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Show - - Nation Natiol1 ' [ Turns m 11S Against Crowded Cities CitiesBuilding , Building Its Future Filture in the Small 5111all Sinai ! Town New IndustrIal IndustrIalamI Industrialand In < IuslriaI and amI Social SocialConcept SocialConcept Concept Will Feature FeatureDe FeatureDe De Centralization CentralizationBy By JOSEPH JOSrPII JOSEPII : W N LaBINCMain LaBINE LaBINr LaBINC LaBINEMain : Main Street - the same samestreet samestreet samestreet street that once echoed to asurging a asurgmg asurging surgmg surging , bonanza spirit spint of ofpIOneering ofpioneering ofpioneering . pIOneering America Amenca , has hasagain hasagain again come into mto its own ownOnce ownOnce ownOnce Once more the carnival carmval tomtom tom tom- tomtom tomtom - tom is heard on Saturday Saturdaymght Saturdaynight Saturdaynight mght night , where but a few years yearsago yearsago yearsago ago there was gloomy silenceNew silence silenceNew New business is springingup springing springingup up in m 1938 s small town New Newfaces Newfaces Newfaces faces are seen , , sallow faces facesperhaps , , perhaps , for they co come cone e from fromthe fromthe fromthe the city , chased away by un- un uncertainty uncertainty un uncertainty - certainty and grasping graspmg for a anew anew anew new chance where life hfe IS ISsweeterIn issweeterin issweeter sweeter-In sweeter In - in the small townHere town townHere Here is being bemg built a new newfoundatIOn newfoundation newfoundation foundatIOn more secure than thanthe thanthe thanthe the one whichcrumbled which crumbled two twodecades twodecades twodecades decades ago Gone is the de desire desire desire sire to become a big city cityGone cityGone cityGone Gone , too is the pesslmlsm pessimism pesslmlsmthat pessimismthat pessimismthat that seized these towns when whenthe whenthe whenthe the golden lure of metropol tan l lie liebegan lifebegan e ebegan began sapp ng the thc r strength Having Hav Hay Havmg Haying mg ing found once more their place m in mthe inthe inthe the sun they are surely pointing pomtmg the theway theway theway way to a new and better scheme of ofthmgs ofthings ofthings ofthingsThis thmgs things thmgsThis thingsThis This revolutIon-for revolutIon for revolution - tor such it is- is ishas ishas Is Ishas - has been gro gioving glOVIng vmg since 1929 It is a aviolent aviolent aviolent violent reaction to the cltyward ciyward cltywardmovement ciywardmovement citywardmovement movement that gripped gnpped our natIon natIonafter nationafter nationafter after the World war when everyamb every everyamb everyamb amb tious small town and farm farmyouth farmyouth farmyouth youth became obsessed w th an urge urgeto urgeto urgeto to seek scek his future in m the city By Bythe Bythe Bythe the time depression arrived arnved centers centers1 1 ke Chicago and New York had hadbecome hadbecome hadbecome become too large unwieldy It took tookbut tookbut tookbut but a slight t l t pse pie to send them turn turnblIng turnbling turnbling blIng to throw tlrow Qirow ) thousands of people peopleout peopleout peopleout out of work workA A Basic MovementUnder BIovcmcnt IIIovcment Movement BIovcmcntUnder Under such circumstances when whena a country lad finds himself "alkIng alkIng walking walkingbarren "alkIngbarren " walkingbarren barren s dewalks " with "Ith Ith ssith an empty emptystomach emptystomach emptystomach stomach fundamental th ngs lIke lice licefood lIkefood likefood food and shelter become mighty 1m im 1mportant important important portant Back home close to the theso theso theso so 1 I food and shelter come easy and anda anda a man needn t walk the streets streetsfnendless streetsfriendless streetsfriendless fnendless friendless From th s $ new bas c ap appreclat appreciat appreciat preclat preciat on of mank manl . nd s prime ne necessltIes necessities necessities cessltIes cessities has grown today s move movement movement : ment But it s bigger blggcr than that the theth theth I th rst rut for small town to"n ton " security secunty has hasgnpped hasgripped hasgripped gnpped gripped all America starting a amass amass amass mass fl fi ght from the city that wIll wIlleventually willeventually willeventually eventually result in decentralizatIon decentralizationof of both population and industryThe industryThe industry industryThe The metropolis scored the firsttouchdown first firsttouchdo firsttouchdown touchdo touchdown " n in m this tlus battle of city ver versus versus versus sus small town Industry sought out outpopulous outpopulous outpopulous populous centers because labor was wascheap wascheap wascheap cheap and most of its products were wereconsumed wereconsumed wereconsumed consumed there Moreover these these"ere thesev thesewere "ere