Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1915-03-25
INTRODUCTORY remarks omitted.)

Introductory remarks omitted.)
On accepting the invitation to speak
to you tonight 1 asked Prof. Briggs
about what he wished me to talk. He
Informed me that this is q good COM
munity but that you lack cooperation
and that he thought a talk along this
line would be appropriate. In order to
more&uHy inform myself as to the
needs Of Balfour people along this
particular line l talked with two others
of your citizens and they also said it is
a good section; that the people are
peace-loving, ~law-abiding n friendly
but that for some a you can't
"get together" Therefore 1 have come
to talk to you about getting togeth-
! er," which means cooperation.
/ shall speak to you briefly on the
subject of Education, Organization and
Cooperation" Cooperation among the
people requires education and organi-
zation for cooperation in its fullest
sense cannot be had except through
education and organization.
That part of my address pertaining
TO education will not deal with the elt
imentary school life but with the CSC
RAO Ia JOoA0S oAO y 10 uODCA
that as / point out the educational re-
~quirements for this useful period in
your life you will see the necessity for
giving your children ample educational
advantages TO equip them for efficient
cooperative community service.
l shall deal with organization in
brief general terms, for / have not
come to tell you how to organize, but
its importance in real cooperative
work.
BaIfOur Without Cooperation.
If 1 am properly informed you have
mo manner of cooperation in this COM
munity except that expressed in your
school and church work. L have been
told that once you had a farmers
union but that it soon disbanded.
There never was a time in the history
! of Balfour and other parts of Hen
Gerson county when its people neen
ed cooperation more than they do
NOW. Throughout the world cooper
alton has become the key note of the
farmers progress for the advance
ment of farming and the betterment
of rural life lie at the very root of our
nations strength and prosperity.
Agriculture is being looked upon
now in a broader than ever be-
fore and the government has under.
taken to assist US in organizing rural
life, i'm developing the moral, intellec-
tual and broader economic govern
mental and social interests, for in
the rural district, no less than in the
city. il is life, and life more abund-
antly in which we are interested, for
certainly the time has come when all
the fruits Of modern civilization shall
not accrue to the towns and cities.
Weakest Feature of Farm Life.
The worst and weakest feature OF
country life today is its lack of o
centration Of purpose and coheSivA
| Of spirit. AS farmers you do not act
together. You fail to att together be-
cause you do not think together. You
have the friendly feeling for each
other, all right, but you lack the
mutual mind. You think of your
selves and by yourselves, forgetting
that your prosperity and happiness is
largely wrapped up in the progress
and aspirations of your neighbors.
The new rural civilization cannot be
built upon individual achievements
but must be based upon neighborhood
development, for individual effort in
many, things has proven to be waste
full in both cash and human energy.
Reorganization of Ourselves.
We must reorganize ourselves as
individuals as a preparation for Or
ganizing as a community. W. u
lay aside, some of our ~self-centered
individualism, We must submit to
restraint of mind and learn to cheer
fully abide by the majority and there
by become docile followers as well as
ADLER leaders. We must cultivate d
Christian fraternal spirit strong
enough to- pull with our neighbors in
effective, cooperative team work.
There are many ways in which
neighborly, friendly cooperation
among three or four or a dozen fami-
lies would mean much of pleasure.
satisfaction and economy. The old
individualistic un-Christian way of
living must be forever abandoned.
The selfish doctrine of every man for
himself and the devil take the hind
most must give way to the apostles
doctrine, "bear We n another's bur-
dens."
Cooperation, More Than Material
Profits.
Probably the most appalling fact,
about the absence of cooperation
among the farmers rs that it means
something more than material profits.
the dollars and cents, the extra CONF
forts and conveniences, that might be
won through cooperation. 1t means
a lifeless frigid neighborhood where
there is nothing in common among
the people, no community aspiration,
NO n~l1ickening, inspiring marching
together shoulder to shoulder, step
To stem in behalf of things that make
for community progress.
Farmers have the same need as
people in other lines OF business to
come together and discuss objects oil
common interest, for in this way the