The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1879-08-02
co1UMBUs, MISSISSIPPI. AUGUST q 18zg.

of industry. Whoever will observe closely
the condition of Agriculture and the farm
ing class throughout the country, will be
painfully impressed with the disadvanta-
ges under which that class is laboring:
and he will find that these disadvantages
are mainly owing to the isolation and al
most-we are doubtful about using this
qualifying word-universal ignorance
which prevails. 1t is to overcome this
isolation and ignorance that the Grange
was instituted. This fundamental indus
try is the basis of nations prosperity
the farmers are the bone and sinew of the
country, and we cannot understand the
spirit of those who turn their backs upon
an organization the effort of which is to
redeem the toiling masses from an igno-
rant serfdom, and make them self-reliant
and intelligent although the organization
in its incipiency should fail to do all it
promised-unless selfish considerations
animate them. The main work of the
Grange is to stimulate each farmer indi
vidually to look to his own interest; in
looking to his own interest, he has to in
clude his neighbor's-all whose interests
are identical with his own. The proper
development of Agriculture necessarily
leads to a separation of it from all other
interests. fact which Judge Harris thinks
ought to be condemned. 1t is because it
has not been so separated and built up in
dividually that it is in so backward state.
That the farmer should sell his own cot
ton and other produce, and establish CO.
operative stores, by which means he may
make the largest profit and be at the least
expense possible, is not that legitimate?
1t occurs to us that the aggression" has
all along been on the other side. What if
numbers of ''middlemen" are thrown out
of employment? What if numbers Of
stores are closed? Let them seek other
employment--let them turn theii atten-
ton to farming! There is where we
need all the surplus labor. Surely it will
not be demanded that the vital organs be
manned and crippled in order that the ex-
tremities may be sustained. That is re-
versing the process of Nature!
We have said that Agriculture is the
basis of nations prosperity culture
of the soil from which come food and raj
ment, and that this should be in normal
healthful condition to produce such result
needs no arguing. But we would like to
point out the difference in the features of
ancient and modern political economy,
representative of modern democratic ideas
as opposed to centralized despotism.
Egypt, the cradle of the civilization thro'
which our own has come down to us,
owed her greatness to her granaries. Ma
turs helped the infant power, but without
the despotic central force which welded
the masses as one, no such results would
have been achieved. For, however shallow
her greatness appears to us moderns, (it
was the way of those ancient people to
sacrifice the many to the few and thus make
great show this does not affect the
truth of the statement that it was owing
to her system OF agriculture that she
emerged from barbarsm and began the
humanizing process. But we American
people having lost our hold upon the an
cient method by giving up African slavery
set ourselves up as the champions of free
dom, of individual liberty,-we "call no
man MASTER" we claim to have developed
1vithfn us the power of combining with
others, and of accomplishing Uoluutayiky
what was formerly forced systematiza-
ton of labor. The Grange is the forTu-
lation of the idea of organization, which
is to take the place of the external restrain
ing power. Its object is to combine in the
beobL, the power of the head and hand
and we are convinced that with its success
rests the more immediate success of our
Republic.
We believe that the originators of the
movement ''builded wiser than they
knew Theirs was the prophetic instinc
of need which they but dimly discerned
For in the coming couflct of the empow