The Republican journal., 1916-06-01
A FAVORED INDUSTRY.


A business man who was in my office
few days ago waxed eloquent over the
profit farmer had received from small
! flock of sheep, and said that II he were
/ young he would take farming for an oc-
cupation.
AS | thought of the subject remem-
bered that farming is the most ancient as
well as the most honorable OF occupa-
lions. 1t is ancient, because the story of
the creation tells us that man was put in
the garden of Eden to dress it and to
keep it; and honorable, because God cut
him there.
Besides that, it is the most favored of
occupations. The Standard Oil Co., built
up an immense business. Some of its
methods of building it up may be subject
to criticism, but it supplied oil at low
price and in order to increase its sale
educated the people to use it for fuel, and
by supplying excellent heaters carried
additional comfort into thousands of
homes. But Notwithstanding this bene-
fit to the people, Jealous official prose-
cuted the company under the Sherman
Act and caused its dissolution.
| We are told in The Acts mot of Sher-
MANI, that CHOW about this time Herod
the king stretched forth his hands to vex
certain of the church. And he killed
James the brother of John with the
sword And because he saw it pleased
the Jews, he proceeded further to take
| Peter also.'
| History repeated itself, and because
the Government saw that its prosecution
of the Standard Oil Co., pleased the peo
pie, it proceeded further to take other
corporations also, but, like Herod with
| L, I,S 81
| have shown how Big Business has
but the biggest business of all, farming,
years for the National government and
the State governments to realize the i'm
portance of agriculture, but they have
done so and no week passes without lit
erature pertaining to the care of the
farm or the orchard coming to the Oh.
server from Washington, Orono or Au-
gusta.
| can easily imagine that this, also, IS
a repetition of history, for we are told
that in the seven years imm ediately sue
ceeding Joseph's advancement under
Pharaoh "the earth brought forth by
handfuls," and very likely he organized
Bureau of Agriculture and had Extern
sion schools throughout Egypt in order to
increase the wheat crop.
Not only has the Government helped
the farmers by Experiment stations and
Agricultural schools. but by the institu-
ton of the rural delivery and the parcel
post, which brings them in very close
touch with the mails and the markets.
And as time progresses and the import
ance of agriculture is realized to still
greater extent, other benefits will be
added.
| No country can prosper where agricul-
| ture is neglected. Nearly 30 years ago
my friend Ora Oak travelled from San
Francisco to the City of Mexico as the
representative of wholesale house. He
wrote me as he journeyed, describing the
country and its customs, and In one letter
| in which he told Of the methods of farm
ing said, eff Adam should come back he
could get frst-class wages here for they
| farm the same as when he was on earth. "
And l do not think they have made any
great improvement since, judging from
the condition of the country.
An incident during the war between
Russia and Japan further illustrates the
recognized Importance of agriculture.
On one occasion a troop train was side
tracked to let long freight train pass.
The indig ant general wired military
headquarters to know what that meant,
and was informed that the freight train
carried American reapers that were
needed to provide bread for the soldiers.
| An unusual condition attending the
work of improving agriculture bv Extern
sion schools, and the like, is the fact that
so many young men are put IN the field.
| This is easily accounted for, because the
opportunities for agricultural training
are so recent that to great extent the
graduates are still young men.
| No doubt there are successful farmers
of long experience who object to being
instructed by men so much younger than
they. l am no longer young, and have
been shown many times that wisdom can
go with youth.
A man and some boys came from Gar
land several years ago on the way to
Stedman's landing, Sebec lake. After
they had got into Foxcroft village one of
the boys, who had been to the lake once
before, told the man that he thought they
were on the wrong road, to which sug-
gestion Uncle Mark repli.d, cold men
for counsel; young men for war; and
kept on towards Guilford village.
A truckman was about moving safe
up flight of stairs. He had a set of
| UlOCh6 lHdC LC uoSd III ulo Ouoll1Coo 0hN
after he had everything ready to start
the safe, young man who was watching
the operation asked, "Where will the
safe be when your blocks come togeth-
err" The truckman took notice and
found that it would be half way up the
stairs. The critic was much younger
than the truckman but had worked in a
machine shop where heavy bodies were
moved.
A writer in the Saturday Evening Post
told of young man who had attended an
agricultural school and become greatly
interested in what he had learned. His
father, who had become well-to-do by
farming, would not accept his sons new
tangled ideas until he was shown by a
carefully prepared table that good num-
Der of the cows in his herd were simply
boarders on him and paid no profit. He
turned those cows into the fattening pen,
bought others which paid "a profit and
adopted the ideas his son had brought
from the school.
What have attempted to show is that
farming is a very important and honor
able industry, that the Government has
recognized it to be such, and that young
man who has been over the road, or has
had experience along certain lines, may