" BACK TO THE FARM! " 155 



life is undoubtedly that which is connected with the 

 transportation and distribution of agricultural products. 

 Extreme difficulty will attend the solution of this prob- 

 lem. The trades, as they are now established, are very 

 jealous of any control or restrictive legislation. A mere 

 suggestion that there might be some economic interest 

 between producer and consumer is met with a chorus 

 of protests from interested parties. Petitions have al- 

 ready been laid before the President of the United 

 States, asking him to muzzle any public official who 

 indicates that there may be a necessity of reform in this 

 direction. 



THE SPIRIT OF COMMERCIALISM. 



It is astonishing how short-sighted some people are 

 in economic matters. Let me give an instance. In 

 Washington the school authorities have authorized the 

 establishment of a lunch-counter in one of the public 

 high schools where wholesome and hot lunches may be 

 served at a few cents each. This is intended specially 

 for the poorer pupils who cannot bring good lunches 

 from home, but is also intended for those who are well- 

 to-do, on the theory that the hot lunch is better than 

 the cold one. In the Washington papers of December 

 sixth, there is an account of a protest against this ar- 

 rangement, which has been numerously signed by the 

 business men of the neighborhood of the school, because 

 it interferes with the profits of the grocers and res- 

 taurants in the vicinity ! 



It is this spirit of selfish commercialism which seems 

 to me to stand in the way of a betterment of conditions. 

 I do not claim that the farmer is not actuated by just 

 as keen a selfishness. As a rule, the farmer, I think, 

 would not hesitate to get a higher price, even if the ulti- 



