The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-01-24
SHOULD FARMERS ORGANIZE :

|
psrssees she sterling quality of self
reIiance unless he is possessed Of fair
amount Of knowledge concerning exist
ing conditions, systems and govern
ments as well as the causes that pro
duce certain effe It's It is not enough
| for the farmer ID be conscious that
there Is something wrong. Just as Ger
tain as he concludes that there is some
! thing wrong just 50 certain will he COEl
| plain of it and resent / But suppose
he knows not what the wrong Is what
It's origin, what les progress and what
will be It's ultimate effect upon his class
| OF people. He then is 10 no favorable
situation for protesting effectually
against such wrong Or taking intelli-
gent steps for the eXteTminatI0O of 1t
The owl sitting on an oak limb at
midday may hear shot in his near
vicinity This warns hIm at once that
there Is danger somewhere, an / he turns
| his head here ana there IN search of the
danger but finds it not Another shot
rings out little nearer hum and he in
voluntarily starts and lunches as
bullet pas +es through his feathers, tax
Ing away q few of the finest. He shifts
his posltiun, turns his head again and
again, peeFi0g Out into the Inlpenetra
| bic sunlight before him, bus N vain
| does he search for the source of danger
which be1ets him. The MONDAY glare
| OF tue dazzling sunshine SO effectually
| blinds hItn as TO render him helpless IN
| the presence OF danger, though it sur
rounds him on every side and is ap
! preaching 50 near to him as to render
| nbs situation Very uncOmforf able and
unpiea&ant So with the farmer. The
| progressive element of that most
! worthy class Of men feel that th@re Is
something radically wrong III existing
conditions. something that prevents
them from securing an honest and just
equivalent for ths arduOuS labor they
perform upon the farm and the money
| they have invested therein Isay there
| is hardly q genuine hand to pl0w,
everyday farmer who wlil be willing
30 conc8de that the busEnv s5 of farm
! log Is as profitable at this time as Ii
should be.
WHY ARE THESE THINGS so?
He is fairy cIu%s observer, is the
! farmer Of t. day, but there tSse some
| things he cannot understand. He reads
III the SCRIPTURES thai the labOrer IS
worthy of hls miro" that ne t1at will
not work neither shali he eat, and that
" he that will not plow by reason of
tie cold shall oeg and have nothing"
/ but for the life of him he cannot un-
der2t2nd WY 10 Is t44sssS tie n1s.a- bz-
hu4d the pIow should DE doomed to q
life of uureqUIted toll, of underpaid
labor, and of social seClusiOn and
ignorance.
Of course we find few self satisfied
COnserv atlves that really very much
dislike TO be disturbed. The Americans
found the same difficulty staring them
III the face when they became dis-atIs
fed win the rule of King George III
| They we're confronted with class of
people VINO prOfessed to see dire calam-
lty overcome the Imp4tuvus young not
heads If they presumed 10 rebel against
the existing edlctS and executions of
the arrogant Old tyrant and sat back
III IndUlent luxury and crossed their
| hands with tho resignation Of a mar
TYR, all the time beWalllng the indisCre-
tIon of their fellow men in bringing
down upon themselves the wrath OF
powers that we're, but the progressive
element went right along III the even
tenor of their way and the result was
the complete OVerTurnlng of the COndl
tIOus that existed then and the esJab
lishmenJ of u new and by Us COnsId
eTtd The best government IN existence.
really OeiIeves that there is general
or special discrimination against his
class 1t Is his duty to investigate the
causes which produce these untOwaTd
| effects and when he has become salts
fled wnat they are he owes it to HIM
self. to his family, to society and to
his government to eradicate the evil
which confrOnts him, but if he sits OR
the brink of dependency and allows
the dazzle of the sunlight of prejudice
to SHINE full IN his eyes he will DecOme
30 blinded to surrounding influences
thai he will never find himself in any
better situation than he is now.
Though surrounded on all sides by the
true light that will enable hum to in
vesCIgaGe every question that IS of in
teresC to him as tiiler of tne soil, If he
refuses 10 take his eyes off the sun
Itself he will be as effectually blinded
as If there were no sunshine at all.
WE MUST HELP OURSELVES.
If the farmers desire that their call
ing shall be placed in the upper room
of the citadel. they must turn hand
at doing il themselves. If they desire
the advancement of agriculture that
thls interest deserves they must put
their own shoulders to the wheel and
help themselves up the hill. II they
wait for outside interests to give any
attention to theirs they may have their
trouble as a reward for their pains. We
had just as well sit down upon a stone
in the middle of a ten-acre lot and walt
for the old brindle COW TO come up to
be MIXED as to wait for the good times
to be brought to us by those outside of
our own profession. We nay sit and
wait till doomsday with nothing accom-
plished. We must first discover that
we have a common interest, then re
solve individually and collectively that
we will never cease to work for that