The Country-Life Movement in the United StatesBailey, L. H. (Liberty Hyde)
History
The Country-Life Movement in the United States
Bailey, L. H. (Liberty Hyde)
Country life
Mankind has not yet worked out this organic relation of town and
country. City and country are gradually coming together fraternally, but
this is due more to acquaintanceship than to any underlying coöperation
between them as equal forces in society. Until such an organic
relationship exists, civilization cannot be perfected or sustained,
however high it may rise in its various parts.
_The first two remedies._
Of course there are no two or even a dozen means that can bring about
this fundamental adjustment, but the two most important means are at
hand and can be immediately put into better operation.
The first necessity is to place broadly trained persons in the open
country, for all progress depends on the ability and the outlook of men
and women.
The second necessity is that city folk and country folk work together on
all great public questions. Look over the directories of big
undertakings, the memberships of commissions and councils, the
committees that lay plans for great enterprises affecting all the
people, and note how few are the names that really represent the ideas
and affairs of the open country. Note also how many are the names that
represent financial interests, as if such interests should have the
right of way and should exert the largest influence in determining
public policies. In all enterprises and movements in which social
benefit is involved, the agricultural country should be as much
represented as the city. There are men and women enough out in the open
country who are qualified to serve on such commissions and directories;
but even if there were not, it would now be our duty to raise them up by
giving rural people a chance. Rural talent has not had adequate
opportunity to express itself or to make its contribution to the welfare
of the world.
I know it is said, in reply to these remarks, that many of the city
persons on such organizations are country-born, but this does not change
the point of my contention. Many country-born townsmen are widely out of
knowledge of present rural conditions, even though their sympathies are
still countryward. It is also said that many of them live in country
villages, small cities, and in suburbs; but even so, their real
relations may be with town rather than country, and they may have little
of the farm-country mind; and the suburban mind is really a town mind.
Every broad public movement should have country people on its board of
control. Both urban and rural forces must shape our civilization.
_Movement from city to country as a remedy._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account