218 THE FARMER AND THE NEW DAY 



A democracy, therefore, must be fraternal. The 

 highest ideal of a democracy is a real brotherhood. If 

 the spirit of brotherhood be not present in full measure, 

 there can be no democracy. In fact true democracy is 

 spirit rather than form. If you cannot feel right to- 

 ward your fellows, feel the dignity and worth of each 

 man, feel glad when he succeeds and sorry when he 

 fails, feel angry when injustice prevails and be coura- 

 geous to insist on the square deal for every man, feel 

 anxious that every man have his chance as well as that 

 you have yours if you have not this attitude you are 

 by that much short of being a true democrat. 



The American farmer is a friendly man. It is 

 doubtful if anywhere in the world there can be found 

 so large a class of people who feel more completely and 

 keenly this fundamental spirit of democracy. But the 

 farmer has been slow to learn the lessons of coopera- 

 tion. He is still an individualist. Probably only 

 necessity will drive him to cooperation. But the New 

 Day is itself a necessity. The farmers will fail griev- 

 ously to meet their obligations to the world need if they 

 decline to organize thoroughly for the sake of efficiency 

 and in order the better to fulfill their special responsi- 

 bilities. It is at this point that democracy calls to the 

 farmer for help. 



THE RURAL CONTRIBUTION TO DEMOCRACY 



It would be a great misfortune if, in this supreme 

 crisis of world history, the leaders who seek to rebuild 

 human society everywhere on a democratic basis should 

 fail to include the land tillers in their plan, or if the 

 farmers themselves should fail to rise to the new de- 

 mands upon their intelligence, their power to cooperate, 

 their loyalty to the best in citizenship. The fact of 



