The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1911-09-15

must keep a mans nose away from
the grindstone, for If it is constantly
at the grindstone he can't see any
thing else, can't be elevated; and 81
we take up the question In the south
of cotton and corn. We try to teach
the farmer greater thrift, to raise his
own provisions, to can his vegetables
so that he may have them the veal
round; that he must put his money
into better home, and so percolatine
and drifting through his home there
will be broadening element and
there will be gradual uplift of con
ditions, and as there Is an uplift and
Improvement of conditions the men
themselves will became a little broad
er and little straighter and little
firmer, till by and by this home so
ciety where he must live, this rural
society will be a great dominating
force in the land, and we shall become
a pattern not to our own country,
but to all countries, showing how a
great and free people were able to
readjust their conditions.
believe when the common people
come to their own they will be able to
hold their own. Every man should
be so stalwart that he is model of
defense and defiance to the world. Our
project would have been sufficiently
ambitious if we had said: I'VE would
increase the wealth and give the peo-
pie greater earning power" But other
things we teach incidentally are that
we must improve the moral tone, the
condition, and the whole prosperity
OF the people, 10 try to turn all av-
enues of the wealth that we create
into the proper channels so as to
create a better people. But even this
Is not quite enough. We may have
wealth and social prosperity and home
comforts and not be a high-minded
stalwart, courageous, au brave PEG.
pie. We must teach that. We have
nearly 500 agents travelling In the
United States. Take this same high
standard and begin at the bottom to
teach things that will be helpful to the
people. We go out and help people
and especially help the man on the
farm. The moment you begin to help
a man you get his confidence. You
begin to prove up and pretty soon he
becomes a disciple and he breaches to
another man, and so the doctrine
spreads.
want you feel today that you have
hold Of one of the greatest lines OF
social uplift and development and
greatness that exists. You may have
conceived that something else was
greater; that If you could use facile
pen like Washington Irving or some Of
the great writer's of the age, that
would be the acme of your ambition
or you may have thought that If you
were able to speak with the wonderful
expression Of Demosthenes. or Burke
or Henry. that would be the summit
Of your hopes. But you are beginning
at the bottom to influence the masses
of mankind. and ultimately those
masses always control the destinies Of
a country. II you allow their practice
to sink lower and lower the country
must ultimately drop to lower level
IN its moral, political. and religious
tone, and We 90 down to degradation
and infamy as nation; but II we be
gin at the bottom and plant human
action upon the rock of high princi
pies. with right cultivation of the soil
right living for the common people
and comforts everywhere. and make
wealth and prosperity all through
the rural districts. the people will lend
their support and all civilization will
rise higher and higher. and we shall
| climb to the summit of human excel.
lence and become a beacon light to all
| nations of the world. do not glory
| in the wealth of few, but rejoice in
the general distribution of wealth and
prosperity for the common people.
It will require a great deal Of stern,
earnest effort when you are out alone
! on your way. It is going to require
good deal of patience, but demon
| stration will do it. If You prove up on
your own farm and on your neighbors'
farms they will accept it. They can't
resist facts. Another thing. don't pub.
lish what you are going to do. Simply
tell what you have done. Achieve all
you can. Always let your county
know it. Call attention to the crop
and everything helpful. And so we
will march along under divine guild.
ance and gradually We will change the
whole condition. These southern
states rightfully should be the rich
est states in the land. They have the
greatest crop producing power. They
control the clothing of the world al
most absolutely. We have been rails.
ing cotton and selling It and buying
everything else. That practice never
made a people rich. If we will pro-
duce everything that we consume, our
own butter, cheese, poultry. as we'll ali
horses. and let our cotton be a cash
crop. we will own the factories. we
will own the banks, we will be fac.
tor In the policy of the country and IL
the control Of the world.
Dry Farming Congress.