Denver labor bulletin., 1916-08-12

/
School, near Doylestown, founded by
Rabbi Joseph Krauskopf and guided to
growing usefulness by DR.. John IL.
Washburn, stands great oak tree which
the deputy state forester once told us
must have been more than STRIPPING
when Columbus discovered America.
In the shade of this patriarch few
weeks ago stocl,y man with person
ality plus stood to address score OF
embryo farmers and a thousand grown
ups, attracted chiefly by report that a
former president OF the United States
would make speech.
That notable had spoken and left. He
was followed by a former ambassador
and a gifted naturalist. Each, in turn,
had praised his nation in the manner
/ approved by usage. Each got applause
for this praise.
/ Then the chairman introduced David
Lubin as "a man who, perhaps, has
helped as much as any other to give
! us this day our daily bread '; and the
stocBy man, his remarkable face un-
moved by this deserved tribute, walked
| slowly from his chair TO the wooden rail.
He leaned over and looked at the uni
| formed boys for full minute. Appar-
| emily, he saw only them. Then, dclib-
/ erately and thundorously, he shouted
You have heard from this platform
today that this is the greatest nation
on earth.
"That is liel"
'You have been told that we are the
greatest people in the world.
THAT too, is lie!"
! He paused, and you could hear the
leaves rustling. His whole being still
was aimed at those boys.
/ 1 Al.
people, and we should be- But We are
not, and We will not be until we have
done certain things. But nothing is to
be gained by fooling ourselves with self
praise. The way to go forward is to
face facts"
David Lubin, founder of the Interna-
tional Institute of Agriculture in Rome
and once n Philadelphian-turne to
the dignitaries on the platform.
81 want a cane" he said, and fine
old father in Israel outheld a stout one
Let us face a few facts" he CON
| tinued, again cycling the boys, with the
cane tight griPPed at one end by n
| gnarled right hand.
"There was our nation at its begin
ming" he began. THAT hand which
holds the cane represents the commercial
class, the townfolk who clung together
cane is the nation, and of course, it is
wabbly. 1t is one sided"
With his left hand he wabbled it easily.
Then he folded that left hand over the
stick next to his right hand.
That left hand is agricultural life.
1t begins close to the town. Always
commercial life is pushing it further out,
and, to a certain point, this is a bless
ing. 1t establishes balance"
The two hands, foot apart, now held
the cane steady.
But commercial life never is content
with this balance. 1t wants to dominate
and it has the business skill which the
farmer lacks. 1t keeps pushing the
farmer"
Now both hands adjoined at the other
end of the cane.
"There is ancient Rome just before she
fell. Her streets still were streets OF
glory, her buildings the wonder of the
world. But already she was rotted
within, dead economically. Her kings of
commerce had pushed the agricultural
classes to the end of the cane. And, the
balance lost, she slipped into the sea OF
oblivionl"
The two hands were moved back to-
ward the middle OF the cane-a third of
its length.
| Here is the United States today-37
per cent of our farm lands in the hands
of renters. Here is England" fthe hands
moved swiftly, with more than so per
cent renters. France has fewer than the
. United States and Germany more than
reverses England's position.
Can you see it in this war? Are not
| these figures commentary? Oh, no,
am not pro-German. ] have no use for
a militaristic autocracy. But whatever
| Germany is in her government, she is al
most a complete democracy in her agri-
cultural system!
There is her strength, even in warl
With such democracy bac kof her she is
almost irresistible And whatever else
the world may hold against the Hohen-
zollerns, it must doff its cap to that
mastery foresight which built up sys-
tenn Of agricultural efficiency that is one
! of the marvels of history.
'''rhe United States is democracy in
| its government, but we are drifting to-
ward autocracy in our agricultural sys-
ten. OF our 81 per cent of farm rent
ers in 1910, TO per cent had sprung up
in the decade Immediately preceding
that date What does that mean?
"It means that unless we profit by
Germany's experience and adopt meth
ods to stem this tide, within n few dec
AIDES the American farmer will be off the
map-pushcd Off the left hand now
had barely hold at the end of the
! camel "snVp ng lo yOrI;s IN nav rapf 10