SHORTCOMINGS OF OUR AGRICULTURE. 33 



inestimable value on such ground. They have proved more 

 particularly useful in pushing organisation and education. 

 But they also fix the Government bit effectively in the 

 rural population's mouth. 



Agricultural Education was at that time already a 

 well estabhshed fact, which had proved its merit, and 

 merely required wider application to make it fully effective. 

 But organisation was new. The story of its development 

 up to 1894 has already been told. The Raiffeisen system 

 was held to be the trump card with which to win. But 

 there were elements in it which were rather calculated to 

 attain the moralist's end than to secure political support. 

 That altruism, that peculiar consideration for small folk, 

 must be cast off. The prize held out must be " loaves and 

 fishes." Here was a weapon to conjure with, if it could be 

 made to awaken the sense of " value received." Looking 

 for " loaves and fishes," Dr. Haas, a Hessian with a great 

 admiration for Berhn, had formally seceded from his leader 

 Raiffeisen, to form a Union which meant " business " 

 rather than the pursuit of high ideals, and which could 

 be joined by junkers expecting personal benefit. That 

 Union was in 1894 plodding on, slowly extending its sway. 

 Indeed, it could scarcely be said to be properly organised. 

 And not without reason were its officers very close in com- 

 municating, or, rather in faihng to communicate, particulars 

 even to persons standing very near to them. Things would 

 not move on very rapidly. The turn which events took in 

 1894 altered the situation altogether. Government saw 

 their chance in impressing Co-operation of a particular 

 type into their service for the purpose of winning over the 

 support of the entire rural community by gifts — the value 

 of which we have seen coming back to the givers with huge 

 increase during the war in the shape of magnificent sub- 

 scriptions to the various War Loans. Herr Haas and his 

 friends were, like Barkis, " wilHng." They had conspired 

 with Schulze against Raiffeisen ; they were ready to conspire 

 again. Under Government patronage the " General " 

 Union, whose names had been selected to please Schulze, 

 became the " Imperial Union "—Rekhsverband, a name to 



D 



