for less
than $50.00 tuition.
ZETJEZRfIIS IS
An Opportunity
for some young man or lady
with vim and hustle to learn a
high salaried trade at an unus
ually low price.
Read the ad of the School
elsewhere in this paper.
i •
Tint • Come, ■ first ■ Served.
Call or Write at Once
*
THE PROGRESS
Jackson, Georgia
*
Hit