124 AMERICAN FARMS. 



The condition of the agricultural lands of New Eng- 

 land, notwithstanding the great development of its cities, 

 is very good proof that there is something wrong in the 

 home-market theory. 



The true home-market theory for the farmer is in the 

 independence, through natural laws, of each little rural 

 home. By allowing these to be the base of economic 

 action, a home market is always secured. Manufactures 

 will spring up as they are required. The productions of 

 the farm will be the raw material of the home manu- 

 facturer. Then our manufactures will be of natural 

 development, and these will exchange in foreign countries 

 for such goods as are the natural productions of those 

 countries. 



This is the true division of labor, with a natural, a solid 

 base. How senseless it is to force foreign raw material 

 into our markets in order to give employment to our 

 artisans, when, without compulsion, artisans might be 

 fabricating our own raw materials for foreign countries. 

 By following the former course, our position is always 

 false ; by the latter it would be sound and enduring, 

 causing all classes to be ever more and more self- 

 sustaining. 



