The Southern Agrarian

Southern Agrarianism and the culture of the Old South

Category: Uncategorized (Page 1 of 3)

New Era Resolutions – 2024

December 31, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Books_IMG_3679_phatch

America continues down the path to a new era – an era characterized by an extreme cultural split on a massive scale. Our task as Southern Agrarians is to move as far away from that dividing line as possible. We must stake out the cultural high ground so that there can be no doubt as to which camp we belong – or neither camp.

This post is updated from the New Era Resolutions that I publish about every year or so. It needs to be regularly repeated as a reminder that there IS something we can do. We have a choice. We can take positive steps to improve our selves, our families, our churches, our friends, our co-workers, and all those within our circle. Hope is not enough – have a plan.

To that end, this is a list of tangible things we can do, presented in no particular order.

  1. Be an encouragement and a help to your extended family in a way that will make it easier to decide to have a larger family. If that doesn’t apply directly to your current situation, then spend time helping another worthy family. The break-down of the multi-generation family has resulted in serious consequences for society.

  2. Focus on Love Your People. Too many allow themselves to focus on their anger at those who are destroying our traditionalist way of life.  While that anger is justified, it drives people away. Show people that Southern Agrarianism offers a beautiful alternative.
  3. Boldly proclaim the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Leading a soul to eternal salvation is a greater accomplishment than anything else in this life.
  4. Strive to live a virtuous life at home, at work, and in public. Always speak the truth. We are ambassadors of our great Southern culture and must serve as an example of what that culture stands for.
  5. Be part of a church that truly believes The Bible 1 as the literal word of God – and acts on it. There are far too many modernist churches that lower standards and try to become like the rest of the world. If you’re in one of those modernist churches, leave and find a real church that is not focused on entertaining the congregation.
  6. Use the power of the spoken and written word to advance the cause of restoring civility to America.
  7. Dress more formally than what is customary in today’s society. It demonstrates a respect for others – and for yourself.
  8. Pay close attention to manners and etiquette, and make them a part of your daily life.
  9. Pray – not a vain repetition, but pray like you are talking directly with The God who created the entire universe, because that’s exactly what you are doing. He listens to “specks of dust” like us.
  10. Seek out like-minded people, and form strong bonds with them. Tribe and Clan will become even more important in the coming days.
  11. Treat others with respect. As conditions worsen, there will be those who proudly provided for their families in the past, but find themselves without work or, if they are fortunate, doing menial work. Your turn may come. While those who willingly live off of money stolen from the productive deserve our open contempt, resist the urge unless pressed.
  12. Follow the Boy Scout slogan of “Do a Good Turn Daily”. Find some way to help someone who would not expect it.
  13. Follow the Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared”. When hard times come, you can depend on no one but yourself and your closest friends and family.

  14. Prepare. Become more self-sufficient. Remember the three basic requirements of every living thing: Food, Water, and Defense. Be able to provide for all three for a very long time, if needed.
  15. Produce some of your own food by gardening or small-scale farming, and raising chickens. Those are valuable skills that cannot be learned by just reading a book. It is also the key to our Southern Agrarian culture.

  16. Beauty is an essential ingredient of our culture. Make room in your garden for flowers (they also attract bees and other pollinators to the garden).
  17. Understand the foundation of what Southern Agrarianism is by reading I’ll Take My Stand. While Southern Agrarianism is not strictly defined by this book, it is a good starting point.
  18. If you are living in an urban area, move to a semi-rural or rural area. The cities are not only increasingly dangerous, they are corrosive to the soul.
  19. Arm yourself and learn and practice to become effective in the defense of yourself and your family. Armed men are free men – disarmed men are slaves.

