156 THE THIRD POWER 



would not, as now, be neglected by the government, 

 be ridiculed by his acquaintances, and that all the 

 capacity he possesses and all the education he might 

 acquire would find abundant scope for exercise on 

 the farm with the certainty of liberal reward, he 

 would think long before migrating to the city. Give 

 the farmer as many of the comforts of the city as he 

 cares to possess, a fair chance at the city's amuse- 

 ments, plenty of books and papers and an education 

 that would fit him to enjoy them, and he will, with a 

 sure chance for a career, be quite content to remain 

 a tiller of the soil. But if he is to be a mere drudge, 

 a hewer of wood and drawer of water for others, 

 we have no right to be surprised that agriculture has 

 slight charm for the young man. 



It is admitted that it is a bad thing both for the 

 city and the country to have the young men in such 

 large numbers leave the latter for the former. The 

 professions are crowded ; there are more clerks and 

 bookkeepers than are needed, and the farm needs 

 laborers more now than ever before, and it is besides 

 dangerous when there is a large element of the popu- 

 lation living in boarding-houses without any of the 

 restraints and safeguards of home. This congestion 

 of population is getting worse. And witli it the 

 chance for the individual is growing slighter all the 

 time. Yet all the while there is a clamor for workers 

 on the farms. Would the average young man run 

 away from a good chance on the farm to a desperate 

 Struggle in the city with thousands of others perhaps 



