70 The Illumination of Joseph Keeler, Esq. 



the school principal, where education will be by illustration 

 and experiment in farming, horticulture and home making. 



"When so prominent an educationist sees this, brought up 

 as he was on an Ontario farm, I fancy he really has put his finger 

 on the primary cause of our present evils. I know we have not 

 yet begun to approach the practical methods of Denmark in 

 this matter." 



"All this is, no doubt, very good," said Mr. Keeler, "but from 

 my enquiries there seem other phases of the situation demand- 

 ing the most serious attention, for it must be years for the re- 

 sults of such education of the children to have practical results. 

 Have you in your studies ever come across the details of any 

 method by which the farmers can unite to obtain the full results 

 of their labours?" 



"Oh, yes," said the professor, "I have noticed in a very re- 

 cent pamphlet from England how, in a single district, three 

 southern counties have what is called an Agricultural Organi- 

 zation Society. Its aims are to advocate the principles of 

 cooperation. Belonging to the General Association are local 

 societies, whose objects are (a) to purchase seeds, implements, 

 manures and so on, (b) to secure the best market for the sale 

 of produce, and (c) to establish credit societies. These methods 

 are the same as those existing in Denmark and other continental 

 countries; but in several of those countries legislation exists 

 enabling governments to loan money at low rates of interest 

 to such societies." 



"Well," said Mr. Keeler, "this is just such a scheme as I 

 believe is necessary if we are to encourage the farmers of On- 

 tario to undertake production on a large scale with improved 

 methods. Of course private capital from the cities may equally 

 well be utilised to assist in such work; but there is every reason 

 why both means should be adopted. It is a remarkable illus- 

 tration of how slow Canadians have been to realise that the 

 company methods, which are everywhere in operation in manu- 

 factures, in mining, in lumbering, and so on should almost no- 

 where, at least in the East, exist with regard to agriculture. It 

 must be remembered that the farmer through his isolation and 

 his individualism is not, in the ordinary sense, a business man. 

 His interests have not reallv been considered as one with the 



