26 THE PEOPLE OF THE FARM 



15. Influence on Physical Welfare. Outdoor activities 

 are refreshing, and act as a tonic to the body. This is 

 especially true of outdoor work in the country. The 

 noise and hurry of the city, and its indoor life, batter 

 down and undermine the nervous system. Cities are 

 learning the need of parks, open-air school buildings, and 



AN INDUSTRIAL CENTER. 



Industrial workers labor under countless disadvantages, when compared 

 with farm workers. 



open-air sanatoriums, to enable people broken down in 

 health to get fresh air, quiet, and sunshine to build them 

 up. Farms have in themselves many of the advantages 

 of parks and sanatoriums for maintaining and restoring 

 health. 



The superiority of the country in the conditions 1 of 

 wholesome life is fully proven by figures. The New 

 York State Commission of Lunacy states, in its report for 



iSorae diseases, notably typhoid, are more prevalent in the country than 

 in the city. There would be even fewer cases of typhoid in the city were it 

 not for the contaminated milk shipments of certain farmers. The city boy, 

 too, has generally the advantage of tested water, gymnasiums, swimming 

 pools, dispensaries, hospitals, and other health conveniences. The point is, we 

 must not think of the city-bred boy as necessarily weak and the country-bred 

 boy as necessarily strong and healthy. We are speaking of natural as against 

 artificial advantages to physical welfare of city and country. 



