CHAPTER XX 



BACK TO THE LAND 



"LiFE, to the average man, means hard, anxious work, 

 with disappointment at the end, whereas it ought to mean 

 plenty of tune for books and talk. There is something 

 wrong about a system which condemns ninety-nine hun- 

 dredths of the race to an existence as bare of intellectual 

 activity and enjoyment as that of a horse, and with the added 

 anxiety concerning the next month's rent. Is there no 

 escape? Through years of hard toil I suspected that there 

 might be such an escape. Now, having escaped, I am sure 

 of it, so long as oatmeal is less expensive than flour, so long 

 as the fish bite, and the cabbage grows, I shall keep out of 

 the slavery of modern city existence, and live in God's sun- 

 shine." (Hubert, "Liberty and a Living.") 



The wealthy class are taking up farming as a healthy and 

 beautifying diversion, and we may expect others to follow, 

 as it certainly promotes happiness and adds to the attractions 

 of those who adopt it. With the aids which science has 

 given, a farmer can now make good profits with less labor 

 than was formerly necessary to get a bare living. The 

 amount that a single well-managed, well-tilled acre will pro- 

 duce in a season is simply incredible. This accounts for the 

 increased demand for farming lands wherever they are to be 

 had on reasonable terms. The wage earners are learning 



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