146 COMMISSION ON COUNTRY LIFE 



who complain most loudly about their incomes 

 are the last to improve their home conditions 

 when their incomes are increased; they are more 

 likely to purchase additional land and thereby 

 further emphasize the barrenness of home life. 

 Land-hunger is naturally strongest in the most 

 prosperous regions. 



When an entire region or industry is not 

 financially prosperous, it is impossible, of course, 

 to develop the best personal and community 

 ideals. In the cotton-growing states, for example, 

 the greatest social and mental development has 

 been apparent in the years of high prices for 

 cotton; and the same is true in exclusive wheat 

 regions, hay regions, and other large areas 

 devoted mainly to one industry. 



While it is of course necessary that the farmer 

 receive good remuneration for his efforts, it is 

 nevertheless true that the money consideration 

 is frequently too exclusively emphasized in farm 

 homes. This consideration often obscures every 

 other interest, allowing little opportunity for the 

 development of the intellectual, social and moral 

 qualities. The open country abounds in men and 

 women of the finest ideals; yet it is necessary to 



