The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-01-23

Six years ago he quit farming.
Grasshoppers, drouth, and failing
markets had wrecked his place
financially. The heart had gone out
of'him. He was through.
Into the town went this son OF
land-looking for job and finding
only a place on the breadline.
There Just wasn't job for me" he
says, "at least, not for a chap in my
state of mind, hopeless and unable
to stay steadily at anything"
One night, waiting for his nightly
handouts Main reached the turning
point. He met a man who told him,
"God has a plan for every man." I
tried this listening to God" says
Main. at worked"
For the first time in years, the
young farmer knew where he was
going. The new plan took him from
one job to another, in both city
and country, mostly as a tractor
driver.
Back to the Land
Later, working as manager in a
northwestern lumber mill, the call
of the land came back to him. In
his travels, Main had begun to love
the west, with its thousands OF
farmers fighting their stern battle.
Il saw" he says, that it wasn't
enough to make good for myself
alone. So I went out among my
people again, to enlist them and
create new agriculture. For I had
seen that with Moral-Re- Armament
the farmers would build solidly, not
for next year alone, but for a thou
sand years, and would give the
country that enduring solidity it
needs.
Today, Main has a growing army
of farmers working with him. He
led party OF them to the World
Assembly for Moral Re-Armament
in California last month. Eight
leathery men of the land, they spoke
over the air from the San Francisco
exposition, telling that God has a
plan for the farms and for the ma
items.
Old Billy Wake, wizened and wise
from his so years experience, is
ons of them. He says, after nine
years of crop failure, through drouth
and hoppers, we know that the
greatest hardship on our farm would
be to get out OF, touch with God. We
get our plan for the farm every
morning by listening to God.'
''Well reap what we SOW" he goes
on. I'VE can't have peace, or an
assured trade, when we are selfish
with our neighbors. If we all cared
enough that our wheat should get
to hungry mouths in the form Of
bread, we'd never be short of mar
kets."
Soil Drift Stopped
John Mains own summary OF the
years work is this: have seen the
drift of the soil in the dust bowls
stopped by people who have stopped
drifting themselves. have seen
communities, with this new spirit.
begin to deal with the problems of
relief, of weed control and impaired
soil fertility"
MIRA is needed on the farm,
these farmers declare, because 1t
isn't only Mother Nature that gives
the trouble-but human nature as
well. There's just one thing to do
with dirty, weedy farm If it's
ever to amount to anything-and
that's a cleanup. What holds good
for the farm, holds good for the
farmer-and for the nations tool"
The work of Main and his farm
ing pioneers has won this message
from the senior Senator from Kan
sas, Hon. Arthur Capper: Faith in
God love of the land, and a pioneer
spirit once conquered continent.
Sons of the west will fight for Moral
Re-Armament as the next frontier
movement in American history,
and make the same sacrifices to
carry it from coast to coast"