Long ago the country bore the country-town and nourished it with her best blood. Now the giant city sucks the country dry, insatiably and incessantly demanding and devouring fresh streams of men, till it wearies and dies in the midst of an almost uninhabited waste of country.

Summary

This quote highlights the destructive impact of urbanization on rural areas. In the past, the countryside supported and sustained small towns, contributing their vitality to the larger nation. However, with the rise of massive cities, they drain the resources and population from the surrounding countryside, leading to its decline. The quote suggests that the insatiable appetite of cities for more people and resources ultimately causes their own downfall, leaving behind desolate and uninhabited landscapes.

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