The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1906-06-15


The growth Ct the cooperative
stores In England has been something
marvellous. Starting with practically
nothing IN the way of capital in q
comparatively few years they have
built up business aggregating mil
lions Of dollars year.
But they began right.
They began at the small end.
They began with the acorn and they
gradually developed the tree until II
has become great strong oak.
IL they had begun at the big end,
and subscribed a capital stock as large
I as their present capital, and gone out
into the highways anc byways to hire
men to transact their business, form
ing a great organization in which no
man was trained to his duties, they
would have failed hopelessly and
miserably failed
And 50 would any great business
enterprise started in that way.
Cooperation can be no exception to
the law of evolution.
You must begin with the seed and
let 1t grow gradually, as they did in
England with their cooperative stores.
THE MAKING OF MEN.
The great central thought which
should be the pillar of fire by night
and the pillar of cloud by day to lead
the American people out of the wilder
ness OF the corruptions and dangers
or accumulated and aggregated wealth
should be great public movement I'm
the line of making men" rather than
making money"
Our government is upheld upon the
shoulders of its own people.
And as our citizenship is maintained
nc high standard of moral and physi-
cal strength on the part of our mon
ana our women, just to that extent
VIII the strength of our nation be
maintained.
Ii we would be sure of this, we
must keep our young men from flock
ing TO the cities
The way to do it is to train them
through system of education whioh
VIII equip them to solve the problems
OF the country, and plant the idea in
their minds that the country after all
offers greater stimulus for mental
activity than the city.
PROBLEMS OF THE COUNTRY.
The most attractive problems of
this generation are in the country.
The building of good roads, the build
Ing of better farm homes, the engineer
ing problems of the farm, the appllca-
ton of power to the needs of the farm
and the farm home, the lessening of
domestic burdens through better
domestic arrangements, the eonstruc-
nf oil af..f1. 4
rural telephones and farm irrigation
systems and the application of machin-
cry to all the uses of the farm, offer
a field for effort and invention and the
of energy to the farmers
boy which no city can offer to him,
provided he has had the opportunities
Of education to qualify him to solve
these problems.
There should be in every county in
this country a school where every
farmers boy could, without going any
farther from home than the county
seat learn to do all the things which
have mentioned.
AGRICULTURE AND MANUAL
TRAINING.
We have schools where part of
this training may be obtained. The
Throop Polytechnic Institute at Pas
ldena, California, and the Stout Man
nal Training School at Menominee,
are of this class. But,
coupled with them should be the agri-
cultural training which a boy gets at
he Doylestown National Farm School,
,r in part at the summer school of the
Wisconsin State University at Mad
son.
And every girl should have an equal
to fit herself for her duties
Is the mistress of farm home.
Out of such homes win come gen
ration of strong, conservative and In
elligent men who viii solve the great
problems of this people, and win solve
hem so gradually and steadily that no
adical methods viii ever need to be
ldopted.
They win put out of business the
politician who wants to ride in blood
lp to his bride bits, like an erstwhile
governor of Colorado, or the present
lay politician who seeks to ride into
public office on wave of prejudice
ind champion the peoples rights with
lis voice, while his land, like as not,
s in the pocket of some corporation.
"Put not your faith In princes
Tor in politicians.
''The Lord helps those who help
themselves"
So long as the people depend for re-
ef upon politics, just that long will
hey be disappointed.
THE LARK IN THE MEADOW.
When they learn the lesson Of the ,
able of the lark in the meadow, and
% to work to do things for them
elves. talk politics less, and train
themselves to do things by co-opera-
on more, they win be surprised at !
he progress they viii make in the
ght direction. ,
Politics, and q dependence on the /.
art of the people upon politics, are
ne hope and the salvation of the cor
uptionists and the trusts, and of
very combination of capital which :
yes by skimming the cream from !,
he industries OF the people.
IL you want the cream yourself yOu !
lust do your own skimming.
You must not imagine for moment =
iat what | have advocated Is a mere q
ieory. 1t is far more than that. 1t =
a broad highway Leading us out Of Il
re social and political bog in which
e have been mired down. II
There are Instances here aud there Il