=Effects of City Growth upon the National Life.=—The growth of large cities has had profound effects upon American life and temperament. It has changed the whole character of the country, its problems and its habits of mind. A century ago the United States was predominantly an agricultural land; the great majority of the people were engaged in earning their living from the soil. They had the same occupation and common interests. [Sidenote: 1. Diversity of occupation.] But with the growth of industries in cities the occupations of the people have become diversified, and no bond of common vocation holds the population together. The city-worker in the shops and factories is employed at a specialized task which the division of labor assigns to him (see pp. 44-46); he develops expertness at this one task and depends upon others for everything else. The farmer supplies many of his own wants, but the industrial worker depends almost wholly upon others. [Sidenote: 2. The absence of strong home ties.] Among the rural population there is a large property-owning class, men who own their farms and homes; but in the cities, particularly in the larger cities, the great majority of the people live in homes that are owned by others. In New York City seven families out of every eight live in rented houses or apartments; in Boston four out of every five. This tends to make the population restless; the people are constantly moving about from one job to another and from one home to another; they do not acquire a strong attachment to any neighborhood, as is the case in rural districts. One result of this is that people in the crowded centers know little about their neighbors, and strange as it may seem, the crowded sections of the large cities are in some respects the most lonely places in the world.[68] [Sidenote: 3. The docility of the people.] The tendency of the city population is to become absorbed in its daily work, to depend upon the newspapers for its opinions and to display marked docility in obeying its leaders. The people of the cities depend upon official or professional organizations for pretty nearly everything: if disorder breaks out, they expect the police to attend to it; when they want recreation, they expect the city authorities to provide it (by furnishing parks, playgrounds, band concerts, neighborhood dances, and so on); the functions of the home are largely given over to the school, the club, and the social organizations. The city is thought to be radical; but it is radical only in spots. Its population as a whole tends to be conservative (see p. 108, footnote). [Sidenote: 4. A place of extremes.]