-~Lancaster Farming. Saturday. January 9, 1960
4
FROM WHERE WE STAND -
Keeping Them Down On The Farm
“How’re you gonna keep ’em down
on the farm after they’ve seen Paree?”
are the words of a popular post-World
War I song.
In the troubled days immediately
following the first World War, that
was a real problem. It is no less a
problem today We hear on all sides
of young people moving off the farm
to take jobs in factories and other
places of employment in the cities, and
not only in the cities. The number of
rural-non-farm jobs are increasing ev
ery day.
Back in the early 1920’s the prob
lem became acute because many of
the young men were just returning to
civilian life from duty in the army of
occupation in Europe where they had
visited Paris and many other big cities.
Up to that time visits to the big cities
by our rural population were few in
deed. What few young farm boys did
get wonderlust and go off in search of
adventure were missed to be sure, but
there were always plenty more to take
their place at home.
Then too, there were always those
too slow or unadventuresome to go far
enough away from, the farm to find
out that any other kind of world exist
ed. And so the attitude developed,
"‘Let the smart boys go to town. There
will still be enough-of the slow ones
to do the farming.”
The situation is different now. It is
different in two ways. First, our rural
yaung people have almost all seen a
big city, and in most cases have seen
a greater number of cities than their
city cousins. Farm folks travel, and
young people travel. It is not impos
sible for a car load of young people to
travel halfway across a state in one
evening’s fun.
In the second place, the slow ones
Davidson
In contrast with the- pub
licity that has been given ra
dio and TV scandals over
fixed quiz programs and pay
ola, another government ag
ency has moved quietly to
clean up proxy contests for
control of publicly - owned
corporations
The proxy contests, often
Involving billions of dollars
invested by shareholders
frequently make the quiz
and payola rackets look like
the innocent amusement of
children, by comparison.
The Securities and Ex
change Commission, often
called the “Watchdog for
the Small Investor,” is shun
ning newspaper headlines in
setting up rules which must
be followed by all parties in
a proxy contest.
The mam rule is that nv
val parties seeking control
of such corporations must
stick to facts and tell share
Lancaster Farming
(.ancaster County'* Own
Weekly
F. O Box 1524
Lancaster, Penna.
Offices:
C 3 North Duke St.
Lancaster, Penna.
Phone - Lancaster
Express 4-3047
Jack Owen, Editor
Robert G. Campbell, Advertising
Director & Business Mbnager
Established November 4, 1935
Published every Saturday by
Lancaster Farming. Lancaster, Pa.
Entered as 2nd class matter at
Lancaster, Pa. under Act of Mar.
*, 1879 additional entry at Mount
Jot, Pa
Subscription Hates; J 2 per rear;
three vears SB. Single copy Price
b cents
Members Pa Newspaper Pubisb
cra’ Association, National Editor,
tal Association.
THIS WEEK
—ln Washington
With Clinton Davidson
Proxy Contests
holders th*e rruxn. In some
cases the rival groups have
operated on the theory that
“anything goes” in such con
tests.
Public Interest
Everyone who owns a
share of stock in a corpora
tion has a financial interest
in how that corporation is
managed. In most corpora
tions a majority of the stock
is held by small investors,
and these have the right to
vote in choosing the manage
ment of the corporation in
winch they hold shares.
When two or more groups
try to gain control of the
manageme it of a corpora,
tion they send out proxies
asking the shareholders to
give them the power to vote
their shares for one of the
parties in the contest.
Not long ago, for example,
interests led by the late fln
oncier Robert Young, want
ed to get control of the
great New York Central
Railroad They wanted the
shareholders to vote for the
directors they nominated.
Farm
It has been estimated that
in that contest each side
spent more than a million
dollars on publicity, adver
tising and sales plans, trying
to wm the approval of the
greatest number of share,
holders Both sides made
conflicting statements and
claims
Confusion and Distortion
Quite frequently in proxy
contests shareholders arc
confused by the distortion
of truth and, in some cases
unfounded attacks upon the
integrity of personal reputa-
can not do the work at home. It takes
the ones who can learn and put their
learning to use to make a success of
the business in these days of machin
ery and chemical farming. The “slow”
ones who are good for nothing else
can no longer meet the competition in
today’s technical agriculture.
And so we still face the problem of
“How’re you gonna keep ’em down on
the farm?” when most of them have
seen Paree or someother big city with
its gaudy allures 'and promises of
quick wealth and prosperity with few
er hours and lighter chores.
One father recently advertised his
farm for sale because his only son had
decided to leave the farm to work as a
laborer for a construction contractor.
The hourly wage looked good to the
young man in spite of the fact that he
had accumulated several head of
dairy cattle and sqme machinery while
attending high school. It is difficult
for him to see the extra expenses he
will meet in his new job, and it is
harder still for him to visualize the
non-monetary benefits he has on the
home farm.
'At some later date perhaps he will
realize the advantages of living on the
land and move back to the farm, but
he will have a more difficult job of
getting started the second time than
he has had up until now. However,
he will have the training which has
helped him to accomplish what he has
done up to this time, and without
which he would be completely lost in
the agriculture of the future.
If we are* gonna keep ’em down on
the farm we will have to see to it that
our young farmer has as good educa
tion m his chosen field as his city cous
in can get in the urban areas.
At least that’s how it looks from
where we stand.
tion of the opposing parties
in such contests
The SEC, however, will
police future contests to pro
tect the interest of share
holders by making certain
that they receive sufficient
factual information on which
to assign their proxies for
the protection of their invest
ment.
