120 RURAL SOCIOLOGY 



There is a story of an aged savage who, after having lived in 

 civilized communities most of his life, returned in his old age 

 to his native tribe, saying that he had tried civilization for forty 

 years and it wasn't worth the trouble. Much of the philosophy 

 of civilization is summed up in that remark. Civilization con- 

 sists largely in making trouble. Genius, in the individual, has 

 been said to consist in the capacity for taking pains in one's 

 work. It is this capacity which marks the superior race as well 

 as the superior individual. They who find the taking of pains 

 too burdensome to be borne, will naturally decide that civiliza- 

 tion is not worth the trouble. They who do not find it so very 

 burdensome to take pains, will naturally decide that civilization 

 is worth the trouble, and will therefore become civilized. 



This principle applies to every stage of civilization and prog- 

 ress. The greatest advancement is made by those who are cap- 

 able of taking the greatest pains. It applies especially to agri- 

 cultural progress. It is more trouble to select than not to select 

 seed, and to select it in the field than in the bin. It is more 

 trouble to test cows than to not test them, to keep accounts than 

 not to keep them, to diversify or rotate crops than not to diver- 

 sify or rotate, to mix fertilizers intelligently than to buy them 

 already mixed, to cooperate with one's pig-headed neighbors, 

 especially if he himself is a little pig-headed, than to go to it 

 alone. It is also more profitable. In all these and a multitude 

 of other cases it is found that it pays to take trouble. 



Suppose we can secure a higher development of these two 

 moral qualities: first, the deep sense of loyalty and obligation 

 to the neighborhood; and second, the willingness and capacity 

 for taking trouble. Then I believe the cooperative movement 

 among farmers would make rapid headway. 



FARMERS' COOPERATIVE EXCHANGES 1 



ALEXANDER E. CANCE 



WITHIN the past few years very much has been said and writ- 

 ten about the unprofitableness of agriculture, and on the other 



i Adapted from Bulletin of the Extension Service, Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural College, Amherst, 1914. 



