THE NEW FARMER 63 



there is comparatively small chance for specu- 

 lation in agriculture; that large aggregates of 

 capital cannot be collected for farming, and con- 

 sequently, that the approved means for securing 

 immense wealth, great industrial advancement, 

 and huge enterprises are nearly absent in agri- 

 culture. Remember that the voices calling 

 from the city deplete the country of many good 

 farmers as well as of many poor ones. More- 

 over, there are many men on farms who perhaps 

 don't care for farming, but who for some reason 

 cannot get away. On the farm a man need not 

 starve; he can make a livelihood. Doubtless 

 this simple fact is responsible for a multitude of 

 mossbacks. They can live without strenuous 

 endeavor. Possibly a good many of us are 

 strenuous because we are pushed into it. So I 

 have a good deal of sympathy for the mossback, 

 and a mild sort of scorn for some of his critics, 

 who probably could not do any better than he 

 is doing if they essayed the gentle art of agricul- 

 ture. I also have sympathy for the mossback 

 particularly because he is the man that needs 

 attention. The new farmer takes the initiative. 

 He patronizes these opportunities that we have 

 been talking about. But the mossback, be- 

 cause he is discouraged, or because he is igno- 



