The record-union., 1898-12-07
Farmers National Congress Meets
at Fort Worth, Texas.
Several Hundred Delegates Present at the
Opening Session.
Governor Culberson Welcomes the
Gathering-Ex-Gove Hoard
of Wisconsin. President of the
Congress, Delivers the Annual
Address.

FORT WORTH CTexas), Dec. 6--The
Farmers National Congress began It's
annual session here to-day, with sew
eraI hundred delegates present. After
the address of welcome by Governor
iCulberson and others, the President Oh
the Congress, Ex-Governor Hoard OF
Wisconsin, delivered his annual ad-
dress. He said in part:
Il congratulate you also on the IN
creased hope and encouragement that
has come to the homes of the great
mass of American farmers the past
year.
IN almost every branch except cot
ton farming there has been manifest
Improvement in prices. Let us hope
that our brethren of the cotton neio
have gained something in economic
knowledge, which is, after ALL the Key
note. to profit everywhere.
Our agriculture is becoming nation
alistic. This farmers congress IS one
of the proofs of this assertion. We are
no longer a loosely Joined band OF
States, 'discordant, belligerent. Ihank
God, we are coming to see eacn odner
face to face. We are becoming ce-
mented by railroads, navigable rivers,
interchangeab products, and more
general commingling of our people. Ma
tional legislation is taking on thought
of this kind in the establishing or ex-
pertinent stations, the enactment OF
laws for the better protection OF agr1-
cultural products against the dishon-
est greed of men who would adulterate
and counterfeit
THE march of study, investigation,
knowledge have opened to the farm
ers a new view of the marvellous ar
ray of forces which surround him. Both
the farmer and the man of science are
coming to see that the farm constitutes
a magnificent domain for intellectual
conquest.
Every branch of farming is organiz-
ing, not only by States, but in ma
tional way, to promote specific knoWl-
edge and a wholesome sense of national
interdependence. Never before in the
history of this nation has there been
witnessed such an awakening of intel
lectual activities, such marshalling of
invention, physical research, chemistry
and cognate sciences, education and
legislation. all in behalf of the. Ameri-
can farmer, as at the present time.
I'VE are just beginning to feel as
people that agriculture is an intellectual
as well as manual pursuit; that from
the humblest tenant to the lordliest
ranchman, progress and profit depend
on mental comprehension of the prin-
ciples involved and an energetic obed-
ience to that comprehension. Compre-
hension means intellect, obedience
means business. Some men are all in
oil oil vnrl
and no intellect. The true farmer
unites both. He is both a student and
doer of the word.
Some of the questions for this farm
ers' congress to ask of itself are: What
can we do in an organized way to help
emancipate this great business of farm
ing from a lack of comprehension?
What can we do to get the farmers of
this continent to see the necessity of
more intellect on the farm? How can
we contribute as a force to the eman-
cipation of the farm from the wasteful
efforts of ignorance, and help put in its
place the energizing and enriching in
f1uences of knowledge? In other words,
what can we do to promote farm edu
cation? What can this congress do to
promote wise legislation in the State
and national Legislatures to this end?
What can this congress do as a great
force to arrest the tendency of the
American farmer to destroy the natural
fertility of his farm? What can we
do to arouse public opinion and the
great educational forces of the country
to the Importance of teaching the ele-
ments of agriculture in the primary
schools of the land? Our present sys-
tenn of agricultural education is an
image with head of brass, a body
of iron, and feet of clay. We are di-
recting all our energies to the head and
not the feet.
Our common schools recruit the
academy, the college and the univer-
sity. and they. in turn, recruit every
profession but farming Our young
men flee to the towns and cities because
we have educated them to do so. Near
ly every European country is putting
forth strenuous efforts to stop this ten
dency by teaching the elements of
scientific agriculture in the common
schools. 1t can be done as easily as
the teaching of the elements of scien-
tific arithmetic or chemistry or philoso-
ply great host of farmers who were
deprived of such teaching now find
themselves barred from an understand
ing of much of agricultural literature
AS a consequence, they turn away from
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