Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1915-07-14
THE FARMERS CHAUTAUQUA.
Facts Concerning ScneCa's Big At
traction To he Il old July 22-25.
Editor Keowee Courier:


best answer would be the one Ma
thaniel gave Philip-"Come and
see" But we will answer it, first,
by telling what it proposes to do, or
to help in doing.
The object of a Farmers Chautau-
| qua is to develop the agricultural re-
| sources Of the surrounding country
In other words, it is an effort to try
| ulate them to make more money
| And it is not altogether an unselfish
movement; it is simply a good bust
ness movement. The farmers are the
| cia!ly Of our country. We suppose
| that rs per cent Of the wealth of the
| South is produced by the farmers.
| In most sections they are almost our
| only producers 1t is fundamentally
! to the interest to the whole country
/ that the farmers make more money
! Every time the farmers productive
/ power is doubled, the volume of the
+ country's business is practically dou-
blcd. And by production is not meant
, the production of the volume Of pro-
! duct, but the production Of actual
/ wealth. 1t is not enough to teach
and stimulate the farmers how to
, make more stuff, but they must be
/ helped to get the greatest value out
! Of their products. The farmers 16-
, million bale crop of cotton this past
; year did not net him, or bring into
! the Country'S volume Of business,
near as much money, or actual value,
as much smaller crops have done.
: There is no use to make larger
crops unless they can be converted
! into more money. The marketing
question is the most pressing ques-
tion in agricultural development in
the South to-day. The Farmers
Chautauqua wants to try to help the
farmer to get more money out Of
. what he produces.
But the Farmers Chautauqua is
more than selfish movement, and
, the desire to stimulate the farmer to
make more money is more than a
mere business proposition. The far
mer needs more money, from the
standpoint Of humanity's sake. The
farmer needs more money to build
better roads, and better schools and
better churches; to buy home, or
to improve his home by building a
better house to live in, or to add
some Of the conveniences to the
house he already has, such as water
works and sewerage and baths, fire.
less cookers, oil stoves, electric
! lights, washing machines, separators
, and power churns; to tighten the
drudgery Of the women Of the house
hold and make their lives more hap
! py; and to add music, and books,
! and magazines, and other refining in
huences; to pay for telephones and
| automobiles to overcome the isola-
ton Of the farm life and keep the
women and young folks cOntented
, upon the farm, and to check the
| movement Of the best people from
the country to the cities and towns.
| The Farmers Chautauuua recognizes
all these things and undertakes. in a
sane way, to stimulate the desire for
them and help the farmer to them.
Now, how does it propose to &C
complish these ends? BY furnish
ing the ideals, the inspiration and
! the facts. a people without ideals is
a people without achievements; and
| the people with the highest ideals are
the people with the noblcst achieve
| mcntS. Nobody ever does his best
work without inspiration. The slave
AID the drudge never get the best
results. All work becomes drudgery
| and all workers slaves when insDira-
tion dies out The chautauqua is a
spring Of inspiration from which all
who will may come and drink.
knowledge is power" The
chautauqua will endeavor to put just
as many facts that pertain to agri-
cultural development and home and
community improvement in lust as
| concrete form as is pOssib to be
done with the resources at hand. No
effort is going to be spared to give
| the farmers something practical,
| something that they can take lone
with them to really help them to
make more money and practice 1et-
| ter living.