58 THE LETTER THAT 



PROMPTED THIS BOOK 



made good not only in the payments to the company, but 

 in saving something for themselves and increasing the value 

 of their land by development work. In other words, by 

 working only a very small part of the land which they have 

 purchased for so little money (and only with cash pay- 

 ments averaging about $100) they have succeeded in es- 

 tablishing themselves in an occupation in which they have 

 less worry and even less work than in many of the occupa- 

 tions that are offered in large cities. 



" The hunger for land and a self-supporting home is 

 inherent in every right-minded man. The natural habitat 

 of mankind is in the country, and the city life at best is 

 an artificial one. A reaction is setting in, and city people 

 are to-day taking an interest in the country and its possi- 

 bilities as a home that has not been manifested in years. 



" The farmer certainly has the best of it. He works 

 hard when necessary, but this individual effort brings direct 

 returns in proportion, and though he may not deck himself 

 in the fine raiment of his salaried brother in the city, his 

 clothes are the clothes worn by the ' boss,' and he is re- 

 spected accordingly. His hours of work are not longer as 

 a rule than the city man's, and he has his Sundays and in 

 addition many days when he is not compelled to be out 

 attending to his crops. The winter season also affords 

 him ample leisure in which to read, visit his neighbors, and 

 keep in general touch with the world and its doings. 



" He is not compelled to rely entirely on the butcher, the 

 baker, and the groceryman for the necessities of life, but, 

 to a very large extent, produces them himself. His garden 

 furnishes him with an abundance of vegetables and small 

 fruits, he has access to his eggs and tender young broilers 

 without considering them a luxury. A few pigs keep him 



