246 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



dition of things until a little over three years ago, when a few of 

 us who had been dreaming dreams and building air castles 

 thought the time had come to do something. We thought that 

 the people were like those to whom the musician had propounded 

 the question as to "Who could play in the band" and they 

 answered by saying, "Those who wanted to." So we thought 

 the time had come for us to try to get together; we thought we 

 wanted to see one another's faces, take hold of one another's 

 hands and talk over what we all had in common. So a mass 

 meeting was called in our schoolhouse. A representative audi- 

 ence was present. The advantages and disadvantages of some 

 kind of an organization were brought before the people. It was 

 unanimously voted to effect some kind of an organization to 

 meet every three or four weeks, as thought best, as things 

 progressed. 



Officers were elected for only three months at first, for it 

 was then midwinter and it was not thought possible to keep up 

 any kind of a farmers' organization during the summer months. 

 At the first meeting the schoolhouse was well filled with good, 

 orderly people. After a good, social time mingling with our 

 neighbors we had a program of recitations and songs, essays and 

 talks, some by the little folks and some by the grown folks. 

 Some of the essays and talks were upon farm topics and all 

 were by home talent. The program was interesting and the 

 people all enjoyed it. At the next meeting there was a larger 

 attendance. After some two or three meetings there was added 

 an orchestra of stringed instruments. The programs continued 

 to be interesting, instructive and entertaining. 



At the end of three months it was decided to keep right on 

 during the summer season. But in the meantime the trustees 

 of the church, of which I have made mention, could not see their 

 way longer to keep up that building or secure the services of any 

 one to conduct religious worship even once in a while. So they 

 got permission from the higher authorities to sell the building. 

 As it lay just across the road from our schoolhouse and could 

 easily be made into a model building for school purposes, the 

 school district bought it and the land with it. Our club then 

 took up its abode in this building and, though we could now seat 

 from one hundred twenty-five to one hundred fifty people com- 

 fortably, still we had oftentimes many standing. 



In the meantime, a proposal had been made to hold in the 

 fall, sometime after the crops, the corn and the potatoes had 



