THE "MODERN VILI.AGE AT THE GHENT UNIVERSAL EXHIBITIOX TO I 



Belgium, and everyw^here it is arousing serious anxiety and is the subject 

 of Government studies, enquiries and provisions. 



Much has been written about its causes, which are certainly complex, 

 but one of the chief seems to be the want, as a rule, in the country, of the 

 conditions necessary for life, whether material or moral. And, indeed, 

 the want of houses, the bad state of the roads, the scarcity of water, 

 the deficient state of the public services, especially as regards sanitation, the 

 difiiculties in the way of communication with inhabited centres etc., are all 

 facts that certainly do not render co\mtry life agreeable and that, together 

 with strictl}' economic causes, often occasion the exodus of agricultural 

 labourers. These, who form the most numerous agricultural class, find in 

 the cities not mereh^ higher wages, but better organized assistance and 

 altogether a more comfortable and happier life. 



" It is not enough ", writes M. Tibbaut, whose knowledge of the subject 

 of rural exodus is well known, in the preface to the volume mentioned above. 

 " to improve the systems of cultivation and Uvestock improvement, but we 

 must also give the farmer a possibihty of a life better adapted to the re- 

 quirements of human dignity- and such as may raise his profession in the 

 eyes of the public and in his own. " 



The rural exodus, continues our author, which is assuming such dis- 

 quieting proportions, is not exclusively due to the attraction of the high 

 wages paid by industry, but also to the fascination of the cities with their 

 frequent deceptions. To improve rural life by means of more diligent 

 attention to the house, sanitation, modern comforts and even good taste, 

 will be to elevate the farmer and confer a greater power of resistence on 

 the country which forms the great storehouse of human energy. 



The rural house is, without doubt, of capital importance for agriculture 

 and it is for the housewives to see to its furnishing, to give it a pleasant ap- 

 pearance and make it an agreeable dwelUng place. 



But the task of the housewives — ■ observes M. Tibbaut — • has been often 

 ignored and it is M. de Vm^st's merit to have brought it into relief. 



When, he writes, the housewife is suitably equipped for her economic 

 mission, in the family and in society; when, with her instinct for cleanliness 

 and good taste, she knows how to make the dwelling attractive; when she puts 

 in practice elementary ideas of domestic economy and good nourishment, so 

 as to ensure the men the restoration of their strength and the necessary 

 repose ; when she is fitted to supervise the cultivation of the kitchen garden, 

 to manage the dairy, and to superintend the field labour ; when she radiates 

 round her wifely and motherly affection, drawing hearts to her and glad- 

 dening them, and protecting others against outside dangers and disappoint- 

 ments ; when, finall}', she is equal to her task, the housewife brightens the 

 farmers' hfe, enhances its dignity, increases his power of production, and 

 makes herself a lifegiving centre for many farming households, endowed 

 with strength and courage, without which a country, can make no progress. 



In accordance with the above idea, M. De Vuyst, with the support of 

 the Government and the assistance of a select group of persons, to whom 

 Belgian agriculture owes much, amongst whom we shall mention, in addition 



