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Indiana University Studies 
The Ownership of the Home 
The first big difference which stands out between the ur- 
ban and rural group is in the matter of home ownership. In 
the country, 35 of the feeble-minded own their homes with 
the accompanying farms. Of these, 32 have inherited their 
homes while only 3 have acquired the property in their life- 
time. Of these 3, Susie Flood and her husband bought a lit- 
tle place among the hills where land is cheap and not worth 
much as farm land. This is the kind of land where defectives 
are usually to be found. James Dorman, a normal man, set- 
tled in Township 12 with his epileptic wife and is now rear- 
ing his feeble-minded children there. The third case, Leona 
Forster, is living on a farm purchased by her husband, a nor- 
mal member of a defective group. 
Of the 15 who do not own their own homes, 9 are farm 
tenants ; 4 are living in out-of-the-way places where they can 
earn their living by cutting wood, making ties, etc., and 2 
are living in shacks where they do not have to pay rent. It 
is very doubtful if any of this group of 15 pay rent regularly. 
Some of them undoubtedly do not. 
In town, competition is much stronger, and we find few of 
the feeble-minded owning their homes. Out of the 50 in this 
group, only 12 as contrasted with the 35 of the other group 
own their homes. There are 38 who do not own their homes. 
Of the 12 owning property, 5 are members of well-to-do fam- 
ilies. The other 7 homes have been acquired as the result of 
toil and the oversight of persons interested in social work. 
They are all little box houses, hardly worthy of the name of 
dwelling. 
Kinds of Houses 
There are a few differences between the urban and the 
rural houses which stand out prominently. It has already 
been pointed out that more rural defectives own their homes 
than do those of the city. Also that those owning their homes 
in the country do so thru no effort of their own, since the 
property is usually some of that entered by an ancestor. There 
is not so much difference to be found in the kinds of houses. 
Both box and frame houses are to be found in both rural and 
urban localities. Also log houses are to be found in the coun- 
try and a number of brick and concrete in town. 