ere v " ere the nerve centers of communi communicatIon communication commumcation commumcationBut catIon catIonBut But th s s \ as false economics In Inpart inpart inpart part Industry soon d scovered that thatcIt thatcit thatcit cIt es also brought labor trouble and andhIgh andhigh andhigh hIgh taxes And eventually man s smgenu singenu singenu mgenu ingenu ty developed faster transpor transportat transportat transportat tat on better roads and better bcttcr liv 11'1 111 ' , tl } ' M ' - ; y 1 , } ti zt ztd.rw d.rw drw d.rwr ' . . r Y } 6 F'rm Frm ' c , : & ; kW , a 4 7 7r 7w r w = t tf f- f ft - t dt M 7 1 1r r 4 4at at 1 3 3t 3x 3Y t x Y " 3 3r 3d5 r d5 d5r d5o d5t d5w o w r t 7 7q r 4k 3 F ' q ' q qart art artn n m x xn a ox C e ? : : 1 1x x Lxc a ak aw k w , yd ' ' kr krx krThe x The h typical plcal cmall small ; town or farm home hke like this offers a happy con contrast contrast trast to crowd crowded cd city apartments provldmg providing the basIs for Amenca America s new newplan newplan plan of hvmg living ing conditions in the small towns townsBy townsBy townsBy By the time depression arrived It Itwas itwas itwas was clear most factories factones could op operate operate operate erate just as successfully in the thesmall thesmall thesmall small towns to " ns meanwhile permit permltt permitt ! ngthe ng ngthe ngthe the work ng man to enjoy a better betterl betterlie betterlife l lie e In short short , , the smaller commu commumty commupity commumty mty pity is no longer isolatedhedging isolated isolatedHedging Hedging Hedgmg Against AdversItyThis AdversityThis Adversity AdversityThis This magic change of AmerIcan AmerIcanthought Americanthought Americanthought thought is an amazing amazmg thing thmg yet It ItIS itis itis IS log caL The bright lights of a city cityare cityare cityare are glamorous just so long then thentheir thentheir thentheir their artiflciality artIficiality becomes apparentLike apparent apparentLIke apparentLike LIke a s ren the metropolis will lure luremen luremen luremen men only to cast them aside in rn a afew afew afew few years To safeguard their fu future future future ture an enormous number of city citybus citybus citybus bus ness and professional men have havebought havebought havebought bought retreats in distant small smalltown smalltown smalltown town or farm areas where they will willmove willmove willmove move should hard luck dog thclr their thclrtra theirtra theirtra willI I tra 1 I They have real zed as the theentIre theentire theentire entIre nat on is real z ng that per perroancnt permancnt perroancnt roancnt mancnt security 1 es very close to tothe tothe tothe the so 1Populous 1Populous 1 1Populous Populous centers are characterIs charactenst characterIst t cally dally shoddy and only a small ml mi mlnOrIty minority minonty nOrIty can hope to escape th s en envlronment environment environment vlronment vironment by living in the better betterres betterres betterres res dential d stncts stricts Speaking of ofCh ofCh ofCh Ch cago again that city s bu Id ld ng ngmanagers ngmanagers ngmanagers managers recently heard a p ctur cturesque cturesque cturesque esque description descnptIon of the r communi commum community commumty community ty by Walter H Blucher execut 'Ie Ie ye 'Iedirector yedirector ' vedirector director of the American Amencan Society of ofPlannmg ofPlanning ofPlanning Plannmg Planning EngineersHere EngineersHere Engineers EngineersHere Here he sa d waving his hand handto handto handto to encompass the area is a city citywIth citywith citywith wIth a gorgeously beaut beautiful beautful ul lake lakefronta lakefronta lakefront front-a front a - a beaut beautiful ul front door but a afilthy afilthy afilthy filthy back yard The lake front is1 IS 1 ke a pauper s shroud-all shroud all shroud - all front and andno andno andno no back bach backConsider bachConsider Consider a point by point corn compar comparison comparis par parIson Ison on onWhether IsonWhether Whether urban or rural tarn fam . ly lyl lylie lylife lie l e is bu It lt 11 around the home In Inanyone Inany Inany anyone any one of a dozen large cit Clt es that thathome thathome thathome home will be a crowded apartment apartmentwhere apartmentwhere apartmentwhere where youngsters grow up confinedwithin confined confinedwithIn confinedwithin withIn tour four walls In the small smallto smallto smallto to vn vii that same family would have haveI haveItS haveits haveits ItS own private home tor for less mon money money money I ey equ pped with every modern convenience avalable ava lable in m the apart apartment apartment apartment apartmentLook ment mentLook Look at education Every state statenow statenow statenow now ma ntains strict supervIsIOn supervIsIOnover supervisionover supervisionover over its