No. 4.] RIGHTS OF THE PRODUCER. 107 



duty to treat superficial symptoms alone ; we must also treat 

 those deep-seated. 



The kind of citizenship this nation demands to-day cannot 

 be built solely upon commercial balances. The great fact 

 meets us that by the system prevailing, enervating work 

 is increasing and energizing work diminishing. The com- 

 mercial problem must first be solved and justice insured 

 the producer of the food of support, but with this there goes 

 the demand for the arousing of the mental powers of workers 

 everywhere. As farm labor drops to the level of the largely 

 automatic labor of the shop, ambition — the key to progress 

 — dies. Improved machinery, multiplied helps, misdirected 

 national or State aid tends to automatic work. ]\Iulti23ly 

 the numbers of those who toil but do not think and you 

 rai)idly increase the dangers and greatly augment the diffi- 

 culties, l^ot only the producer's commercial rights are in 

 the balance but his manhood, — that which alone can be 

 made supreme by thought and investigation. First of all 

 there is demanded the removal of the conditions which pre- 

 vent the growth of enthusiastic research in agricultural work, 

 and the establishment of the one incentive necessary to turn 

 the current back from town to country, — the fixing of the 

 rights of the producer in the consumer's dollar, and the 

 establishment of the spirit of individual investigation. 



Behind all this there rises the greater problem of the 

 security and stability of our form of government now rudely 

 shaken through the breaking down of habits of industry, 

 frugality and independence. If this nation is to endure it 

 must be through the sober, consecutive, patriotic life of the 

 country made active for service. 



" The drift of country population to the towns and cities, 

 with their many amusements, indulgences of vices and seem- 

 ingly higher wages," said Rider Haggard, " is sapping the 

 strength of not only the English but of every white race. 

 Tt is true that higher wages are to be obtained in the towns 

 by the altogether fit and strong, but on the other hand how 

 many utterly fail and end with their families in complete 

 misery? There certainly is not employment for everybody, 

 and the surroundings are far from healthful. 



