AGRICULTURAL SYNDICATES IN FRANCE 765 



from a poor 52,000,000 francs to 120,000,000, which promises 

 a great increase in the near future, while reducing the current 

 prices by from 20 to 30 per cent and substituting a genuine 

 article for one very much adulterated. They are diffusing agri- 

 cultural education, improving cultivation, and greatest benefit 

 of all they are teaching the value of independent thought and 

 independent action to the French peasant, whose one distinctive 

 fault heretofore has been the want of " private initiative," and 

 schooling him to rely upon himself, and the assistance w r hich by 

 exchange he can secure from his neighbors, rather than on the 

 questionable benefit of State help. 



Count Rocquigny's book explains all the various methods 

 employed, and presents, indeed, a highly attractive picture of 

 syndicate work accomplished, in which it would not be possible 

 to point out any one line which runs counter to truth. But to 

 the eye of one who has seen the syndicates actually at work the 

 picture appears a little wanting in clearness, owing to something 

 of a false perspective, arising from a failure to indicate the pre- 

 cise proportion between the measure of success actually attained 

 on different portions of the ground covered. This is easily ex- 

 plained by the fact that the count is writing far more with a 

 view to incite his own countrymen to syndicatist action than 

 merely to enlighten foreigners as to what has been accomplished. 

 But to foreigners the caution is necessary. 



The Syndicats began with a most ambitious programme. The 

 Socialists had made inconvenient headway in some specifically 

 agricultural departments of Central France. Laborers' unions had 

 been formed, strikes were being organized, piecework was being 

 protested against. To meet such organizations on their own 

 ground and prevent the formation of more, Professor Tanviray 

 and his friends opposed to the "class" syndicates, consisting of 

 workingmen only, their new " mixed " syndicates, composed both 

 of small folk and of large landowners. And they declared fierce 

 war against " Socialism," which war, even from their own point 

 of view, appears to have been carried a trifle too far. Indeed, 

 one whole " part " of Count Rocquigny's book is taken up with 

 arguments against Socialism. The Syndicats wanted to build 



