The Springfield herald., 1912-05-10
BEST CLASS TO BELONG TO
"Standpatters" and "Progress'ves'
Among Farmers az Well as Poll
ticians, Says Barrett.
To the Officers and Members of the

To the officers and Members OF the
Farmers Union:
We hear much today about the
'standpatters" and "progressiyes' 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
gressives" among farmers as well as
politicians, and | am pinning my ia1th
| and the future of the farmer IN Amer
lea to the latter class every time.
The standpat farmer believes he
has learned everything about his ousi'
ness and that no one can show him
any new tricks or any better methods.
Generally, he is the fellow who In
herited his calling from his lather
and who has made no effort to I'M
prove upon the system handed down
from sire to son.
He rdicules scientific agriculture
instead of subscribing for papers ana
magazines that will keep him abreast
of what tho laboratory and the eX-
perimenter are doing for him, he Is
content to go on planting and reaping
in the heavens. How he can save
money by seed selection and rotation.
how he can get the most out OF his
soil, doesn't seem to interest MIN
His main concern IL in rocking along
from year to year in the old rut, con-
tent II he skimps through the season
or gets an extension on the mortgage
that is pretty apt to roost on his roof.
Standpatter in his business. he Is
apt to be in his union, in his attitude
toward public affairs and toward his
own family. He Is not often found
Joining intellectually in movements
to better the community. 1t doesn't
seem to occur to him that by making
the county n better place to live In,
he enhances his own happiness ana
prosperity as well as that OF his
neighfor and does more to keep his
son and daughter on the farm than all
the preaching under the sun.
The progressive farmer, on the
other hand. doesn't let his mind stop
expanding when he reaches the vot-
Ing age. He goes to school every day
in the year, and his school teachers
are many and varied. They may be
| agricultural Journals. daily newspa-
pers, close observation Of the causes
which explain the success OF HIS pros
| porous neighbor or taking warning
by the manner In which the broken
promises of politicians or hand-shak-
| ers have kept the farmer from com
| ing into his own.
Visit any agricultural community in
America, and you will find the line
drawn with tolerable sharpness be
tween these two classes Of farmers.
You are also pretty apt to find that
the progressive farmer is the pros
porous farmer. and the standpat
| farmer the man who is complaining
about his hard luck and laying the
blame for his ragged children or his
overworked wife upon every source
but the right one.
By this l don't mean that there ts
not great deal in old established
methods and in inherited customs
worthy of adoption. Nor do 1 advise
the farmer to follow every brand-new
notion coined by Missionaries or tho
peddlers Of free counsel as to how to
operate his affairs.
There Is always middle course as
between these two extremes and the
wise farmer seeks 1t out and keeps
his feet in 1t. But as between the
two classes-the standpat or the pro-
gressive-I should gamble every time
on the prospects Of the latter.
Do little soul-searching and see
what class you belong to. The answer
may help to explain why you haven't
| as much of this worlds store as your
| neighbor, and while hard luck seems
to knock at your door every day, op-
portunity literally dogs his footsteps.
CHARLES s. BARRETT.
Union City, Ga.