The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1881-04-23
A suggestive speech.

following which refers to the
Grange. II will be seen that the
speaker has been disappointed in
the Grange and thinks it failure,
but in this opinion he will soon find
himself greatly mistaken. That the
Order has lost ground and fallen far
short of the expectations of our
leaders is true, and he is correct in
his opinion of the causes that have
prevented the full success of the
movement. But the farmers are be-
coming educated, especially in bust
ness affairs, and with this education
they are naturally returning to the
Grange. But the speech is most
sugge> i've one, and should be read
and pondered by farmers both in
and out of the Grange:
The farmers are said to compose
two thirds of our whole population;
and yet there is no class whose voice
is so little heard or so little regarded
in the administration of public af-
fairs. They are in deed and in
truth 'hewers of wood and drawers
of water" for every other profess
sion. We are told by all eminent
iuriSts that one of the fundamental
principles of free government is
that majorities rule; but, gentlemen,
we have never, so far as our bust
ness interests are concerned, awaited
ourselves of this principle. Why is
it that the two-thirds majority of
American citizens, engaged in that
pursuit from whence all others have
sprung and upon which they con
tinually depend, have never welded
any respectable influence in the
Nation's affairs? 1t was the con-
sIderation Of this question that gave
rise to the Grange. The Grange
has most ANONYMOUSLY failed; and
why has it failed? A correct an
swer to this question will be salts
factory one to the former.
1t is said the Grange was too big
a thing-was unwieldy-and there
fore fell to pieces. Why need it
it have been unwieldy because it
was large: Was not the fault in
the quality of its members, rather
than IN their numbers? Some sug-
gest that the mission of the Grange
was to educate. That it should in
cidentally 60 this is true; but | affirm
that its chief object should be to or
game and preserve an efficient CO.
operation among its members. So
far as education is concerned, YOU
can educate more men and educate
them better in good agricultural
college IN two years than you can
in the Grange in a lifetime. The
first task before the Grange should
be to ascertain definitely what the
needs Of its Patrons are. This hav-
ing been accom- plished the Grange
should supply those needs, not di-
rectly, necessarily, but by fostering
those instrumentalities which will
supply them. For instance, the
| first thing the Grange should have
discovered, (whether it has done it
or not, do not know was that
| farmers, as a class, are ignorant,
WOefully ignorant; ard not only is
! this true, but, unfortunately, they
| have not yet realized the value of
| education, and the mi. fortunes their
| profession labors under because of
their own ignorance So long as
/ this state of things continue, so long
will farmers be the dupes of quacks,
peddlers and tramps, and so long
will they not only fail, but be un-
worthy to exert any greater inf1u-
euce than at present.
1t is riotoriously true that farming
involves more detail, involves more
of natures laws, than any other
calling, and 1s, therefore, in its ma
ture, more scientific; yet, although
this is generally admitted, MANY
farmers ridicule agricultural books,
papers and schools.
Farmers, of all men, need most to
compare notes and profit by each
others experience. How can they
best do this? Certainly by putting
their experience in print, so that it
can be preserved, studied at leis-
ure, and reach the hands of the
millions. Farming has already, pc
haps, the best lite1atu of any pro-
fession; yet none offers wider
field for fruitful discoveries and in
ventions without number than this.
Let the Grange or any other or
/ ganization of farmers, foster a good
agricultural literature of books and
periodicals, efficient boards of agri-
culture and literally sustain agricul-
tural colleges.
Why should the farmers spend
hundreds of dollars in educating one
son for law. one for medicine, one
for divinity, and humiliate the one
who chooses to be farmer by say
ing, "Son, your brothers have en-
tered the learned professions and
have need Of a thorough education;
but you expect to be only farmer,
and don't need to know anything
but readin', 'ritin', and 'rithmetic."
How can you expect this boy to
WELD the influence his brothers will
WELD? 1t is a burning shame. l
assert fearlessly that the greatest
enemies of the farmers are thev