  20. Turn off the TV, cancel the cable subscription, and disconnect the antenna. TV has done more than anything else to destroy our culture. Don’t allow the filth and propaganda into your home.
  21. Home-school your children and help and support other home-schoolers if you can.
  22. Take control of your future by investing your retirement savings yourself so that the government cannot gain control of it. Consider making precious metals a significant part of your savings.
  23. Make your home more self-sufficient: harvest rainwater or put in a well, start a garden, own a sewing machine 2 to make and repair your clothes, install a wood heating stove, increase the insulation in your attic.
  24. Adopt the idea of “Not for Our time, but for All time” when considering choices for your family and your home. Homes that were built centuries ago still stand today while houses slapped together only a few decades ago are abandoned and demolished. Think long term for your family and your home; think of your descendants.
  25. Secure your home. Rampant crime is just one of the results of a decaying society where order and civility are no longer revered.
  26. Embrace old-school ways of doing things: use paper and pen rather than an electronic device for taking notes (bonus points for using a fountain pen 3); shave with a double-edge safety razor and brush and mug rather than the latest multi-blade gizmo; resist the temptation to automatically upgrade to the latest technology 4.

  27. Resolve to give no credibility to political correctness. When it comes up, question it and force the source to justify what was said or written. Be honest – Don’t accept it.
  28. Watch your language. Make a conscious effort to avoid any obscene or profane word coming from your lips. Crude language identifies the speaker with the worst elements of any society. That such language is now commonly used by “celebrities” is reason enough to shun it.
  29. Cherish those who are close to you and resolve to repair any relationships that need repairing. Your family, your spouse, your friends – those are more important now than ever, and will become even more so in the very near future.

  30. Display the Confederate flag – any one of them – on a regular basis. (see the Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette)
  31. Sharing a meal as a family is a time-honored tradition. Make the extra effort to have a more formal, structured dinner.

  32. Resolve to take away the power that the word “racist” has over us; at the same time, remember to treat all men of every race and creed with the respect they deserve as men and as souls that Jesus died for.
  33. Language is an important part of any culture – the English language is the language of our people. Don’t allow yourself to slip into the sloppy language habits that have become a mark of modern popular culture. Writing and speaking well are the marks of a civilized man or woman. Use correct English in your speech and writing. 5
  34. Collect books – not digital text, but real paper and ink books that can be read without batteries. As the popularity of digital text increases, there are bargains to be found in used books. 6

  35. Carry a pocket knife. A generation ago, every Southern male carried a pocket knife – it was almost a rite of passage. Somewhere along the way, the Nanny-state took over, and an incredibly useful tool came to be viewed as a dangerous weapon and a threat to be banned.

  36. Get out of debt as quickly as possible. Make it a top priority in your financial planning.
  37. Reduce or eliminate your income dependence by laying the foundation for your own business. Find something that you truly enjoy doing and that others are willing to pay for, and acquire the tools and the skills to provide that service or product at a profit. 7
  38. The Christmas season has become the emblem of materialism in America and a brief glance at the mayhem of “Black Friday” shopping will confirm that. Turning away from the greed and materialism is a wonderful opportunity for a family lesson in setting priorities. Rejecting materialism now will make life easier later when it is forced on America by a failing economy.
  39. Find something that you can grow or make at home to give away to others. For some, it is home-canned vegetables or preserves or home-made soap; for my wife and I, it has been vanilla extract; for our son, it is egg nog in a variety of flavors. Turn back the clock a bit to a day when people didn’t buy everything from the store, but made it themselves. We also give away much of what our garden produces, and the surplus eggs from our chickens and ducks.

 

This list was inspired by a list posted at The Thinking Housewife blog. What can you add to this list?

This is an updated version of a post that I first wrote in 2012.