Just recently Mr. Manuel
F. Cohen, a distinguished at
torney who is the adviser
to the Commission, in an ad
dress to the Federal Bar As
sociation of New York, New
Jersey and Connecticut, ex
plained the SEC rules and
the reason for them.
Wo believe that this ad
dress should be read by ev
eryone who is interested in
a situation where new man
agement is trying to replace
the old management of a
well known corporation.
You can get a copy by writ
mg Securities and Exchange
Commission, Washington, D.
C., and asking for the ad
dress by Mr. Cohen entitled
“The SEC and Proxy Con
tests.”
University agronomists su
gest that fanners take soil
samples now if the soil has
not been tested m the
tour years
Rura! Rhythms
Poor little lamb, born out of
season,
In a warm box near the
Enough to make a Mother
lose her reason,
But she watches with eyes
of love
As two little
hold milk
In a bottle that was his own.
He fondles the cm's as soft as
silk
And croons back his lullaby
song.
By C.D.H.
LEARNING LOVE
stove
hands
Bible Material; Acts 14.
Devotional Bending: Isainh 35.
Strong Churches
Lesson for January 10, 1960
A TRAVELING medicine man is
not a registered pharmacist.
They both make a living out of sell
ing medicines; but there the re
semblance ends. The medicine man
is interested in the money and
nothing else. The pharmacist is a
member of the community and has
a personal stake
m the commun-
ity's health. The
medicine man
has never had one
to examine him;
the pharmacist
has 1 ’to" pass, a
stiff -examination
to be licensed.
.Tie ” me d Lein e
'in am- S'etdom Dr, Foreman
knows mnch about his stuff; the
pharmacist spent years studying it.
Likewise, the .fly-by-night
preacheris not, as a rule, a church
man. They hoth are religious pro
fessionals,’ thaf is to say they "live
by the Gospel” as Paul put it. But
the fly-by-nighter can be identified
by the fact that he is interested
chiefly In the money; toe churclp
man is interested in the people of
the church. The churchpapTs a
member of the Christian commun
ity, he lives there, he feels respon
sible'. The fly-by-nighter is irre
sponsible; tfie < churchman has been
stiffly examined, and has spent
years leaming / his job.
Strong Churches Make
Strong Christians
Saint Paul was one of the most
successful evangelists who ever
lived. But he never thought his
duty Was done when he had simply
preached somewhere. Saint Paul
was a traveling preacher, hut no
fly-by-mghter. He had a sense of
responsibility for the Christians
whom he had converted. He knew
that just getting'people converted
and then doing no more about them
is like a- doctdr who would spe
cialize in delivering babies but
would not care what they ate,
drank or wore after that. A neg
lected baby is a sickly baby, and a
Now Is The Time . . .
TO ATTEND FARM SHOW ME:|
Thousands of people go to tin 3
Show to look at the exhibits and especially to insp'j
new farm machinery. We’d like to remind the
many important farm meetings are held during tha
of the show; most of'these meetings include author
a number of important subjects within each field o f
ing. You might want to' get one of the Farm
grams and attend one or more meetings along your
ular line. J
TO PREVENT FALLS AND ACCIDENTS—"Winter |
bring snow and ice' that add to the danger of shpf s
falling The liberal use of ashes, sand, pr salt oH;-|
steps, and walks may prevent serious injury to
man beings and your livestock. '
TO INSULATE BARN CEILINGS—The problem
densation and dripping from the ceiling of barns
prevented if proper insulation is installed In m* ll
this merely means keeping the barn floor above \
stock covered with a 6 to 8 inch layer of hay, strf
cobs, or other bedding material In case of smS 1
gently
buildings some commercial insulation may have to
cd between the roof and the livestock area.
will not correct this problem when warm air mod'
surface,
neglected Christian
Christian. The best p] s
is in a good home, .
place for growing (
with other growing
namely in a ohm,
churches make strong
What Makes A Chur
Paul knew all tm,
may say that this met
demonstrated that tin)
knew if he left weal; J
hind him the Christian!
be weak.
The recipe for a ss
has not changed since
Three foundstion-st
strong church aie j,
Acts 14:21-23. Fu,t
preaching. Paul had
these churches befoi f
heard the gospel. But
further help.
Can Christians ba s
by talk? Certainly ij
right. If the preaching
is faithful to the VVoio
if the preacher is tiann
instead of being a ft
Christian who likes t
listeners in that chu
after Sunday are bein
health'of mind and spi
Organization an* Woi
Another foundation
church is organized l(
church is not a menu
Christians, a leligious
ing. It is, or should he
its community. Its re'
to its members and
members- arei many 1
needs to be done, leade
ed who have some autl
capacity for planning,
of persuasion, some
Paul preached and oii
he also prayed. TheJ
were to be communitiJ
A church where all ttj
done by a few peoplj
where people go only S
to, or to meet their m
the strong kind of chui
nourish strong Chnl
most important Pen!
meet m church Is no|
“Mr. Big.” It is God, I
not meet him we hail
meaning of worship I
source of a church’s sta
the preacher and not|
hoard, whatever thev|
ed or however good
Everybody knows tha"
but why do some ch-j
weak by forgetting th S j
Center? 1
(Based on outlines ft
the hnistun of
National Council of IV
Christ in Ihe U. S \
Community Press Serufc
BY MAX SMITH
TO KEEP FARM RECORDS —ThejS
lung of the new year is a very got
to start keeping Farm Records, i
this is one of the very good practu
must go with modern farming ai
good management. Farm Account
are available from a number of t
including our Extension Service
all farmers to keep accurate rect
all sales and expenses.