The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-04-16
BARRETT'S TALKS
TO THE FARMERS
Stand Patters and Progress
sives Among the Farmers
As Well As With the Poll
tjcians; His Definition


70 me officers and Members Of the
Farmers Union:
x. hear much today about the
sta nj patters'' and '~progressives'' in
the two great political parties not to
mention the Socialists and three or
four other more or less important
groups.
There are ''standpatters' and pro
gressiyes' among farmers as we'll as
politicians, and / am pinning my faith
and the future of the arme In Amer
ica, TO the latter class every time.
The standpat farmer believes he has
learned everything about his business
and thai no one car show him any
new tricks or any better methods. Gen
crafty, he is the fellow who inherited
his calling from his father, and who
has made no effort to improve upon
the system banded down from sire
to son.
He ridicules scientific agriculture.
Instead Of subscribing for papers and
magazines that will keep him abreast
or what the laboratory and the exper-
llItultl i uOlIlE lOl 14lAl, 1C . Wi
tent to go on planting and reaping by
the way the moon happens to sit in
the heavens. How he can save money
by seed selection and rotation, how he
can get the most out of his soil, does
not seem to iEerest him. His main
concern is in rocking along from yea
to year in the old rut, content If he
skimps through the Isl or gets an
extension on the mortgage that is
Pretty apt to roost on his roof.
S~tandpatter in his business, he is
apt 10 be in his Mo in his attitude
toward public affairs and toward his
oUn family. He is not often found
joining in whoie-heartedly in move
ments to better the community. 1t
doesn't seem to occur to him that by
making the county a better place to
live in he his own happi-
ness and prosperity as well as that Of
his neighbour, and does more to keep
his son and daughter on the farm
than All the preaching under the sun.
The progressive farmer, On the 9TH
er hand, doesn't let his mind stop ex-
banding when he reaches-the voting
hEe. he goes to school every day in
lhr year. and his School-teachers are
many and varied. They may be ag-
Tlcultural journals, daily newspapers
close observation Of the causes which
explain the success Of his prosperou:
heiShbor or taking warning by tht
manner in which the broken promise.
q politicians or hand-shakers have
Kept the farmer from coming into hi
own.
visit any agricultural community il
america, and you will find the linz
drawn with tolerable sharpness be
tween these two classes of farmers
You are also pretty apt to find tina
'he progressive farmer is the prosper
GUS farmer and tho 0fo n 70 rpOo
lhe man who Is complaining about hi
hard luck and laying the blame TO
ms ragged children or his over-worke'
WE and upon every source but tn
right one.
by this l don't mean that there i
nor a great deal in old, establishe
Methods and in inherited customs wor
my OF adoption. Nor do I advise tn
farmer to follow every brand new NJ
non coined by Missionaries or the ped
ulers OF free counsel as to how to or
crate his affairs.
mere is always a middle course a
petween these two extremes and tn
wise farmer seeks it out and keeE
ms feet in it. But as between tn
aWo ciasses-the standpat or the Pre-
Rressive|1 should gamble every tim
oh me prospects Of the latter.
20 a little soul-searching and sc
ever may help to explain why 70
naVen [ as much of this worlds sto,
"s your neighbOr, and while hard luc
Meihs TO knock at your door ever
ray opportunity literally dogs h
CHARLES s. BARRETT,
ohion CITY. Ca, April II, 1912.
Testers Cotton Statement.
view OFl04nA Ia Anri1 - Go.