Date: August 14, 1930
Location: Northampton, MA
(Original document available here)
The old frontiers, and back country of our nation have vanished. We do not have any longer a strictly rural population. It is difficult to find any region that lives unto itself. Wherever we go we find similar brands of ready made clothing and shoes worn by both men and women, and standard house furnishings. But the change of even greater importance is the similarity of information and opinions.
One great factor in this improved condition of the people is good roads. They are a by-product of the automobile. When the motor car brought the increased power to travel, people began to insist on adequate highways that were adapted to their needs. Now all kinds of cars with people from all sections are circulating all over the country. Another important influence is the radio. A third is the motion picture.
These influences have supplemented the schoolhouse in banishing ignorance. They have stimulated and unified the thought of the people, broken down sectional prejudices, and welded us all into one nation. They are outstanding examples of how commercial activity ministers to the spiritual welfare of the people. Diligence in business has carried us to a higher mental and moral plane.
Citation: Calvin Coolidge Says: Dispatches Written by Former-President Coolidge and Syndicated to Newspapers in 1930-1931 (Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation)
The Coolidge Foundation gratefully acknowledges the volunteer efforts of David McCann who prepared this document for digital publication.