FLOCKING TO THE CITIES.
By T.
The following figures taken from the Scientific American Supplement of April 9, may be studied with profit:— “While the population of Europe, which was estimated at 175,000,000 in the beginning of the century, rose to 216,000,000 in 1830, 300,000,000 in 1870, and is now nearly 370,000,000, there has been a still more remarkable increase in the number of towns with over 100,000 inhabitants. There were only 21 of these in 1801 (with 4,500,000 inhabitants), 42 in 1850, 70 in 1870 (with 20,000,000 inhabitants), and 121 in 1896 (with about 37,000,000 inhabitants). In 1801 France had three towns with over 100,000 inhabitants, while England and Germany had two each; but in 1870 the figures were: England, 18; Germany, 10, and France, 9, while in 1896 they stood: England, 30; Germany, 28, and France, 10.” The people are flocking to the towns and cities. They say they can get better wages in the city than by following agriculture. But when times become hard and the factories close, then there is no work at all for those who have thus deserted the farm for the “better wages,” as they supposed. Then follows the suffering incident to being out of work and cooped up in town, where it is impossible to till the soil and raise food supplies. In the troublous times that we have entered and that promise to get worse and worse, but few realize what terrible riots will be inaugurated by these persons who are herding in multitudes in the cities, and without any permanent means of support. Where it is possible to do so at all, migrate to the country. The atmosphere, both physical and moral, is better, and painstaking tho pleasurable effort will at least give you a good living from cultivating the soil. Husbandry is the natural pursuit of mankind; anyway. T.