The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-07-06

and notice this panorama. Look at II just
as the gorgeous sun rises above the tree
tops and see how beautiful the trees look.
how peacefully the hills slope gradually
down to the creek that sparkles in the first
rays of light Then you have seen piece
of nature painting more beautiful than any
artist has ever yet done, because they have
for all time been simply trying to initiate
such scene as this. We do not mean to
claim that the farmers life is an easy one
for 1t is not. 1t Is hard, much of 1t very
hard, but what truly noble work Is there in
the world but what is difficult. We can
almost say that generally speaking the
harder the task accomplished the nobler its
purpose. A task poorly done is mischeiv-
| Gus, done with all the strength and force of
mighty purpose 1t reaches the heights of
nobility of soul.
We are living today In history making
age. Like the colors of kaleidoscope the
scenes of current history rush before us and
we forget those gone, by our interest in
| those In view. Problems which involve
the very life Of the nation must be solved
and evils whose roots fairly undermine the
foundation OF this political structure must
be eradicated. Such a question is that of
municipal reform. The corruption and
| misgovernment and crime of some of our
| large cities Is only exceeded by the fame Of
S0d0m. Instead of our cities being Gases
in the great stretch of sparsely settled land,
| they are indeed cess pools In the midst of
| plain in which thrive all the half human
creatures bathing in the filth of vice. In
the life of this country there is great cur
rent, an uninterrupted stream flowing stead
lily from the country to the city. 1t is this
purifying current that gives to the city
| what purity 1t has This stream Is your
sons and daughters who one by one leave
the old home, say good bye to father and
mother and 20 out into the world to face
life as 1t takes form in the city. This emf
grafton seems slow and uncertain to you,
but taken over the vast expanse of the
country 1t becomes great river of young
men and women possessing the health and
bloom and vigOr incident to a country life
The question of municipal reform has not
yet been settled but 1t will be BY the brains
of American statesmen. But this question
never could have been solved had not the
farmers of the land given to the city their
best offspring and injected into its dying
body the life blood of the country. Your
fa ha npIx ofr 10
the city, and therefore the responsibility for
the civilization of this land today lies with
the American farmer.
Now wish to talk to you moment more
particularly concerning machinery itself.
Within the memory of you older people
nearly If not all of the machinery used for
agricultural purposes has come into use. 1t
was only in the opening days of this Gen.
discovered and later following that in rapid
or der has come all the numberless mechan-
ical inventions both great and small which
tighten and brighten the work of the farmer
and render score of times more productive
every industry of the land. 1t is a very
strange thing to think of, but there are
some people in the world who stand OPP
posed to the use of machinery not only in
the factory OF the city but also in agricul
ture. This class of people thankfully, is
small, and careful investigation will recall
the tact that per cent of them are de-
luded or mistaken honest working men and
the other 95 per cent are chronic grumblers
and fully developed pessimists. These
good people, and we don't take into cOnsid-
Grafton the others, tell you that machinery
throws great numbers of men out of en-
ployment, and that men who had learned
well their trade are thrown entirely out of
work with no material gain either to the
man or the country. This they claim is
one of the evil effects of machinery and one
of the great causes helping toward the
poverty of the land
For the sake of argument let us grant
that whenever great and practical inven-
ton Is made men employed In that charac-
ter of work are thrown out of employment.
Let US use as an example the invention of
the type setting machine. When this iDven-
ton came into general use thousands of
printers lost their places, and what was the
result? Simply that the less skillful and
less diligent printers were driven into an
other avOcation and that the price Of your
newspapers has been constantly lowered.
This Is direct and unestimated advantage
not only to the prosperity Of the entire
country but also to every member of the
reading public. This same illustration will
apply to agricultural machinery as we'll as
to that of q more commercial character, for
this is the rule that in world run on q
competitive basis the skIllful and the dill
gent can alone succeed.
Now there Is another class of people in
the world who scarcely deserve our notice,
and very seldom do we see one of these
queer minded people In this part of the
country They are worshippers OF the beau
ty of nature and the simplicity of primitive
methods of labor. They say you should
not pillow on sulky pillow because 1t is so
much more like nature to do 1t with spade
or one tooth pillow. That you should not
do your harvesting with a Mccormick