6 THE FARMER AND THE NEW DAY 



of political protest and rebellion. Her sons and daugh- 

 ters left her by millions, her poverty both in city and in 

 country grew apace. Absentee landlordism became a 

 stench and a byword among the terribly poor tenantry. 

 And then a prophet arose in that land and proclaimed 

 a new gospel of reformation. Horace Plunkett had a 

 simple message that went to the root of the situation; 

 Ireland's farming must be rehabilitated; her land must 

 be owned by those who till it; the day of the lone farmer 

 has passed and the day of the rural cooperation has 

 dawned; there must be a new rural civilization, adequate 

 and satisfying economically and socially; self-sustaining 

 local rural communities must be built up as the bul- 

 wark of a true democracy of work and life as well as 

 of government. And so, by 1914, half of Ireland's 

 farm land had passed from big landlord to little farmer 



the " family size " farm was the unit of measure 



hundreds of cooperative societies were in active and 

 successful operation, the spirit of cooperation had suc- 

 ceeded to the spirit of apartness. The flame of Irish 

 enthusiasm and endeavor on behalf of rural interests 

 has been carried to our own shores and has lighted 

 many a torch of leadership in rural affairs. 



SOME LESSONS FOR US 



It is worth while to take note of the underlying meth- 

 ods and results of these great national enterprises in 

 agricultural betterment, for they may have some valu- 

 able lessons for us in America. Germany, with its 

 far-reaching agricultural policy; Denmark, with its very 

 complete, almost perfect system of cooperative effort 

 in production and sale of food; Ireland, with its ideals 

 of social development and rural community building 

 these countries, together with the others already named, 



