Newspapers / The Carolina Union Farmer … / April 18, 1912, edition 1 / Page 2
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I*age Two THE CAROLINA UNION FARMER [Thursday, April 18, 1,912. The Farmers Three Great Assets, W. H. Faust, Presieent Oglethrope {Ga.) County Union. The topic that all the thousands of local unions are discussing in all the States this month is: “Three of the Farmers’ Assets: The Home, the Wife, the Children.” Now, it takes no Solomon to see that these are the big three—the great triumvirate that controls the life of the farmer. (1) The Home.—Some poet has beautifully and apropriately sug gested that three of the sweetest and best words in the English tongue are “mother, home, and heaven.” With that we can all agree. The tendoy- est memories that cling around any one are those originated in the home. However humble and unpretentious it may have been, the factor that has played the largest part is making every man what he is in the home. No nation arises above its home life. No individual soars above his home environments. Prom out our homes flow the splendid powers that drive our people forward to failure or suc cess. The absolute and dire neces sity for making our homes attractive can never be over-estimated. Utility should and does play a large part in our home life, but beauty should and does creep in and wield its potent scepter in the formulation of charac ter and destiny. How many of us have souls so dead that music has lost its charm to cast a magic spell over and wield a strong and indescribable in fluence over all individuals. Despite this there are hundreds of homes without pianos or organs, or any sort of musical instrument. Boys and girls are growing to manhood and womanhood without even a banjo to make merry with. I don’t know whether I am straining the interpre tation or not, but I have often felt that if the sound of music could have been heard in the father’s house prior to the Prodigal’s leaving, as it was after his return, he would never have wasted his substance in riotous living in a far country, experience which was almost as bitter as death. Home, after all that can be said, is what we make it. Poverty has nothing to do with marring or making a home. Wealth can lend but feeble assistance towards its erection. The heart is the source from which real home life in its most attractive garb must ever flow. And nowhere on this green old orb are there to be found people whose hearts are so pure and fresh and near to nature’s heart* as those who dwell on the farm. Men, let’s keep our homes pure and make the environments of our families what they ought to be. To that end we must strenuously advocate good schools, good churches, good govern ment. We must oppose with a determined vehemence the divorce evil, crime, mob law, intemperance, and all the forces that are destructive in their tendency and rag down rath er than build up. (2 ) The Wife.—Read the names of great men who are by the sheer force of their splendid ability kept before the public eye. Note the victories gained and successes achieved, tho honors bestowed. Know that the wife or mother of the recipient of such honors was and is the power behind the throne, the source of in spiration during the long, stubborn fight waged before the emblem of suc cess perches upon the standard of victory. One of the sweetest incidents to me that occurred during the recent State Convention of the Farmers’ Union at Macon was the moment when a committee was appointed to tender some mementoes to the retir ing president. When he stood with tears in his eyes and paid such an eloquent tribute to his loyal wife and said: “Men, if you in the kindness of your hearts are determined to do something for me, remember my wife, who has so heroically and un selfishly given me up for the last few years to do the work of the Union.” In thousands of Southern homes the wife stands daily at her post of duty, doing at times even more than her part. Our pure, sweet, noble girls may sometimes think it a disgrace to chop and pick cotton. I’m speaking my honest sentiments when I say that a rosy cheeked lassie clad in a plain calico dress and sunburnt picking cotton is a far more beautiful sight to me than the hobbled-silk-stocklng- ed, corset-cut-in-two idler, bepainted and powdered and rouged, walking mincingly back and forth Peachtree Street as an object of admiration for the members of the masculine frater nity. Sometimes ago one of Amer ica’s greatest men picked out twenty of the world’s greatest women. His list may have been correct, but in my estimation thousands of our really greatest women live in rural districts and do their daily best to make real helpmeets for those of our men who till the soil. These noble women, fearlessly standing by the stuff in the home while liusband and sons are fighting the severe battles against poverty and ignorance, are an honor to their country and a glory to their God. (3) The Children.—Watch the av erage farmer when his stock dealer gets in a new supply of mules. He wants to see them unloaded, driven, plowed, used in harness, then he buys an dtakes particular pains to see that the barn is warm and dry and they are well provided for. This is com mendable, but it is absolutely con temptible to see so many of our men never going on the inside of a school room to see if their children have the proper sort of mental food and training, or never knowing whether the room is hot or cold, whether the child is being taught correctly or in correctly. Our children are born here to certain rights and privileges, among them is the right to have pleasure, to rest when tired, to at tend school until they have been real ly educated, at least well enough to begin to study for themselves, to travel occasionally to some city of size where they can see how other people do things, to go to church and Sunday^KJhooI, to visit their neigh bors o#casionaIly and have good times together as growing boys and girls, and too, they ought occasional ly to work until they are