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Show HOMES FOR THE POOR. A member of the department of agriculture recently re-cently delivered an address in which he advocated the establishment of villages or suburbs ot the larger centers of population, with the purpose and intent of inducing people of the poorer classes to go hence from the cities, take up a lot and house, pay for it on the installment plan and become home owners and small farmers. The one particular feature of most interest to cities which have people within their boundaries who would grasp such an opportunity, oppor-tunity, the question of finance, was overlooked in the newspaper report of the address. Every city of great population has surrounding its numerous smaller towns, and these towns of late years, since the problems of transportation have been partially solved, are the homes of men whose places of business busi-ness are in the city. All the comforts of city life are enjoyed while at the same time the comforts afforded by rural life are at hand. If the suggestion could be carried out, certainly great good would result. Nothing in the world is more conducive to sin and degeneracy than life in crowded districts of cities. But the establishment of modern villages is a thing fraught with many difficulties. dif-ficulties. Men and women and even children 'who have lived in cities all their lives do not appreciate the benefits which a beneficent public would bestow. Many of them would rather live on half rations in the smoky atmosphere of the city than enjoy the delights de-lights of three meals of fresh vegetables and the fresh air of the country. It is as hard to make some people realize, how much better off they would be some place else as it is to convince others that they are better off in their present place than they possibly could be elsewhere. Humanity is a peculiar pe-culiar animal. |