CH. II 



RECLAIMING THE DESERT 23 



the African negro has not. Before a vine or a 

 peach tree can be planted, the water must be 

 brought, and to bring the water means continuous, 

 costly toil. 



It is true that the farmer does not come until 

 the water has been brought, but he must pay his 

 share of the expense. His acres of melons have to 

 be watered before a single fruit appears, and that 

 water he must pay for. There are many other 

 things besides the water, however, which he must 

 have before he can gather a fruit. He must have 

 labour, he must have implements, he must have 

 seeds and trees, he must have food and clothing 

 and shelter while his crops are growing. He is 

 going to get more from his land than the African 

 negro, but he must take more to it. 



But it is not enough for him to have capital, 

 that is, the power to wait ; he must have skill, 

 and that largely means he must know how to 

 make use of the knowledge and experience of 

 bygone generations and of his own generation. 

 The African negroes have but little to tell their 

 children ; and as those children learn but little for 

 themselves, there is very little progress. But in 

 America each generation must so make use of the 

 learning of the generations that went before as to 

 be able to advance beyond them, must be able to 

 add something to the sum of knowledge which 