really tired and can enjoy coming in from the corn-field at noon hot and weary and refresh themselves In the cool, spark ling water fresh from the old oaken bucket that for ages, moss covered, has hung in the well. Oh, to feel a proprietorship in all the children in our locality to that extent that we would get busy and advocate local taxation, erect better school build ings with all the modern equipment for teaching the children successful ly how to do the things that stern necessity will compel them to do. Let every member of the Union who has taken its solemn pledges so live daily that when he is called upon to face his record at the last great assize that he may be able to say: “During life I always treated my neighbors’ children as well as I would have had my neighbor treat my children,” and all will be well. EDGEWOOD LOCAL, CASWELL COUNTY. Dear Editor:—As it has been some time since I have seen anything in print from our local, I thought I would write to let you know we are still in the race for the success of the Union. We are on the top rail of the fence, ^d now it is time for us to decide which side we will fall on, the side of defeat or the side of vic tory. We have on roll sixty-nine male members, nearly all paid dues for the year; also have on roll two female members, and several more applica tions. We started a little over a year ago with only six members. We have demited some and some have “back- slided.” We hope to get better ones in their places. We are buying most all of our supplies through our State Business Agent, J. R. Rives, at a sav ing. We hope this year to double the amount bought last year. I think all locals should buy their supplies through their State Business Agent. We must co-operate with him and stand by him, or we can never build up the trade system as it should be. If every local in North Carolina will pledge itself to buy from the State Business Agent, it will not be long before all companies will be glad to contract with him. But what is the use of his making contracts if we don’t patronize him? The more we buy through our State Business Agent the better contracts he can make for us. We are buying some guano through the Union at a saving. I honestly be lieve the Union is what brought guano down to the present prices . (f the Union should fail the prices will go back as high if not higher than they ever were. The President of our Local, Col. T. P. Featherston, who has been connected with the dry priz- ery at Danville, Va., reports to us that more of the 1911 crop of tobacco had been pooled by January 1st than had ever been pooled out of any eH' tire crop since the plant has been es tablished. That goes to prove that the farmers are beginning to realize that something must be done to raise the prices of tobacco.. I believe the dry prizery is keeping tobacco up to the present prices. Some of our mem bers have pooled more than they were really able to, and some have not pooled what they could have pool ed. I am sure that over 25 per cent more of the 1912 crop will be pooled than of the 1911 crop. We need not expect the dry prizery to bring about a fortune all at once. The suc cess of it depends entirely upon the way we patronize it. Brethren, live by your obligations, stick to your Union, and you will be glad of it in the future. Attend your meetings. Our Local has decided ^o have an all-day picnic some time dur ing the coming summer. We have some able speakers with us that day. We meet twice each month and al ways have a large crowd. We are meeting now every Saturday and will until the guano season is over. Several of our members are taking The Union Farmer, but not so many as should, for I think it would make them better Union men. Yours fraternally, ARTHUR L. RUDD, Secretary-Treasurer. Hollyhocks and golden-glow may be grown along the fence at the back or side, of the house and require but little room. _ THE RURAL PROBLEM —OR— Why Farmers Should Organize and Stay Organizea By J. z. GREEN, state Organizer-Lecturer North Carolina Division of Fanners’ Union. J To Protect and Promote Class intei'ests. II To Co-operate as a Neighborhood. III To Curtail and Control Production of Crops for the Market. IV To Establish and Maintain a Co-operative Marketing System. V To Price tlie Products of the Farm. VI—To Co-operate in Buying. VII To Stay Organized and Educate. Do you need a lecturer to visit your Local Union? Here lectures dealing with neglected rural problems that can be solved through class organization and co-operation. Are there any indifferent weak-kneed members on your roll jv haven’t learned enough about the Farmers’ Union to stick and stay _ the fight? Here are seven lectures that touch all the fundamenta P ciples of Unionism and Co-operation. . Do you have any reading farmers in your vicinity who haven t y ^ connected themselves with the F.armers’ Union? They f t^res out to hear a lecturer, perhaps, but you can send these seven e in book form (32 pages) to each of them and they’ll re^ , union homes. Hundreds of men have been converted to the Farmers by reading one copy of the Carolina Union Farmer. These sp lectures will appeal to the reading, thinking farmers, and that s kind that must be depended upon to carry this movement to victo success. . gent This 32-page booklet is now ready for distribution and ^jjd out from State Secretary-Treasurer’s office at cost of printing postage, at 4 cents per copy, or 40 cents per dozen by mail, a money appropriated from your local treasury and Invested in ^ of these lectures for distribution in your vicinity will ^ ^ leSS missionary fund that will be fruitful of more permanent r®suUs, cost, than is posible by any other method of campaign work for .cent mers’ Union. In ordering these booklets you can remit amounts m postage stamps, if you prefer. Order only from E. C. FAIIIES, ABERDEEN, N. *
The Carolina Union Farmer (Charlotte, N.C.)
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April 18, 1912, edition 1
2
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