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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