Yes; why not?"

"Nothing, only I imagined that you would take a profession."

"The professions are overstocked, and we have not farmers enough for the
good of the country. There is nothing like farming, to my mind. In no
other employment have you a surer living. I do not like the cities.
The heat and dust, and crowds of people, and buildings overtopping one
another, and the rush of living, take my breath away. Suppose I did
go to a city. I would sell out my share of the farm, and have a few
thousand dollars. You know I am not an intellectual giant. I would
never distinguish myself in any profession. I would be a poor lawyer or
doctor, living in a back street all the days of my life, and never watch
a tree or flower grow, or tend an animal, or have a drive unless I paid
for it. No, thank you. I agree with President Eliot, of Harvard. He
says scarcely one person in ten thousand betters himself permanently by
leaving his rural home and settling in a city. If one is a millionaire,
city life is agreeable enough, for one can always get away from it; but
I am beginning to think that it is a dangerous thing, in more ways than
one, to be a millionaire. I believe the safety of the country lies in
the hands of the farmers; for they are seldom very poor or very rich. We
stand between the two dangerous classes the wealthy and the paupers."

"But most farmers lead such a dog's life," said Mr. Maxwell.

"So they do; farming isn't made one-half as attractive as it should be,"
said Mr. Harry.

Mr. Maxwell smiled. "Attractive farming. Just sketch an outline of that,
will you, Gray?"

"In the first place," said Mr. Harry, "I would like to tear out of the
heart of the farmer the thing that is as firmly implanted in him as it
is in the heart of his city brother the thing that is doing more to harm
our nation than anything else under the sun."

"What is that?" asked Mr. Maxwell, curiously.

"The thirst for gold. The farmer wants to get rich, and he works so hard
to do it that he wears himself out soul and body, and the young people
around him get so disgusted with that way of getting rich, that they
go off to the cities to find out some other way, or at least to enjoy
themselves, for I don't think many young people are animated by a desire
to heap up money."

Mr. Maxwell looked amused. "There is certainly a great exodus from
country places cityward," he said. "What would be your plan for checking
it?"

"I would make the farm so p