26 THE FARMER OF TO-MORROW 



or gunpowder, instead of keeping it invested 

 in land to grow corn, would you expect it 

 to return you anything? Or would you con- 

 sider that it merely provided you with a job 

 that you could pass around among all the 

 members of your family?" 



"I would expect it to return me something, 

 of course," admitted Farmer Jones. 



"Say you invested it in industrial stock," 

 suggested Jeremiah. "You would not have 

 to turn a hand for that six per cent., would 

 you? You and your family could ride around 

 in your six-cylinder sixty all day, and you 

 wouldn't have to bother about getting up at 

 four o'clock in the morning to feed the horses 

 and start for the field. Your capital would 

 work for you. And, Mr. Jones," went on the 

 bankrupt, "if you had inherited a soap fac- 

 tory instead of a farm from your father, that 

 soap factory would have to earn interest on 

 its capital, and pay fixed charges, to stay in 

 business, wouldn't it? Or would you run it 

 as a charitable institution and forget to figure 

 on cost of production? How long do you 

 think your laborers would work for you if you 

 paid them salt and garden truck and a fresh 

 chicken on Sunday? And how did you hap- 



