116 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



dred millions of capital has bought, leased or stolen the entire anthracite 

 coal region of Pennsylvania as well as all transportation lines leading 

 thereto. This combination controls the price of coal in» every market in 

 the country. It has also effectually crushed out every attempt on the part 

 of the miners to obtain their fair share of the profits, and reduced them to 

 the lowest pittance that can sustain life. Their fate will be ours, just as 

 soon as all capital can be combined, which is being done as fast as the 

 varied interests can be brought into harmonious action, unless we use the 

 means now, while we may, by combining our capital as well, before their 

 extortions have robbed us of the power of successful resistance. Such a 

 combination is one of the possibilities of our Order: is it one of Uie prob- 

 abilities? I answer, yes! when we can forget our selfishness and be in 

 fact what we are in name, brothers. The emancipation of our class, as 

 well as all other labor, depends upon the active co-operative principle, or 

 combination of wealth, as well as co-operative eflfort. And the end is not 

 uncertain when our power is brought to bear upon the hoary wrongs that 

 labor has suffered through the ages. 



There are other grand possibilities for our Order ; but their accomplish- 

 ment depends as much upon individual as co-operate effort, and among 

 the greatest is the elevation of our class through education. The so much 

 talked of advantages in this direction have as yet been realized to a very 

 small extent; and, however much may be done in this direction, the 

 means thus ft\r used are small indeed compared to the magnitude of the 

 work. 



I apprehend that one great impediment in this direction is the want of 

 having acquired a taste for reading in early life. This is more inexcusa- 

 ble with us than any other class who labor for a living. Our long winter 

 evenings, rainy days and odd hours of leisure are not for the mechanic 

 and common laborer, and had we improved these privileges as we might, 

 the stigma of ignorance would not be cast upon us as it is to-day. But, 

 knowing and feeling this disadvantage as we now do, let us be wise for 

 the future, and see to it that the coming generation of farmers are as intel- 

 ligent and well educated as any class of men in any avocation of life. To 

 this end we must provide for our children, not only newspapers, periodi- 

 cals and current literature, but works on political economy, the science ot 

 government and the fundamental principles of our form of government 

 as enunciated in the Declaration of Independence. We need not urge 

 their reading. No fear but they will use the tools if we but provide 

 them. 



One writer has said : " If I were to pray for a taste which would stand 

 by me under every variety of circumstances, and be a source of happiness 

 and cheerfulness through life, and a shield against ill, however it might 

 go amiss and the world frown upon me, it would be a taste for reading. 

 I speak of it, of course, only as a wordly advantage, and not in the slight- 

 est degree as superseding or derogating from the higher office and surer 

 and stronger panoply of I'eligious principle; but as a taste, an instrument, 



