Show old homes are best if one runs over the list of the persons known to him he finds very few of more than forty years old living in the houses in which they were born of the twenty houses built more than fifty years ago near my own only one is lived in by the family by which it was originally occupied while most of the others have hwd had numerous successive owners or tenants of my own friends near my own age there are but two or three anywhere who live in the houses which their fathers occupied before them this lack of hereditary homes homes of one family for more than one generation is a novel and significant feature of american society in its effect on the disposition of the people and on the quality of our civilization it has not received the attention it deserves the conditions which have brought about this state of things are obvious the spirit of equality and the practices especially in regard to tiie distribution of property that have resulted from it the general change in the standards of living arising from the enormous development of the natural resources of the country and the consequent unexampled diffusion of wealth and mate material rial comfort the rapid settlement of our immense territory and the astonishing growth of our old as well as of our now new cities have been unfavorable to the existence of the hereditary home there is scarcely a town in the ion long settled parts of the northern S states from which a considerable portion of its people has vot not gone to seek residence elsewhere attachment to the native soil affection for the home of ones youth the claims of kindred the bonds of social duty have hae not proved strong enough to resist the allurements allure ments of ho hope the fair promise of bettering aune fortune and the te love of adventure the in crowing creasing ease and the vast extension of means of communication between distant parts of the country have promoted the movement of the population ula tion from the lack of old homes in america by professor charles eliot norton in the may scribners |