THE WASTE IN MUD 



This article is from The Saturday Kvenin<; Post of March 27th. It is 

 a line example of modern American newspaper Kn^'lish. It tells the 

 story in a deliciously whimsical, humorous way. Yet the jrim facts 

 stick out boldly all through it, in spite of its quips and jests. It is by 

 Kmerson Mouiih. 



With the exception of thai certain wicked uncle, of whom nothing 

 ever was rxpeded and of whom no good could be predicted, all your 

 family, like the average American family, no douhl regularly went to 

 church. Probably the majority stayed over for Sabbath-school in the 

 litllr church whh while walls and black walnut pews. You could not 

 have been in a heller place. At church or Sabbath-school you all 

 si ood in a row and sang that easy, lilting old hymn which says: 

 Litlle drops of water, little grains of sand. 

 Make ihe mighty ocean and the pleasant land. 



You could not have sung a better song. We all used to sinu 1 that 

 sonu' wilh cheerfulness, indeed with enthusiasm A/z/-tle drops of 

 \\a-a-a-1er. //'/-lie uTa-av-ins of sand, make the mighty o-o-shun, <rn' 

 the pleh-heh-sent la-a-a-nd ! That was the way il ran. After we had 

 sunn il we all went home and forgot all about it. The next Monday 

 moining Dad went back to Farming, just ihe way his Had had. and 

 the Dad who antedated that one. world without end: and not one oF 

 those Dads was ever wise enough to know the hymn was right, or to 

 fiinnv mit whal the hymn meant or ouu'hl to mean. It is a splendid 

 hymn. Full <>F vast elemental truth, and il has a lot to do with Farming. 



Heretofore, your folks and mine hadn't thought that geology had 

 much to do \vilh Farming, any more than religion had. As a mailer of 

 Fact, they both do. The only trouble is. the average American, like 

 you and me. does very little thinking in religion, politics or business. 

 The farmer knows the country immediately around him. The city 

 man does not ev< n know all of the city where he lives, only a little 

 corner oF it. It is this carelessness in religion, polities, business and 

 geology which Li'ives ihe sad-eyed Mr. .James -I. Hill still Further oppor- 

 tunity to grieve over the Future oF this country. 



\\ hat Mr. Hill sees in the time when five hundred millions oF .Japan- 

 ese and Chinamen will be making all our manufactured goods under 

 a scale oF living sn much cheaper than the American standard as to 

 'rush out all American com pel it ion. This means not only the fiercest 

 struggle ever known For trade, but the fiercest struggle ever known 

 tor a mere living. It is ihe war between the Oriental standard oF 

 living and the American standard as we now know il. The decisive 

 battle ol that war must be Foiighl on the American Farm, not in the 

 California legislature. 'The American standard oF living is based on 

 the theory <>F an exhaiislless bank account. Our account has never 

 been overdrawn, and we have never had our bankbook' balanced. It is 

 "lily now thai a Few oF our wiser men beirin In see thai il is time For 

 ! < s 1" -<'1 a balance From the clerk at the desk. We have been checking 

 "Ht. like inebriated mariners, what we had or thought we had in this 

 n ''h bank oF America, land oF the Free, cminlrv ol endless opportunity. 

 Now we have used up nur Forests, are exhaiisliiiir our mines at Fear- 