Notes:

  1. Finding a church that insists on using only the King James Version is a big step in the right direction ↩
  2. The old cast iron sewing machines will last for generations. Treadle and hand-crank sewing machines in excellent condition are still readily available – we have several of them in our home. ↩
  3. While a quality fountain pen is not inexpensive, they will last for generations if well cared for. I have my father’s fountain pen that he purchased in the 1950’s. I had it refurbished and it is now as “good as new”. ↩
  4. At the very least, consider using open source software and Linux rather than falling into the Windows/Mac upgrade trap. ↩
  5. There are, no doubt, grammatical errors scattered throughout this blog. If you find them, please let me know so that I may correct them. ↩
  6. A first-class library can be assembled by making regular visits to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army store. ↩
  7. I spent nine months of evenings and weekends developing the software package that has provided a comfortable living for my family since 1995 – it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. ↩

Agrarianism: the ideal candidate for cultural renewal

November 8, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This is a guest post, re-posted from The Anglophilic Anglican.

In agrarian practices we see a deliberate way of life in which the integrity and wholesomeness of peoples and neighborhoods, and the natural resources they depend upon, are maintained and celebrated.

“What makes agrarianism the ideal candidate for cultural renewal is that it, unlike some environmental approaches that sequester wilderness and portray the human presence as invariably destructive or evil, grows out of the sustained, practical, intimate engagement between the power and creativity of both nature and humans. In agrarian practices we see a deliberate way of life in which the integrity and wholesomeness of peoples and neighborhoods, and the natural resources they depend upon, are maintained and celebrated.

“Agrarianism builds on the acknowledgement that we are biological and social beings that depend on healthy habitats and communities. However much we might think of ourselves as post-agricultural beings or disembodied minds, the fact of the matter is that we are inextricably tied to the land through our bodies – we have to eat, drink and breath – and so our culture must always be sympathetic to the responsibilities of agriculture.”

— Norman Wirzba (“Why Agrarianism Matters – Even to Urbanites,” In The Essential Agrarian Reader, edited by Norman Wirzba, University of Kentucky Press, 2004)

Or, as the late great social commentator, Paul Harvey, once put it, “Man – despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication, and his many accomplishments – owes his existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains.”

There is no question that I am philosophically an agrarian, and I have rarely, if ever, been so happy as when I was one in practice, too (at Spoutwood). One of the greatest disappointments of my life so far is that I have not yet been able to obtain a small piece of land to live on and farm (or at least garden, and maybe raise a few chickens) as I believe our Creator, and also many of our Founders – Jefferson in particular – intended.

Perhaps one day, Lord willing…

 

Guest post from The Anglophilic Anglican – a blog truly worth adding to your regular reading list.

In defense of Western Christendom, and of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful!

The Importance of a Close Family

October 25, 2023 / / 8 Comments

Two weeks ago, our family’s world turned upside down. My 7-year old granddaughter was taken to the hospital Emergency Room. Four days later, she began a treatment program for Leukemia – a total surprise for all of us. Certainly, that’s the bad news; however, my point here is the difference a close family makes in a tragedy such as this.

ꔷ The other grandchildren are spending many days and nights here with us as our son and daughter-in-law stay at the hospital.
ꔷ A blood donation plan is being set up among family and church so that she will receive only known no-vax blood.
ꔷ Financial matters are being put into place to handle what will become a very expensive process.
ꔷ At church on the following morning, much of the congregation gathered up at the altar to pray for her and strength for the family.

Imagine how much harder this would be if not for the fact that our two sons and their families live within about 4 miles of us; that we have a very strong and close church family; that our extended family are all within a 15 minute drive and ready to help in any way they can.

Pulling up stakes and moving across the country “for a better job” has become routine, but that is very short term thinking. Having a strong, stable family, all living near each other, can be a life saver. That is how our ancestors did it. We need to learn from them. Family First!

I try to keep The Southern Agrarian tightly focused on Southern Agrarianism, in the broadest sense; this is, perhaps, an exception. Now for a personal request: please consider taking a look at the web site I set up for folks to keep up with her progress, and to help if so inclined.

http://lydia.mcgeheefamily.org/

 

New Era Resolutions – 2022

January 1, 2022 / / 17 Comments

Books_IMG_3679_phatch

America continues down the path to a new era – an era characterized by an extreme cultural split on a massive scale. Our task as Southern Agrarians is to move as far away from that dividing line as possible. We must stake out the cultural high ground so that there can be no doubt as to which camp we belong – or neither camp.

