78 FLIGHT FROM THE CITY 



organic material from the soil, converting it into 

 foodstuffs, and then destroying that organic matter 

 irretrievably with fire and chemicals in the sewage 

 disposal plants of our cities. 



In studying this problem, we became aware of the 

 fact that we had, in common with others who en- 

 joyed the benefits of city life, paid for sewage disposal 

 even though we had been unaware of the fact. Unless 

 the city man happens to own his own home and the 

 vast majority do not he has no direct knowledge of 

 what taxes are paid for. All he knows is that he pays 

 rent. The fact that part of his rent really pays for 

 running water, for sewage, garbage and ash disposal, 

 is hardly realized by him, just as when he lives in an 

 apartment he forgets that another substantial part of 

 his rent really pays for heat, hot water, janitor service 

 and all the conveniences of his apartment. What we 

 discovered was that we could have practically every 

 service of this sort essential to our comfort, without 

 having to pay a premium price for them. 



A simple and inexpensive septic tank, with a drain- 

 age tile system to dispose of the overflow from the 

 tank, is all that is needed in order not only to dodge 

 the heavy cost of sewage disposal in the city, but for 

 converting the waste into a contribution to soil fer- 

 tility. What is taken from the soil is then returned. 

 After we installed such a system on our place in the 

 country, the sewage problem vanished for us. 



Hot water, and plenty of it, is necessary to com- 



