FARM PROFITS AND WELFARE 63 



the hills may be the cause of a great epidemic of disease 

 in the city. The intelligence in political affairs, the ed- 

 ucation, the morals, the general welfare of forty mil- 

 lion rural folk are of prime consequence in our national 

 welfare. 



BUT IS THE CONTENTION REALLY SOUND? 



We have been dwelling upon the importance of fac- 

 ing the facts of country life, and upon the views of 

 farmers about rural welfare itself. Let us now see just 

 why, as a piece of argument, the doctrine that country 

 life will take care of itself, provided the farmer makes 

 a profit out of his business, is fundamentally unsound. 

 What are the main objections to the statement? 

 Chiefly that it isn't true at all, as usually put, and even 

 contradicts itself. This purely business conception of 

 the farm problem narrows the farm question, ignoring 

 its most vital part, the real end of all human endeavor. 

 Moreover, the idea, allowed to go unchecked, deprives 

 us of some of the strongest helps we have for farmers 

 struggling to win a fair monetary reward for their 

 hard toil. 



It will be admitted that a condition of reasonable 

 prosperity among the overwhelming majority of farm- 

 ers is absolutely essential for any adequate kind of farm 

 life. To assert anything else is sheer folly. The 

 country preacher, teacher or social worker should not 

 for one moment forget that a sound rural civilization 

 must have for its foundation a bedrock of decent money 

 income, a fair reward for toil. A good community 

 life costs money. To supply good rural institutions 

 costs money. But the converse is also true: That 

 a prosperous farm business is not all of the farm prob- 

 lem; indeed, the desire for a satisfying life is often the 



