Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1905-09-12

The grange meetings this season have
been successful so far as | have heard
from them. But business has prevented
my attending more than one. This was
the gathering at WestborO recently
The attendance was large and all the
arrangements we'll planned. The speak,
ing took place in the little theatre at the
park, and as the place had to be cleared
in time for the regular afternoon enter
tainment, only an hour and half was
possible for the speakers; each one
therefore, made his remarks to the point
and then stopped, SO that there were nc
wearisome efforts at high flown oratory.
State Master Hadley of New Hampshire
emphasized my hobby-the unity OF
New England interests. He also urged
a persistent push for an extension of the
parcels post system. State Master Ladd
of Massachusetts dwelt upon the favor
able standing of Massachusetts, agri-
culture. Past Master Elmer d. Howe
said that the mutual fire insurance com.
pany had met with several losses the
past season from lightning, bui these
have not been enough to cause any
trouble, and the company stands stronger
than ever; the experiment of mutual
fire insurance is no longer an expert
ment. The company is carrying 1900
risks located in 800 towns. Such meet
ings are of great benefit in bringing to-
gether members of the order from differ
ent towns and promoting acquaintance
and sociability-very pleasant and i'm
portant considerations in life.
was much interested in overhearing
at the grange field meeting at Westboro
a conversation about gentleman whose
name | did not catch who had been a
hard working farmer all of his life.
Recently for some reason which i did
not learn he decided to work less, even
il he made less money, and therefore he
hired an extra man. But somewhat to
his surprise, he found that the arrange
ment increased his profits, he made more
money by having more time for planning
and for superiutending. Rather peculiar
ly this scrap of conversation was over
heard only a few days after talk with
a gentleman in which he criticised GER
tain college professor for telling the
Young men in his class that they ought
to prepare themselves to direct work OF
others rather than to use their own mus
cles. The too liberal following of
either extreme would be inadviSable.
But SO far as my own personal expert
ence and observation 60 more people
are doing too much manual labor than
too little; and while it might possibly
be unwise to proclaim from the house
tops the advice of the professor which
might be capable of doing injury my
own personal lot has been cast among
people where it would do more good
than harm. Governor Hoard put the
truth this way at an institute which
happened to attend: Do not try to see
how little help you can get along with
but study to see how many you can
keep at work for you at a profit. In
business of any considerable size the
master-or mistress-iS worth more In
planning, directing and watching than
in saving the expense of an additional
hand at the bench, in the field, at the
desk-or at the wash tub. Conditions
must govern cases and each one must
apply this general principle according to
his circumstances; but | believe that
more will make the application by saying
hat they can't get along by doing less
physical work than will brace up and
study bravely how to avoid doing as
much as they are now doing. It's easy
to imagine that our conditions are sc
much different from those of all other
people.