THE PROBLEMS OF PROGRESS 23 



other class, need to organize. Their isolation 

 makes thorough organization especially impera 

 tive. And the argument for co-operation gains 

 force from the fact that relatively the agricultural 

 population is declining. In the old days farmers 

 ruled because of mere mass. That is no longer 

 possible. The naive statement that "farmers 

 must organize because other classes are organiz 

 ing" is really good social philosophy. 



In the group competition just referred to there 

 is a tendency for class interests to be put above 

 general social welfare. This is a danger to be 

 avoided in organization, not an argument against 

 it. So the farmers' organization should be 

 guarded, at this point, by adherence to the 

 principle that organization must not only develop 

 class power, but must be so directed as to permit 

 the farmers to lend the full strength of their class 

 to general social progress. 



Organization thus becomes a test of class 

 efficiency, and consequently a prerequisite for 

 solving the farm problem. Can the farming 

 class secure and maintain a fairly complete or 

 ganization? Can it develop efficient leaders? 

 Can it announce, in sound terms, its proposed 

 group policy ? Can it lend the group influence 

 to genuine social progress ? If so, the organiza- 



