Thousands Were There

Saturday was a perfect picnic day, and s the farmers' animal picnic at Whitíore Lake is the day that they wait for rom one year's end to another, it was iilly taken advantage oí by everybody, lmost. People who liad not seen each ther for a year or more exchanged reetings and were right heartily glad o meet and talk over inatters in general. 'hey talked and talked and talked. top anywhere you pleased and it was a mzz, buzz, buzz of conversation with oices pitched in all sorts of keys, high, ow, sweet, harsh, raspy, cross, kind, in whispers from the bashful country girl fraid to answer a word said to her, to lie bluff and always-know-I'm-here oice of Bob Martin. It was of ten musing for a person to stop and listen o those about him, and by patching toether fragmentsof couversation caught rom all sides of you, ludicrous sentences onld be forined and queer tales told. There were between 3,000 and 4,000 resent, and all the streets and alleys of Vliitmore were filled with people, all he streets leading to and groves around were lined with teams of those coming from a distance, while the Lake itself vas covered with row boats, saihng craft, steam launches and craft of all dnda, wliile the wheelinen were present n great numbers everywliere. It was evident tbat the people were bent on enjoying themselves, and that is wliat they did, if one could judge by their sniiling faces and friendly greetings. NOT ALL FARMERS. The entire forenoon was spent in ïaudshaking and visiting. The people were not all farmers by a considerable, 'or we noticed many irom the cities of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Howell, and the many villages all over this section. In fact not over half the gathering were farmers bat they were all good friends of the farmers, and certainly good patrons of them. Those who were not farmers had to depend upon the farmers for the necessities of life. It was a good natured crowd, and such gooc order prevailed that the presence of Sheriff Jiulson and his deputies were hanlly necessary, except in a social vvay. Sheriff Judson probably knew more of the people present tlian aiiy other one man, and the people all knew Sheriff Judson, whether he knew them or not. Tables were set in the grove for those who wanted them, and hundreds found a Bhady place ander some tree and partook of the contenta of their baskets. It hád every appearance of being a wellfed and thoroughly satisfled lot of people. ON THE BTAGB. After dinner the regular literary exer cises of the day were held at the grove where a suitable staging had been erected aud seats íor a few hundred made by putting boards aeross timbera whicli took the place of legs- for the seats. On the stage were the officers of the Association, a score or more of prominent men of the counties represented, most of whom were farmers, of course, among the number being Farmer Ward of the Democrat. Wm. Ball as president of the association presided, and in a very graceful way announced the nutnbers on the program. A piano solo by Miss Julia Ball opened the exercises, and because of a lack of clerical timber being provided, prayer bad to be dispensed with, though some lawyers aud editora present looked as if a Hule season of prayer might be beneflcial. OKATORICAI. DISPLAY OPENED. The oratorical display was opened with a few excellent remarks by President Ball. He took a far more optimistio view khan he did two years ago, aud thougbt the outlook for the farmer was encouraging. He thought better times were on the wing, and that the farmers should make the most of thetu while they lasted. He also said a very true saying, that there was mach for good or bad in what people talked, and that if they would talk good times, it would go far in bringing better times about. TRES. SNVDEi: TAI.KS. President J. L. Snyder of the Agricu] (Continued on 4th Page') THOUSANDS THERE (Coutinued irora lst pase.) tural College was theu ïntroduced, uu spoke for an hour 011 the subject o Practical Ediication, and even thei niany in his audience were sorry tlia Ilie hour had passed so quickly. He miswered thequestion " Does Educatioi pay, from a Commercial Standpoint," il the afflrmative, and provefl his case well. He thought it even better to give our children a good education thai money or lands. Education raises the standard of citizenship, and pays ii that way were its cost even ten times as great as it is. Theu as to what kind of an education pays best, he afBruied that it was the kind that reached the greatest number, and prepared the childreu for the practical duties of life. The first thinct should be practical education and Uien if possible the higher education. But he deplored what lie believed was a tendency of tlie liigli schools toward the I'niversity and a professional life, because he believed it led away trom the occupations that the great majority must follow. He didn't think the state was interested in the professions, but ouly in that education which would enable the people to get bread and butter. In other words the Agricultural Colige was all right, but the University was no good as far as the great mass of the people was concerned. U least that was the inference drawn jy many of bis hearers. Culture and ïigher education for the great masses vas like planting a tree with its top in he ground and roots in the air and expecting it to grow. Commercial success vas the flrst thing necessary to attain a ïigh intellectual plane. The body must be firat, the culture of the niind aftervard. If the high schools edúcate for verything else besidesfarming, it must ïot be wondered at if farniing loses its gnity and attraction for the children. The same thing applied to the girls. 