538 RURAL SOCIOLOGY 



The activities of the class organization will answer the questions. 



(5) Organizations tend in the same way to preserve as well 

 as to test the social efficiency of the farming class, and hence 

 become a vital factor in the rural problem, which is nothing more 

 or less than the preservation and strengthening of the status of 

 the rural people, industrially, politically, socially. 



Possible Disadvantages of Farmers' Organizations. (1) They 

 may tend to emphasize undesirable class distinctions and foster 

 class antagonisms. It is to be remarked that, in the development 

 of society, these group competitions are inevitable. Tempo- 

 rarily they may be antagonistic and rival; ultimately they can 

 and must be supplemental, cooperative, seeking the general good. 

 But farmers are a class. They have special interests. They 

 simply cannot maintain their common rights unless they invoke 

 the power that springs from class organization. The danger 

 of undue class distinction can be obviated by the full recog- 

 nition of the fact that each social group or class has duties as 

 well as rights. Farmers must be led to unite their class power 

 for the national welfare. This is one of the chief functions 

 of farmers' organizations. 



(2) Organizations may be unwisely led, or advocate impossible 

 things. This is a real danger ; it is not a final argument against 

 organization. The child blunders day in and day out in its 

 education. A social group is sure to do the same. It is the 

 only road to wisdom, social as well as individual. Education, 

 experience and time will tend to adjust these difficulties and 

 minimize the dangers. 



(3) There may be over-organization, and the individual may 

 lose his identity. This is also a real danger in our day among 

 all classes. It is less likely to be serious among farmers because 

 of their strong tendency to individual independence. 



Difficulties in Organizing Farmers. (1) The ingrained 

 habits of individual initiative. For generations American 

 farmers have been trained to rely upon themselves. The farm 

 family was for many decades an industrial as well as a social 

 unit, and indeed it is so to a large degree even to-day. The 

 pioneer farmers developed some rude forms of cooperation in 

 the neighborhood life, but each man was responsible, almost as 



