Farm
lands are each year being brought closer to markets by steam and
electric roads; telephone and telegraphic wires give immediate service;
and the daily distribution of mails brings the producer into close touch
with the consumer. The day of isolation and seclusion has passed, and
the farmer is a personal factor in the market. He is learning the
advantages of cooeperation, both in producing and in disposing of his
wares; he has paid off his mortgage and has money in the bank; he is a
power in politics, and by far the most dependable element in the state.
Like the wrestler of old, who gained new strength whenever his foot
touched the ground, our country gains fresh vigor from every man who
takes to the soil.
In preaching a hejira to the country, I do not forget the interests of
the children. Let no one dread country life for the young until they
come to the full pith and stature of maturity; for their chances of
doing things worth doing in the world are four to one against those of
children who are city-bred. Four-fifths of the men and women who do
great things are country-bred.
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