﻿23 
  

  

  The 
  "back-to-the-farm" 
  movement 
  is 
  being 
  discussed 
  today 
  

   in 
  various 
  periodicals, 
  but 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  "back-to-the-farm" 
  move- 
  

   ment 
  is 
  a 
  philosophy 
  that 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  generally 
  understood. 
  

   It 
  is 
  not 
  proper 
  here 
  to 
  take 
  time 
  to 
  discuss 
  the 
  reasons 
  why 
  

   the 
  man 
  in 
  the 
  "steenth" 
  story 
  of 
  some 
  magnificent 
  office 
  build- 
  

   ing, 
  with 
  telephones, 
  electric 
  lights, 
  elevators, 
  and 
  all 
  modern 
  

   conveniences, 
  longs 
  for 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  he 
  can 
  roam 
  again 
  amidst 
  

   the 
  green 
  fields 
  in 
  the 
  sunshine 
  and 
  fresh 
  air, 
  but 
  suffice 
  it 
  to 
  

   say 
  that 
  in 
  my 
  judgment 
  a 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  professional 
  men, 
  and 
  

   men 
  in 
  other 
  walks 
  of 
  life, 
  would, 
  if 
  they 
  could, 
  abandon 
  their 
  

   various 
  employments 
  and 
  turn 
  again 
  to 
  the 
  soil. 
  The 
  boy 
  on 
  

   the 
  farm 
  dreams 
  of 
  the 
  days 
  when 
  he 
  can 
  be 
  the 
  president 
  of 
  a 
  

   bank, 
  have 
  a 
  home 
  in 
  the 
  city, 
  own 
  an 
  automobile, 
  smoke 
  good 
  

   cigars 
  and 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  show 
  every 
  night. 
  The 
  bank 
  president 
  

   dreams 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  when 
  he 
  can 
  turn 
  again 
  to 
  the 
  farm 
  and 
  walk 
  

   in 
  the 
  green 
  fields, 
  where 
  he 
  can 
  shun 
  the 
  various 
  artificial 
  ac- 
  

   tivities 
  of 
  life, 
  drink 
  buttermilk 
  and 
  retire 
  with 
  the 
  chickens. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  asked 
  what 
  connection 
  these 
  statements 
  have 
  

   with 
  the 
  subject, 
  and 
  the 
  answer 
  is 
  this 
  — 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  minds 
  of 
  

   many 
  thousands 
  of 
  people 
  there 
  is 
  this 
  supreme 
  desire 
  to 
  some 
  

   day 
  own 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  God's 
  footstool 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  can 
  retire 
  

   from 
  artificial 
  and 
  vainglorious 
  environments 
  to 
  those 
  under 
  

   which 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  their 
  real 
  selves 
  and 
  follow 
  pursuits 
  to 
  their 
  

   liking. 
  It 
  is 
  this 
  that 
  makes 
  it 
  possible 
  for 
  the 
  promoter 
  of 
  

   various 
  horticultural 
  enterprises 
  to 
  succeed 
  in 
  interesting 
  in 
  his 
  

   schemes 
  the 
  clerk, 
  the 
  merchant, 
  the 
  doctor, 
  the 
  lawyer, 
  the 
  

   school 
  teacher, 
  the 
  preacher, 
  and 
  all 
  others 
  whose 
  occupations 
  

   confine 
  them 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  cities. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  beginning, 
  let 
  us 
  distinguish 
  between 
  the 
  fraudulent 
  

   promoter 
  and 
  the 
  uninformed 
  promoter. 
  The 
  fraudulent 
  pro- 
  

   moter 
  is 
  he 
  who 
  recognizes 
  this 
  great 
  and 
  worthy 
  ambition 
  of 
  

   many 
  people 
  to 
  buy 
  a 
  spot 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  can 
  some 
  day 
  retire 
  

   and 
  work 
  and 
  rest 
  and 
  dream 
  and 
  enjoy 
  the 
  coming 
  and 
  going 
  

   of 
  the 
  seasons, 
  and 
  the 
  sunshine 
  and 
  the 
  shadows, 
  and 
  who 
  

   capitalizes 
  this 
  ambition, 
  with 
  that 
  industry 
  as 
  his 
  stock 
  in 
  trade 
  

   which, 
  at 
  the 
  particular 
  moment, 
  happens 
  to 
  offer 
  the 
  most 
  at- 
  

   tractive 
  inducements. 
  Those 
  familiar 
  with 
  the 
  industry 
  he 
  is 
  

   exploiting, 
  can 
  tell 
  him 
  by 
  his 
  actions, 
  by 
  his 
  words, 
  by 
  his 
  nods 
  and 
  

   winks. 
  It 
  is 
  hard 
  for 
  the 
  crook 
  to 
  disguise 
  himself 
  to 
  the 
  informed. 
  

  

  Distinguished 
  from 
  the 
  fraudulent 
  promoter 
  is 
  the 
  unin- 
  

   formed 
  promoter, 
  but, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  results 
  are 
  concerned, 
  there 
  is 
  

   not 
  much 
  difference 
  between 
  them 
  for 
  the 
  innocent 
  investor. 
  

  

  