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Wisconsin Dairymen's Association / Tenth annual report of the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association : held at Sheboygan, Wis., January 11-13, 1882. Report of the proceedings, annual address of the president, and interesting essays relating to the dairy interests
(1882)
Lorentzen, John
Butter making, pp. 105-112
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Page 107
BuTT= MlxiwxG. halting places in the course of life's stream - where one and all may give and receive counsel; give expression to ideas (even if they run counter to opinions held by the majority) without fear or favor? I think so; but of late years these conventions have to a great extent been beset with the importunities of designing men, who like the wrecker sets out his false lights to engulf and fleece his unwary victim; like the charlatan, with only aim to bleed your pockets; like the demagogue, who takes your time with false pre- tense to enable him to appear a champion, a shining light before his grange - under plea of right, do you and yours a grievous wrong. I will instance the cry against oleomargarine. It was started by designing men to further their own selfish ends, and they succeeded too. For the last few years this bugbear has taken, I may say, almost sole possession of these conventions, to the exclusion of other subjects of greater importance to your industry. The cry has been, and perhaps still is, popular; for the demagogue howls it with stentorian lungs. It is swimming with the current - easily done. While you can not supply the demand for butter at forty to forty- five cents per pound, there is no cause for alarm; your legitimate aim should be to increase the product and improve the quality of it. I suggest, take this bugbear with the demagogue; drive the nails home into the coffin, and bury them out of sight. Last month I plainly saw the effects of the course pursued, so indicated. At the Dairy Convention of Illinois, scarce a corporal's guard consti- tuted the asemblage; there was no interest manifest, and why? I "sueu an olu, experienced daaryman, one who, by the way, stands high in his calling -one who loves it. His reply was, that the con- ventions of late offered nothing new, and the old, threadbare sub- jects being discussed over and over again, had no charm for the thinking portion of tle dairy community. Hence the lack of inter- est. Was he right? I will change the subject and come to what I -intended to talk' about: Butter. To begin, I will state that I shall swim up stream, against the current, and trust you will neither swamp nor pull me under. I admire originality in thought, and when I find it my interest is at once enlisted. If one will restrain his natural prejudices and not allow bigoted intolerance to warp his judgment, very often one wil find valuable ideas in thoughts expressed by others, even if these 107
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