WORKING CREDIT FOR FARMERS. 273 



their own affairs and making themselves fully responsible 

 for them, the better will it be. Without a real \\'ill on the 

 part of the participants it is useless to attempt to establish 

 Co-operative Credit, whatever its form. There are unques- 

 tionably difficulties about its creation — which are not to be 

 got over by spoon-feeding or giving of sugar-plums. You 

 cannot establish Co-operative Credit for others. That is 

 what our Board of Agriculture and the many clamourers 

 for " Credit for Farmers " appear to fail to understand. 

 It is only " will " which will conquer the ground. But 

 " will " can do so easily. Our national Agriculture cannot 

 develop as it should without very much larger facilities 

 being given it for the obtainment of working credit. Hide- 

 bound as we have shown ourselves to be in our notions, 

 afraid of what is new as the cow in the field is afraid of the 

 newly painted gate, we have waited far too long for it. We 

 cannot pretend that there are no examples and precedents 

 to instruct us — nor yet " bishops " wanting to point out 

 the right way to take. So, please God, though it is late in 

 the day, we shall at last proceed from words to deeds. 



