El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-12-06

to any association of Jewish farmers
who viii contribute $500 to the asso-
citation, for the purpose of making
loans to its members This association
becomes sort of rural bank, modelled
entirely after the Raiffeisen banks of
Germany. Each member has an equal
vote, whether he holds one share or
hundred, in governing the affairs Of
the institution, and all acts of the Of
uclals of the association are subject
TO the approval of the general assem-
bly, of the association, made up off al
its members.
These societies lend only on short
term notes, and then only to those
who propose to devote the money they
borrow to a productive purpose. But
although the loans are small and for
short short terms, they are placed where
they are most beneficial, and each
society governs its affairs with a.
view to giving each member, when he
needs it, that little financial push that
viii help him to realize his modest
ambition.
Movement is a Success.
The success of the movement for CO.
operative credit among the Jewish
beginning Twelve such associations
have been formed. and every one of
them is flOurishing. The indications
are that rural cooperation will become
general with the small class of Jewish
farmers IN the United States before it
more than gets a fOOthOld among the
other farmers of the country.
There has been much discussion as
TO whether the Jew can compete with.
the non Jew in agricultural pursuits
and whether, therefore, he ought or
ought not to take part in the great
American movement back to the land"
There are those who point out that for
two thousand years the Jew has had
but little agricultural experience, his
training fitting him for the market
place and not for the farm.
It is cOntended that this influence
of heredity places him at a disadvan-
tage on the farm, and that il is folly
to expect him to succeed there. Those
who take this view assert that he has
prominent fitness for the market
place. and that it is worse than useless
to put him where he cannot compete
with those around him. when he has
50 well demonstrated his ability to
serve himself and to promote the in
terests Of the community by his mas
terry Of the mercantile art.
Always Were Farmers.
Those who oppose this view say that
from the beginning down to 1000 years
ago the Jews were an agricultural
people who won supremacy in that
field, and that they only await proper
encoura cement to 90 back to the
land again and prove that they are
lust as much able to hold their own
there as they are in the store and in
the counting house To this view the
Jewish Agricultural and Industrial Aid
society points TO the fact that no other
class of small farmers has been more
successful than the Jewish colonists
in America and to the further fact that
no class of agricultural college stu
dents has stood higher than the Jew
ish students when graduation day
comes around.
With these things justifying its
view that the Jew can hold his own on
the farm once he gets established
there. the Jewish Aid society proposes
to utilize every means at its disposal /
and to try to command more means, in
its efforts to develop a strong Jewish
farming population in the United
States, and it is believes that the rural
credit bank. and the land mortgage
business with which it hopes to sup
plement these banks, will prove the
strongest aid in achieving that end.