The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-03-04
Rockingham, N. @.
To DEVELOP INTEREST IN SUB. ALLIANCE
MEETINGS.

County Lecturer Gates, Of AlsmanCe, Makes
Some Important Suggestions.
correspondence OF The Progressive Farmer.
The great need of the Farmers
Alliance in North Carolina to-day
is something more to do. There
should be work for every lodge, and
for every member. The only danger
of the decline of our organization
lies in its becoming of so little mo.
ment as TO not warrant the time re-
quired TO keep 1t together. The only
opportunity on the other hand, for
making it the grand order that it
should be, and TO have it patronized
by all our best and most successful
farmers, lies in making it so useful,
and those uses so evident, that this
will naturally result.
This success cannot be attained by
merely saying, sob, come along"
One is given TO wait for another, and
he for another still. Like the Irish
mans hogs at feeding time: "Faith,
they come one in a gang, then two
or three by themselves" Cannot
something be done to make the
meetings of more value, or O in
terest, and better attended,
The plan of assigning topics for
discussion for each month was a step
in this line, and very good indeed as
far as it goes; but could not the
Sub-Alliances carry this work
furtherP 1t seems to me that a very
good solution of the question would
be to have a committee arrange a
careful programme for each meet
ing, something like an agricultural
club. The work of each man could
be mapped out quite awhile In ad,
vance, and four or five men could
speak, or read papers each evening,
each occupying from ten TO twenty
minutes. This work, of course,
would be arranged almost entirely
on agricultural subjects, and for each
man largely in reference to the kind
of farming he is doing. The Expert
ment Stations would gladly give any
aid they could, and this kind of
work would be of great value in
bringing the people in closer touch
with the stations and station meth
DDS of work.
This free exchange of ideas, and
knowledge too, would be of great
value TO those who are truly inter
ested in agriculture, and in the bet
terment of the agricultural oondi-
tions of our country. This is the
real aim of the Alliance, and this is
it's great opportunity.
Our good work must become ap-
parent, however, before the organi.
zation can be expected to grow with
any startling bounds. Nothing will
go out of use so long as it is useful,
and is it easy to 9 that if a good
programme can be arranged for each
meeting, and the work gone into
with a hearty zest, every one will
soon become an enthusiast. This
state of existence, you know, is con.
tagious, even TO outsiders, and the
result is easy TO prophesy.
It seems to me that it is not only
a great opportunity fer making our
Alliance more useful, and it's useful
ness more evident, and thereby
building up it's membership, but it is
duty as we'll.
1 should be pleased TO have the
opinions of others on this mat
ter, as I firmly believe myself that a
better planned work for our after
noon meetings, with real prepare.
ton for what we are going to say,
and the work almost entirely along
strictly agricultural lines, would be a
starting point for building the Order
TO giant proportions.
81. M. Gates.
Alamance Co., N. G.