This post is updated from the New Era Resolutions that I publish about every year or so. It needs to be regularly repeated as a reminder that there IS something we can do. We have a choice. We can take positive steps to improve our selves, our families, our churches, our friends, our co-workers, and all those within our circle. Hope is not enough – have a plan.

To that end, this is a list of tangible things we can do, presented in no particular order.

  1. Be an encouragement and a help to your extended family in a way that will make it easier to decide to have a larger family. If that doesn’t apply directly to your current situation, then spend time helping another worthy family. The break-down of the multi-generation family has resulted in serious consequences for society.
  2. Focus on Love Your People. Too many allow themselves to focus on their anger at those who are destroying our traditionalist way of life.  While that anger is justified, it drives people away. Show people that Southern Agrarianism offers a beautiful alternative.
  3. Boldly proclaim the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Leading a soul to eternal salvation is a greater accomplishment than anything else in this life.
  4. Strive to live a virtuous life at home, at work, and in public. Always speak the truth. We are ambassadors of our great Southern culture and must serve as an example of what that culture stands for.
  5. Be part of a church that truly believes The Bible 1 as the literal word of God – and acts on it. There are far too many modernist churches that lower standards and try to become like the rest of the world. If you’re in one of those modernist churches, leave and find a real church that is not focused on entertaining the congregation.
  6. Use the power of the spoken and written word to advance the cause of restoring civility to America.
  7. Dress more formally than what is customary in today’s society. It demonstrates a respect for others – and for yourself.
  8. Pay close attention to manners and etiquette, and make them a part of your daily life.
  9. Pray – not a vain repetition, but pray like you are talking directly with The God who created the entire universe, because that’s exactly what you are doing. He listens to “specks of dust” like us.
  10. Seek out like-minded people, and form strong bonds with them. Tribe and Clan will become even more important in the coming days.
  11. Treat others with respect. As conditions worsen, there will be those who proudly provided for their families in the past, but find themselves without work or, if they are fortunate, doing menial work. Your turn may come. While those who willingly live off of money stolen from the productive deserve our open contempt, resist the urge unless pressed.
  12. Follow the Boy Scout slogan of “Do a Good Turn Daily”. Find some way to help someone who would not expect it.
  13. Follow the Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared”. When hard times come, you can depend on no one but yourself and your closest friends and family.
  14. Produce some of your own food by gardening or small-scale farming, and raising chickens. Those are valuable skills that cannot be learned by just reading a book. It is also the key to our Southern Agrarian culture.
  15. Beauty is an essential ingredient of our culture. Make room in your garden for flowers (they also attract bees and other pollinators to the garden).
  16. Understand the foundation of what Southern Agrarianism is by reading I’ll Take My Stand. While Southern Agrarianism is not strictly defined by this book, it is the starting point.
  17. If you are living in an urban area, move to a semi-rural or rural area. The cities are not only increasingly dangerous, they are corrosive to the soul.
  18. Arm yourself and learn and practice to become effective in the defense of yourself and your family. Armed men are free men – disarmed men are slaves.
  19. Turn off the TV, cancel the cable subscription, and disconnect the antenna. TV has done more than anything else to destroy our culture. Don’t allow the filth and propaganda into your home.
  20. Home-school your children and help and support other home-schoolers if you can.
  21. Take control of your future by investing your retirement savings yourself so that the government cannot gain control of it. Consider making precious metals a significant part of your savings.
  22. Make your home more self-sufficient: harvest rainwater or put in a well, start a garden, own a sewing machine 2 to make and repair your clothes, install a wood heating stove, increase the insulation in your attic.
  23. Adopt the idea of “Not for Our time, but for All time” when considering choices for your family and your home. Homes that were built centuries ago still stand today while houses slapped together only a few decades ago are abandoned and demolished. Think long term for your family and your home.
