38 The Rural Home and Character Development 



A BACK-TO-THE-COUNTRY CLUB 



Nearly every town and city of the United States 

 has had a so-called Commercial Club. This has 

 been in reality a boosters' club bent first of all on 

 bringing big business to the place and thus opening 

 the way for a bigger population. Anything for the 

 sake of more people has been the watchword. Now, 

 I would reverse this order of things. Nearly every 

 one of these towns and cities needs a club or commit- 

 tee that might have for its purposes : (1) to show the 

 would-be retired farmer how to shift the burdens from 

 his wife as housekeeper, how to provide better social 

 and intellectual advantages for his children and yet 

 stay on the farm; (2) to find means and methods 

 whereby to plant in the rural community those 

 persons of the city population who are not making a 

 fair living in their present positions, seeking first of 

 course to choose those who are capable of trans- 

 planting and then preparing them with care for the 

 change. 



I am satisfied that this thing can be successfully 

 thought out, that is, how the worthy poor city 

 family may be removed to the country and there 

 through hard work gradually acquire enough land 

 whereon to earn a fair living at least. This end will 

 never be accomplished by merely driving out the 

 poor families, but rather by means of scientific and 

 sympathetic practice of re-establishing them. Well- 



