50 City Homes on Country Lanes 



an intelligent opinion, the day is remote when ma- 

 chinery will be equal to these demands. Those who 

 hold the contrary view represent a mistaken and dan- 

 gerous philosophy. If it became prevailing public 

 opinion, it would speedily create a greater menace to 

 America's position in the world, a greater menace to 

 the continued independence of her people, than hostile 

 fleets lying without her ports, or hostile armies march- 

 ing across her soil. We should overwhelm the fleets 

 and defeat the armies, but an influence that undermines 

 the character of our citizenship is an influence which, 

 if permitted to work out to logical conclusions, would 

 destroy the basis of our free institutions. And that 

 would be the end of America as it exists to-day. 



Those who feel otherwise are following a false god — ■ 

 the god of Material Production. Wrong as to their 

 facts, they are infinitely more so in the spirit of their 

 contention, which would sacrifice all other good to a 

 single consideration. They would fill the nation's 

 stomach at the cost of the nation's soul ; though not, 

 of course, with conscious intent. They have convinced 

 themselves that the people can be fed by machinery, 

 while everybody lives in town, wearing "a dozen coats 

 a day," and dining from "$l,()()()-tables." How average 

 folks are to get the price of the coats and tables — 

 whether by socialism or not — they fail to state; but, 

 if the lime shall ever come when we depend on machines 

 for food, it will also be time for the people to resume 

 I lie ownership of the land and to acquire the ownership 

 of I he machines. On no other terms could democracy 

 survive in America. 



Production is not the first, but the secondary con- 



