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This book, is dedicated to the sons and daughters of the farms of theRepublic as an expression of the author's realization, that Agriculturalpeople constitute a large majority of its working units: That as such,its destiny is in the hands of their boys and girls, as its futureguardians, fathers and mothers: That for the reasons stated, they shouldbecome its dominant thinkers and leaders: That Agriculture is the truebasis of industrial and commercial success; hence, it should be made themost noble and pleasing of all occupations: That the alarmingencroachments of land monopoly, and the inability of the small farm tomeet the expense of using the latest and best machinery, threatens thetotal extinction of all land-owning farmers, and of their consequentreduction to the dependent caste of farm laborers: That the isolatedlife and the severe toil of the small farm, has a dangerously depressingeffect on the minds of its people: That all of these things, seem todemand the changes suggested by the contents of this book.
Strong in my convictions that all civilizations are false, which do notcivilize the lowest units of any social order, I have written SolarisFarm as my contribution towards the improvement of agriculturists as aclass, of the race as a whole; towards the establishment of a truercivilization, organized for the purpose of securing the same degree ofprogress for the lowest orders of humanity, which have been or can beattained by the highest. In any social or political fabric, widedifferences of wealth, of education, of refinement in its sub-divisionsare dangerous, they swiftly lead to the introduction of caste. Caste isthe dry rot, which, when once established, will surely destroy allprogress, all vitality, by slowly eating away the social, industrial andpolitical life of the nation.
In preparing this book for the press, I wish to acknowledge myobligations to the following authors, for much valuable information andinspiration: To Elmer Gates, the discoverer of new domains inPsychology, the inve