OCR Text |
Show YOUR OBLIGATIONS SOME OF THE THINGS YOU OWE YOUR OWN TOWN. YOU SHOULD EUY AT HOME The Country Town Can De Made the Very Qeit Place to Live in the United States. (Copyright y Alfred C. Clark.) A proacher who was a crank on doctrlno wearied his congregation by constantly harping on baptism. A brother that longed for a rest handed him n text ho thought safe, "Tho way of tho transgressor Is hard." "Krlonds," said tho preacher, "thoro nro three thing suggested by this scripture First, the transgressor. Second, his conerslon. Third, his baptism. We wMI pass over tho first two and comn at onco to tho third." Many reasons why pcoplo should trndo at homo rather than send their money away havo been given, but sup-poso sup-poso wo pass them all by and come at onco to tho ono vital reason: It Is tho right thing to do. For aftor all tho fundamental question ques-tion In ovcry transaction Is whether It Is right or wrong. Not will I savo monoy, but Is It Just? Not Is It moro convenient, but Is it fair? Not whether is It good business, but whothcr it Is good morals? For you and I know, nnd all tho world Is coming to know, that not 010 dollar Is over saved or mado by unfair moans that does not curso tho possessor. And a man may bo as dls honoat in Bavlng money ns In setting it. It Is right to spond our monoy with tho homo town and wrong to sond It away because wo aro undor obligations obliga-tions to tho homo town, but not to tho mall ordor bouse. Financial Obligations. In tho first placo tho country Is un dor financial obligations to tho town. Of courso tho town is also Indebted to tho country, but tho town cannot help but pay Its debt, its vory existence exist-ence does that. Hcnco wo are merely discussing tho country sldo of tho obligation. Don't Let the Catalog House Batter Down the Wall of Civil and Industrial Solidity That Makes for the Safety of Your Community Interests. Find 200 acres of good land almost anywhoro that Is SO mllos from town and you can buy It for $25 an aero. The same land within ten mtlos will I bring )35, within five miles Its value 1 Is $00, within two tulles $85 an acre. Thus that town has lncroasod tho land within n radius of ton miles an nvorago of $3G dollars an aero. As that Is about tho ago of country towns gonorally, you may flguro that a town, ns long ns It la fairly prosperous, In creases tho larr1 around It nn average of one dollor an ncro ovory year. Not considering staple nrtlclcs like cnttlo, hogs and grain which can ho shipped and sold anyway, tho town as n local markot Is worth at least $75 a yoar to tho ordinary farmor. For oxnmplo: This joar tho peach markets woro so glutted uo ordinary fruit would pay tho express, Around tho llttlo town In which tho writer lives most farmors havo a fow poach trcos. Tho 4,000 Inhabitants bought noarly ovory bushol In tho vicinity at from 40 cents to n dollar a bushol. Mora than $(,000 was paid for peaches within thrco weeks. That was clear gain which must bo sot ovor to the credit of tho town. Plums, cliorrlua, oarly egotablcs, scores of llttlo odds and ends, parish-ablo parish-ablo stud that tho farmor could not or would not ship lio turns Into cash at the homo town. So It a n" n owns 200 acres within reach of town, ho will rccotvo $275 n year direct caih valuo from that town, nono of which ho would receive from tho mall order house. To bo suro, tho town docs not donate do-nate him that amount, tho town was not built for tho purposo of philanthropy, philan-thropy, yet he receives an actual cash tencllt because the town Is thoro; and ho Is under actual financial obligations obliga-tions to return that benefit by spond-ing spond-ing his money at homo. It is not an obligation that tho law would recognlzo, but It Is one that appeals ap-peals to tlioso Independent, clean hearted men of high honor who foci that perfect honosty domands that when' banolUs are received from stranger or brother, friend or foe, benefits iliould be returned. Ooclal Obligations, It Is right for tho country tn spend its monoy with tho homo town because of tho soclil obligations between them. The town Is thu center of your community. com-munity. From It radiates your rural mall service; In it center your telephone tele-phone systems On the stroots ot the town you meet your neighbors Saturday