schools wheth r metropoltan metropol metropoltan metropoltan tan or rural Under these basic reg regulatIons regulations regillations ulatIons Farmer Brown s child gets getsInstructIon getsinstruction getsinstruction InstructIon equally competent to tothat tothat tothat that enjoyed by Broker Jones Jonesyoungster Jonesyoungster Jonesyoungster youngster in the nearby city cityComparIson cityComparison cityComparison ComparIson of StoresHis StoresHis Stores StoresHis His stores offer merchandise corn cornparable cornparable cornparable parable to that of city firms mak makmg making making mg ing him less dependent on metropohtan metro metropolltan metropolitan polltan politan areas When he must occa occaslonally occasionally occasionally slonally sionally visit the urban center on onbusmess onbusiness onbusiness busmess business or entertainment smooth smoothroads smoothroads smoothroads roads make the trip qu ck cl ckand . and safeLIVIng safeLiving sate safe sateLiving Living costs are lower though It Ithas ithas ithas has been argued that rural salarIes salarIesare salariesare salariesare are also smaller Not unt llast 1 l last year yeard yeard yeard d d a government survey reveal the thedlffercnce thedifference thedifference dlffercnce difference is not so great as often oftenpresumed oftenpresumed presumed The United States 1 i bureau ; u > ureau u ureau reau of home economics d scovered scoveredthat scoveredthat scoveredthat that half the white famil famll es in m a typl typi typlcal typical typical cal American village manage on less lessthan lessthan lessthan than $1 1 $ 100 a year During the same sameyear sameyear sameyear year one half the famil famll es in m New NewYorl NewYork NewYork Yorl York . lived on less than $1814 1814 $1 1 $ 814 and andone andone andone one fourth of New York s total popu populatlOn population population latlOn lation had incomes under $1000 1000 $1000In $1 1 $ 000In 000 000In In Beaver Deaver Dam Darn Wis considered considereda a typ cal non metropol tan town townfederal townfederal townfederal federal invest gators found the aver average average average age income of 4 4o3 4a3 ; > 3 fam lies was was$1 was1 $1309 1309 $1 1 $ 3D 309 ! ) considerably above the cIty cItyaverage cityaverage cityaverage average Moreover only 10 per percent percent pe ; cent of Beaver Dam Darn s fam families les had hadmore hadmore haamore more than one wage earner where whereas whereas as in metropol tan centers about 30 30to 30to SOto to 40 per cent of the families depend de depend depend pend on two or more bread breadWInners breadwinners breadwinners breadwinnersCulture WInners WInnersCulture winnersCulture Culture of Cities ' Probably the most outstandmg outstanding outstandmgexammatIon outstandingexamination outstandm ; examination exammatIon ot of city versus country countryhas countryhas countryhas has been made by Louis Mumford Mumforda a psychologist " whose "hose hose Culture of ofC ofC o.C oC . C t es created a stir last sprmg spring sprmgMr springMr springMr Mr Mumford says the worldgreatest world s sgreatest sgreatest greatest cit Clt es are definitely on the thedovnward thedownward thidownward do\vnward do vnward downward \ path Far from be ng nggood nggood njgood good and wonderful m In proportion to totheir totheir titheir their size he says they are crush crushIng crushing crushing Ing rather than serving the millions millionswIthm millionswithin millionswithin wIthm within tl t1 eir elr graspAmong graspAmong grasp graspAmong Among his claimsThat claimsThat claims -That That - That med eval towns to\vns to vns \ were more morelIvable morelivable morelivable lIvable than any man has built SInceThat sinceThat since -That That - That the machine age broughindustrial brought broughtIndustrIal broughtindustrial IndustrIal towns tovns , in m which even uppe upper upperclasses upperclasses ; classes lived in slum slurn 1 ke conges congeston congest t ton on with houses lacking lackmg prope proper ; properlIght light and ventilat ventllat onThat onThat on -That That - That the metropolis offers a aghost aghost aghost ghost 1 1 ke e existenceThat existence lstence lstenceThat -That That - That the downward cycle ot of City CityevolutIon cityevolution cityevolution evolutIon it If unchecked unchecl.ed unchecled . leads to tooverexpans tooverexpans tooverexpans overexpans on ot of industry questionable questIon questIonable questionable able speculation and positive de depressIOn depression depression pressIOn followed by grafting and andcr andcr andcr cr me that ends in m a barbarIanIsm barbarIanIsmand barbanamsmand and an exodus from the cityDon cityDon city cityDon Don t like lice It if ? ' Then be thankful you lIve youlive in a small town towni ' ' ( \ ) Vi W \ \ cstern estern Newspaper Union |