CHAPTER II 



ANEW view of the decline in American rural 

 population, and the continued piling up of the 

 people in urban centers, has begun to gain 

 currency. It has found able spokesmen. One of the 

 most persuasive is Dr. Rudolph M. Binder, head of the 

 sociological department of the University of New York. 

 In a very notable interview, he said: "America only is 

 following other industrial countries in its tendency to 

 group the larger number of its inhabitants in the cities. 

 "In Belgium and in England this period was passed 

 long ago ; Germany knew it about 1910. It is the inevi- 

 table drift of all States undergoing transition from 

 agricultural to industrial conditions. 



"Normally every country must keep a sufficient per- 

 centage of its population in the rural districts to pro- 

 vide enough food for the whole population. This per- 

 centage varies according to the state of civilization of 

 a country. In the province of Bengal, India, there was 

 until recently 90 per cent of the total population in 

 country districts. 



"Those people, because of primitive implements and 

 transportation, were able to produce just about enough 

 food for themselves. England, at the other extreme, is 

 able to maintain approximately 8 per cent of her people 

 in urban districts. 



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