Satur-day afternoons and exchange news nnd experience. You go to It for a day of recreation when tho anow comes, tho fair, or on holidays. There during tho wintor lecture course you hear grent orators and excellent ex-cellent musicians. Tho political rallies, tho church conferenco or association aro held there lly and by In tho protty little village vil-lage church, whoso splro you can soe from your farm, you son will preach tho gospel. In tho brick building two doors from tho comer, a farmer boy will open a law ofllce, and in tho llttlo framo two blocks away another son of tho soil, Just back from college, will begin the practlco of medlclno. Thoro Is tho high school to which yon send your children, and thei-e i after nwhllo your daughter will teach. And Bono day when you find tho farm work too heavy for your age, and want to got near tho children, you will build on that grassy corner lot two doors from tho Methodist church and luovo to town. Yes, tho town Is a mighty good thing to have, a pleasant thing; and tho moro you put Into It tho moro you get out of It. For It grows according to tho trado It gets and tho moro It grows tho moro It can buy and the higher will go your land. The Moral Obligation. Hut tho last and strongest reason why It Is right that tho country peo plo spend their monoy at homo Is tha moral obligation. Tho town is yours, yours to ruin or prosper. Tho same senso of obligation obliga-tion should prompt you to support It, as prompted our old Teutonic ancestors ances-tors In tho forests of dcrmnny to stand elbow to elbow In protoctlon ol their village. Tho samo spirit of loyalty loyal-ty should Insplro you as fired tha Highland Scot to spond his blood for tho welfare of his clan. Tho country town with all Its faults Is tho best governed, most enlightened, enlight-ened, most moral, nnd happiest spot in American civilization. It Is a good safo placo. Not too swift, nor yet too slow. In touch with the current ot progress, but not racing with greed. Tho placo from which como nearly all tho great business mon, lawyori, scholars, preachers, physicians. The place whoro men aro neighborly and helpful. This town, my farmer friend, Is yours. Dut the city belongs to the mall ordor houses and tho dovll. With its corrupt government. Its overflow of population, and its vice, tho great-city great-city is tho menaco of our morals and our liberties. Tho city Ilko tha dragon swallows tho vast throngs of country boys and girls that flock into It, and by and by when health, and vlrtuo and hopo are gono, spews thorn out to dlo In want, or wandor as derelicts ovor tho faco of tho earth. And don't you sco, my frlond, that when you tnko tho monoy from tho country town, you destroy tho chance ot success there, nnd tho boys .and girls will follow whoro you havo sont tho monoy? This town of yours was founded on faith, on tho faith In tho customs ot mon for hundreds of years to trado at tho nearest town. Theso merchants nnd carpontora, masons and editors aro your neighbors. They have grown up nmong8t you or amongst others liko you. They have put their nil In a llttlo business, monoy, tlmo and hopo. Around tho corner thuro is n llttlo cot tago, and tho wlfo and tho baby It may bo your grandbaby wait; and thoro Is a smllo of happiness when "busluoss is good," but tho troubled look comes when business Is poor. Thoy nro struggling to live, and pay for tho llttlo homo, uml by and by educate ed-ucate tho children. Thoy aro your nolghbors and friends, not your enemies. ene-mies. They work hard you scarcoly realizo how hard and aro not living high. Thoy havo plnnod tholr faith to tho town your town. Thoir success or failure Is In your hands. For your trado thoy will gtvo you good roturns, nnd all will prosper together, If you withdraw your trade, falluro must follow. Some p6or strug glor must go down facing bankruptcy. Tho light must go out of some woman's wom-an's oyt, und hardship bo laid up for the child. Kton It you could savo a little by sending your patronago to the city, do you not think It tho fair thlug, the Just thing, the right thing, to trade at the llttlo homo town with those you know, thoso whoso prosporlty nnd happiness are in your hands? For It Is wrltton, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." WILLIAM II. HAMDY. |