FARMERS TO THE FRONT 151 



the largest possible crops in order to make a bare 

 living. There would be less drudgery and more 

 rational enjoyment, and thus rural life would take a 

 charm which it so sadly lacks under present condi- 

 tions. There would be more money, fewer notes in 

 bank, possibly no mortgages, and with it a general 

 ease and security which present uncertainty and 

 anxiety make quite impossible. The farmer is the 

 last man who should feel any anxiety, and yet 

 anxiety seems to be almost his special foe. It grows 

 out of the uncertainty that he feels in regard to his 

 income from year to year, the inevitable result of 

 uncertainty of weather, yields and prices and his 

 sense of helplessness. It is from these things that he 

 is asked to emancipate himself. Think for a moment 

 of the effect that freedom of this sort has on the 

 minds of men. They at once begin to feel that many 

 things are worth while which never seemed to be so 

 before. Even life itself becomes more worth while. 

 This freedom would encourage the farmer to im- 

 prove his property, to make his home more pleasant 

 and attractive, would increase his pride in his occu- 

 pation, keep his interest up to the mark and his mind 

 on the alert, and would make his life the joy that it 

 ought to be. To sum up : The effect of the Ameri- 

 can Society of Equity will be to benefit the farmers 

 of the United States and of the world and all other 

 businesses as well, for they are all dependent on the 

 farm. Tt will mean higher education, better citizen- 

 ship, less poverty, misery and crime, lower taxes, 



