The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1890-12-11

eooiai, cconoinic, reiiSlous anu polltl'
cal. The advent of these embattlet
hosts is the most pregnant event Of
this generation. 1t is the beginning
of
A REVOLUTION
that will shake this continent and
move the world.
The first time they gathered around
> the ballot box was the 4th day of last
November. They polled between
two and three million votes, elected
the Governors of three States, sent
: forty men to Congress and scared the
! life out of hundreds they did not
| send.
What is
THE MORAL MEANING
of this great movement d?
i l. 1t is the protest of the patient
burden bearers of the world, who
have toiled through weary years,
struggling beneath the wrongs of
economic and political superstitions.
In America the farmers have literally
become the beasts of burden of the
nation. Their business has been to
feed over 65,000,000 people, togeth-
er with the hosts of the old world.
with the products of the years work,
and then through the winter exc out
miserable existence wrestling with
their
MORTGAGES, CYCLONES AND FLOODS.
While they are doing this, we laugh
and grow fat, dance and make merry
in the city, and bet how much they
VIII make next year, buy and sell
their crops fifty times before they are
planted and charge old " Hayseeds "
with all our losses.
The question is whether these men,
|
the freest of the free, the authors of
this country's liberty, shall assert
their rights and obtain justice, or de-
generate into the condition of tenants
and serfs. The conditions of labor
in all other industries have under
gone marvellous development and
changes in the past hundred years.
The farmer works under the same
stern conditions, perisbing in the
midst of bonndless prosperity, for
others. He has determined to effect
a change in these conditions, and re-
adjust himself on living basis to the
new civilization.
2. This movement means the
EDUCATION OF THE MASSES,
as masses-of the farmer as farmer. |
1t means the assertion of the man
hood of the yeomen of the Nation.
This is real education. The accent
of our education has hitherto been to
get Cd, "to RISE" We have been
taught to climb out of the humble
sphere in which we were born into
so-called higher sphere. The smith
learns to despise his anvil, and tn e
clodhopper to look with contempt
upon the pillow. They rise to 'high-
err things. They become lawyers,
and doctors, and preachers, and bank
ers, railroad men and politicians.
We now have fully eight million men
in this country educated to be Pres
ldents of the United States. We
only need about a dozen Presidents
in hundred years-an awful waste
Of raw material
The farmers are learning and teach
ing it to their children, in this organ
lzation, that the work of the farm is
as sacred, as noble, as honorable as
that of any sphere in life. Women
too are admitted to the Order. Well
they may There are more farmers
wives in the insane asylums of Amer ,
ca than any other class. They have ,
actually recognize d the fact that
WOMAN is A HUMAN BEING.
A reporter once asked an old farm. .
II In the West what he thought about :
he question ''Is marriage failure p ,
He replied, "What marriage? Well, ,
cts see. There's Lucindy gifts up in /,
he mornin' and kindles the fire, milks ;,
SIX cows, starts four children off to
school, tends to three others, skins
'wenty pans o milk, feeds the hens,
likewise the hogs, looks after some
notherless sheep, gifts breakfast, :.
washes up the dishes, gifts dinner, ct
mon, do you think /
'ould hire anybody to do all that !,
or what she gets? Not much It's =
great success, slrw All these pa
lent, sad-faced, weary millions of :
The pathos of their lives :.
they have entered this organization =
With cheeks flushed with hope, many !.
t them for the first time in life. =
day God lead and bless them! %
3-This movement means 81
AS AGAINST CoEPETITIoN.
1t is in this principle of socialism ~
nat the Order has its strongest foun- .
alton. They are pledged to coop '