'hey should be given a practical educaion, and taught how to take care of the ome before being taught how to play be piano. He believed that domestic cience should be taught in the high chools, even at the expeuse of Greek nd Latin. Mr. Snyder is a very enteraining speaker, and what he had to say vas calculated to captivate a rural audince. It was mainly good, too, but yet very farmer, every laborer, every poor nan who has a family of children wants he avenues of higher education kept open for them. Mr. Snyder evidently orgot the fact that the farmers do not pay for the high schools, though the bildren are weleoine to their doors. It s the tax-payer in the city and village hat pays for the high school, so that he speaker was a trifie ofi in his talk. SOME REFLECTIONK. The practical lesson should be taugh by párente, and largely during the chool year. They should be taugh t to he boys by the father on the farm, in office, store or work shop. To the girls by the mother in the various duties of he home, or in other proper pursuits. nd during the time the children are earning those duties they should also haye the benefit of the free school sysem, so that if they are inclined tostudy hey may keep climbing up in knowledge, and become teachers of others. No man or woman can acquire too much knowledge, whatever pursuit he or she may follow. Brains, disciplined brains, counts as much upon the farm as on the forum, which President Snyder probably knows, if he does not admit. You inight as well say that because the great masses in the cities can not afford butter for their bread, or meat for their tables, that the farmer should not raise wheat, or the housewife produce butter, as to say that because the great majority do not avail themselves of an education above the primary grades, that all education above these grades should be dispensed with. That sort of argument belongs not to this age - but to a past age, ifanywliere. gov. luce's good wohds. After a vocal solo by Miss Ball, ExGov. Luce was introduced. He liad spoken bere twice before at these picnics, and bis reception shovved tbat be had many friends in the audience. He had chosen for his subject the " Practical Farmer," but when he got through he could have said as Artemas Ward once did in a lecture in Ann Arbor, " that is what I should have said had I not chosen Lor my subject ' the Babes in the Woods.' " The Ex-Gov. claimed for hiniself that he was a farmer - that he did the heavy work and hired men to do the light work, and couldn't raise enough off "the best farm in Michigan" to pay his hired men. If there was any prosperity for farmers it was due to short crops elsewhere, and he advised them to make the most of it while it lasted. This country, he said was a joint stock oompany ia which the farmers own 60 per cent., and furnish 80 per cent., of the export merchandise, and then get cheated out of a just share of the dividends. Then he gave the farmers sorne good practical advice about wasting the soil God had given them, and he who did that he pronounced a great sinner. It was a thing he witnessed with sorrow. If we waste the fertility of the soil, what will ourchildren, and their children do? The Governor claimed tbat the best fertilizer for auy soil was human brains, and the better educated a farmer was the better fertilizer bis brains rnake. He said farmers should be proud of their oceupation, and must all pull together. Tliis sticking togetlier he illustrated by a story of i steer of extraordilary size wbich he purchased and proposed to turn ina pasture on liis farm witli forty otliersteersof more moderate jroportions. But the forty steers coinined and drove the big steer out. ïlien ie proposed to edúcate the smaller steers, and turned them one byone into in enclosure with the big steer, each receiving a castigatioo that subdued his lugnacious teudencies. But when he igaio turned the biir steer into the pasure with the smaller ones they again ormed a trust and drove liitn out. So he farmer single-handed could not acomplish much agaiost the gigantie nterests that were grinding him. Bat y co-operating they could have hing their owu way. He closed by ïrging the farmers to take care of the 'anus whicli iu turn would take care of hem. The audience was then treated to a ouple of songs by James E. Harkins, of Ann Arbor, in bis inimitable way, vhich always takes. Henry Waldron, of Northfield, offered he following resolutions, which were adopted : " Whereas, The producís of the farm or a long period of years have been sold or a price hardly covering the cost of jroduction, and "Whereas, Farming lands baye dininished in value until they will not ell for the assessed valuation, and "Whereas, The farmers are'paying au unjust proportion of the taxes, therefore "Kesolved, That we approve of the effort of His Excellency, Governor lazen S. Pingree, to secure such legisat.ion as will compel corporations to )ear their just proportion of the burden of taxation, and coudemn the actiou of our senators and representatives in the egislature who opposed the above." At the election of officers whicli then ook place the following were chosen : President - Wm. Ball, Hamburg. Secretan' - Mis. Kate Smith, Salem. Treasurèr - Philip Duffy, Xorthfield. Mreetors - Geo. M. Veal, Green Oak. A. ï. Walker, Halem. Geo. Merrill, Webster. E. A. Nordman, Dexter. E. E. Leiand, Enaery. 0. M. Stark, Webster. W. II. Glenn, North Lake. John W. Nanry, Superior. Hiram Fair, Plyniouth. A. Campbell, P'ittsfield. L. D. Lovell, Soutli Lyon. Thus ended the Farmers' picnic for 897, and it was pronounced on all sides a great success. There was some pocket jicking aud attempts at skin gaines, but the officers kept a sharp watch on the sharpers, aud they did not reap any great harvest. One Ann Arbor man, we inderstand, Ex-Supervisor Dancer, had ilO takeu from his pocket while on the train. Hon. H. D. Platt, of Pittsfield, also lost $10 by the dexterity of some tbief. And ïio doubt there were others.