34 City Homes on Country Lanes 



If that be true, then it becomes quite clear that the 

 cityward tendency is not unfortunate for society, from 

 the standpoint of financial development. 



Now we pass right out to sea, so far as any hope 

 of exact information is concerned. Of health, physical, 

 mental, spiritual and financial development something 

 may be learned from public records, though such data is 

 by no means as comprehensive as could be desired. It 

 is different when we come to consider the other elements 

 of our problem — the effect of the sweep of population 

 away from the land on the character of our people with 

 respect to human kindness, social solidarity, patriotism, 

 capacity to think clearly on public and social questions, 

 initiative and ability to carry out convictions, and, 

 finally, joy of living. 



These are vital considerations. They go to the 

 heart of our future civilization. They are closely 

 related to the matter of education and economic pros- 

 perity, since there can not be much doubt that a more 

 general diffusion of knowledge and the comforts of 

 life must react favorably on the character of individuals 

 and communities. Then, too, there is the influence of 

 environment — of contact with large numbers and with 

 varied racial and social groups — to be taken into ac- 

 count. 



The questions of human kindness and patriotism may 

 be considered practically as one. Like spiritual de- 

 velopment, they are largely matters of individual tem- 

 perament and personal experience. It would be a very 

 bold man who should undertake to say that rural life is 

 deficient in either of these fine qualities of human char- 

 acter. Indeed, on the side of kindness, there is a great 



