The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-10-15
The Higher Work of Patrons.

BY the higher work of the order Is
meant all that Is not commercial, all
that has not money. making for Its Inn
mediate object. II is educational; and
the purpose Of 1t is to make farmers
more scientific in their agriculture, to
refine their tastes, to broaden their SYM
patlies and 10 extend their knowledge.
The accomplishment of this purpose
will enable farmers to labor Intelligent
~ aud so increase their power of pro-
duction. Their efforts will be made
more wisely, and will be less frequently
fruitless. Their exertlons will be more
uniformly aud, on the whole, more
largely rewarded. Hence. while the
higher work of the order is not directly
concerned In money-making, II is one
of Its remote objects.
So the accomplishment Of the higher
work will, by making them more pro-
ductive. make them Weather.
Another indirect purpose of the high.
er work Of tho order Is the wise spend
ing of money. Ifthat intellectual and
moral improvement. the effecting Of
which is the higher work, ever takes
place, farmers as a class will have
broader views regarding the use Of
money. They will get more, and a
better kind Of enjoyment. than they do
now, from such portions of their wealth
as they devote to pleasure. They will
realize more fully than they do now,
that recreation and idleness are not
Synonymous terms, and that money
spent in pleasure is not necessarily
wasted. Their highest amusement will
not then be a county fair or visit to q
nelehbor. They will then have learned
to enjoy tho reading Of good book and
the contemplation Of fine picture:
and they will appreciate the wisdom of
purchasing books and pictures. A
profitable Investment; and the test of
profitable Investment will not so fire..
quentIy be the per cent. per annum In
yields.
In one Of Its indirect purposes, the
increase Of the farmers wealth, the
educational is the same as the CONNER.
cial in the other Ii is supplementary.
Moreover the successful accomplish
ment of the one Is dependent on the
successful accomplishment of the
others. To extend and carry out the
business work ofthe order as we expect
TO, there will have TO be some educa.
ton; and to succeed In this educational
work as largely as we hope to do, pat
rons will need 10 make more money.
The two brancheSof the work of the
order being thus closely related and
thus mutually dependent, we cannot
safely neglect either. Both must be
prosecuted vigorously. There is, how.
ever, n tendency in some quarters to
allow the commercial to override the
educational work. Too much attention
Ia paid to the business feature. III
either must receive more attention than
the other, 1t should be the educational,
for 1t is much more difficult Of accom-
plishment. 1t Is easy enough to preach
good doctrines, but to get people to
practice them. is always a slow. and
oftentimes hopeless task. For this
reason we cannot be too perseyering In
the educational work of the order.
Some cri tics sneer at the idea that an
organization could, by intoxicating NOR.
al precepts. make farmers as class
more honest and just in their dealings
with others and among themselves,
could make them readers and thinkers,
lead them to surround themselves with
comforts, and could induce them to be |
more systematic and thorough In their |
farming. If We devote ourselves to |
both branches of the work, neglecting |
neither educational nor the CONNER
cial, there can be but one result. If we
do not allow our energy, in the organ
ization and running of cooperative
stores, and In the carrying out Of our
other business enterprises, TO abate, and
II we display an equal amount Of ener-
gy In keeping up our grange meetings
and in making them a source Of impro-
vement TO mind and heart, the noble
order of patrons will be abundantly
successful, educationally and CONNER
cially; and more successful in both re- |
spects than 1t could have been In either,
ifone had been neglected.--[ Exchange. |