CHAPTER XXX 

 THE RURAL COMMUNITY 



THE farmer's first concern must be to make a living, so 

 most of the preceding pages have been devoted to that aspect 

 of farm life which has to do with agriculture in its various 

 phases. But the farmer must have a place in which to live 

 - a home, and it should be the best home he can afford. 

 Some of the essentials of a comfortable farm home with 

 special reference to ease in housekeeping were considered in 

 the last chapter. Finally, the farmer must live among other 

 people with whom he has interests in common. He has 

 neighbors and should have friends and companions. It 

 seems worthwhile, therefore, to conclude the book with a 

 chapter devoted to the farmer and his relation to others of 

 the community. 



The particular problem of each individual of a rural com- 

 munity is to make the most of the relations with others, 

 both for the sake of himself and his family and of those with 

 whom he may become associated. Moreover, mere partici- 

 pation in community affairs, while infinitely better than 

 selfish isolation, is not enough. Each individual should 

 cooperate with others to make his community or neighbor- 

 hood a better place in which to live. Cooperation means 

 getting together; living to himself, an individual is apt to 

 be narrow and one-sided in his views; in a group, he tends 

 to become broader minded and to forget his prejudices in a 

 wider interest. Singly, an individual's information generally 



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