"LURE OF THE TOWN."

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14323, 13 October 1910, Page 3

"LURE OF THE TOWN."

KEEP YOUTH ON THE LAND. A WORLD-WIDE PKOBLEM. Sir Garlaw Martin, chairman of the Scottish Commission winch is vis.uug --iustrai;a, referred in an iutervew m Sydney Just week to the modern drift 01 population rom the couuiry to town.

'"When you have people on the land, lie said, "it is your business to keep them there. Here we touch a world-wide problem. There are observable two contrary streams of tendency—one making towards land settlement, and one citywards. Tin's is a- matter of concern to statesman all over the world, to Sir Wilfrid Laurier and his Ministers at Ottawa, just as it is io Colonel Hoosovoit. who has initiated somelbiilg like a national policy by way or counteracting the city tendency. That tendency is clearly observable in Scotland and Ireland.' This ought not to be. The farmer's life is one of increasing and vital interest. The farmer keeps the keys of the granary of nature. The seasons conic round for him; the chemistry cf the r.:i ;;nd soil work for him, research improvements in transportation. improvements Jn mrrrhanicism, add to the interest and to the value of his industry. Ho is_ in touch with the market; of the world —he is not an isolated person; lie stands in the Centre of The rooting of the people on the son once ynu have them there is important, both to the rural' parts and to viio cities, because if the farmer .requires l,i]-<rj centres of population to purchase his products, the eitv rcquires A:r its welfare ; , grent background of rural prosperity. How the orobiem 15 to be solved—or if it can be solved at all—is still a matter of perplexity. But it s ;ems that we must oppose some more powerful attractions to the Jure of the town, -\V e must "rente somebbisa s in the young person horn on the laud whic-1. will lie strong eno-ogli to ernintcraet the superficial glamours of the city. AVe must involve him in a mass cf interests, social economic, industrial, and commercial' so that it should bo difficult, if not impossible, for him to pull up his stakes and flee citvwards Ail this i points to a well-devised system of edu- ' cation which takes tin- youth at an ; eariy age. and trains him in the c-ie- ! rnt-i.ts and praot'ee of asrioultiiro aions J v,iHi ?i general education nature stiuly. seh.jol _ gardens, experimental 1 .stations a)} poi'ni; i.Jjat way."