14 AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



factors in impelling men to action. But the sum total of en- 

 joyment to be secured by the satisfaction of one's own individual 

 wants is relatively small compared with the satisfactions derived 

 from the larger relations of life. 



2. The desire to satisfy the wants of others. A motive of out- 

 standing importance with practically all the mature men en- 

 gaged in agriculture is the desire for a home and a family. As 

 the young man grows older, he thinks less and less of his own 

 immediate satisfactions and more and more of the satisfactions 

 of others. Pope described this change in his " Essay on Man " : 



Self-love but serves the virtuous mind to wake, 

 As the small pebble stirs the peaceful lake ; 

 The center moved, a circle straight succeeds ; 

 Another still, and still another spreads ; 

 Friend, parent, neighbor, first it will embrace, 

 His country next, and next all human race. 

 Wide and more wide, th' o'erflowing of the mind 

 Takes ev'ry creature in, of ev'ry kind. 



This motive for home and family may be of the simplest in- 

 stinctive form, or h may take the form of great family pride, 

 desire for a large and dignified family estate, for education for 

 the whole family, for social standing in the higher classes of 

 society, etc. In its higher forms this motive is sufficiently 

 strong to impel action throughout the whole lifetime of a man 

 without completely attaining the ideal. 



3. Pride in one's work. Many a young farmer takes great 

 pride in the straightness of his furrows, in the straightness of 

 his corn rows, in the cleanness of his corn fields, in the high 

 production per acre of all of his crops, in the fine appearance 

 of his work horses, in the high productivity of his milch cows, 

 and in the general upkeep and tidy appearance of his farm. 

 This is an exceedingly wholesome motive and not only yields 

 a great amount of personal satisfaction, but results also in in- 

 creasing agricultural production and maintaining the appear- 

 ance of the countryside. 



4. The accumulation of landed property. This motive often 

 leads men to strenuous activity, when other motives are rela- 



