mmand by bad husbandry. We may, however, concede that the
neglect of rural life is much easier to explain and excuse in the United
States than in the older English-speaking countries. Quite apart from
the abundance of agricultural resources which the American farmers
enjoy, it might well be thought that the rural communities are keeping
pace with the progress of urban civilisation. The citizens who now
occupy the farm lands of the United States have been largely drawn from
the pick of the European peasantries. In the days of their coming, it
took courage and enterprise to face the now almost forgotten terrors of
the Atlantic Ocean. These immigrants, and the migrants from the Eastern
States, have profited enormously by their change of residence. Their
material well-being has already been admitted, and, with rare
exceptions, they have displayed no overt symptoms of agrarian
discontent.

It must not, however, be imagined that the apparent apathy of American
farmers is due to contentment. Like others of their calling, they keep a
full stock of grievances in their mental stores. They have very definite
opinions as to what is wrong, but to these opinions no formal expression
is given. They vaguely feel that they would like to remould "the sorry
scheme of things entire," but they lack the public spirit which is
required before concerted action can be taken successfully. The Country
Life Commission held a series of conferences throughout the United
States, which brought them into the closest touch with every type of
American farm life. They received written replies from some 125,000
rural folk to whom they had sent a circular with a dozen questions
covering the essential heads of inquiry. The Commissioners say in their
report: "We have found by the testimony, not only of the farmers
themselves, but of all persons in touch with farm life, more or less
serious unrest in every part of the United States, even in the most
prosperous regions."

The truth is that, while judged by the standard of living of European
peasantries, the farmers of the United States are prosperous, in
comparison with the other citizens of the most progressive country in
the world they are not well-off. Their accumulation of material wealth
is unnaturally and unnecessarily restricted; their social life is
barren; their political influence is relatively small. American farmers
have been used by politicians, but have still to learn how to use them.
This may b