  24. Secure your home. Rampant crime is just one of the results of a decaying society where order and civility are no longer revered.
  25. Embrace old-school ways of doing things: use paper and pen rather than an electronic device for taking notes (bonus points for using a fountain pen 3); shave with a double-edge safety razor and brush and mug rather than the latest multi-blade gizmo; resist the temptation to automatically upgrade to the latest technology 4.
  26. Resolve to give no credibility to political correctness. When it comes up, question it and force the source to justify what was said or written. Be honest – Don’t accept it.
  27. Watch your language. Make a conscious effort to avoid any obscene or profane word coming from your lips. Crude language identifies the speaker with the worst elements of any society. That such language is now commonly used by “celebrities” is reason enough to shun it.
  28. Cherish those who are close to you and resolve to repair any relationships that need repairing. Your family, your spouse, your friends – those are more important now than ever, and will become even more so in the future.
  29. Display the Confederate flag – any one of them – on a regular basis. (see the Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette)
  30. Sharing a meal as a family is a time-honored tradition. Make the extra effort to have a more formal, structured dinner.
  31. Resolve to take away the power that the word “racist” has over us; at the same time, remember to treat all men of every race and creed with the respect they deserve as men and as souls that Jesus died for.
  32. Language is an important part of any culture – the English language is the language of our people. Don’t allow yourself to slip into the sloppy language habits that have become a mark of modern popular culture. Writing and speaking well are the marks of a civilized man or woman. Use correct English in your speech and writing. 5
  33. Collect books – not digital text, but real paper and ink books that can be read without batteries. As the popularity of digital text increases, there are bargains to be found in used books. 6
  34. Carry a pocket knife. A generation ago, every Southern male carried a pocket knife – it was almost a rite of passage. Somewhere along the way, the Nanny-state took over, and an incredibly useful tool came to be viewed as a dangerous weapon and a threat to be banned.
  35. Get out of debt as quickly as possible. Make it a top priority in your financial planning.
  36. Reduce or eliminate your income dependence by laying the foundation for your own business. Find something that you truly enjoy doing and that others are willing to pay for, and acquire the tools and the skills to provide that service or product at a profit. 7
  37. The Christmas season has become the emblem of materialism in America and a brief glance at the mayhem of “Black Friday” shopping will confirm that. Turning away from the greed and materialism is a wonderful opportunity for a family lesson in setting priorities. Rejecting materialism now will make life easier later when it is forced on America by a failing economy.
  38. Find something that you can grow or make at home to give away to others. For some, it is home-canned vegetables or preserves or home-made soap; for my wife and I, it has been vanilla extract; for our son, it is egg nog in a variety of flavors. Turn back the clock a bit to a day when people didn’t buy everything from the store, but made it themselves. We also give away much of what our garden produces, and the surplus eggs from our chickens and ducks.

This list was inspired by a list posted at The Thinking Housewife blog. What can you add to this list?

This is an updated version of a post that I first wrote in 2012.

Notes:

  1. Finding a church that insists on using only the King James Version is a big step in the right direction ↩
  2. The old cast iron sewing machines will last for generations. Treadle and hand-crank sewing machines in excellent condition are still readily available – we have several of them in our home. ↩
  3. While a quality fountain pen is not inexpensive, they will last for generations if well cared for. I have my father’s fountain pen that he purchased in the 1950’s. I had it refurbished and it is now as “good as new”. ↩
  4. At the very least, consider using open source software and Linux rather than falling into the Windows/Mac upgrade trap. ↩
  5. There are, no doubt, grammatical errors scattered throughout this blog. If you find them, please let me know so that I may correct them. ↩
  6. A first-class library can be assembled by making regular visits to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army store. ↩
  7. I spent nine months of evenings and weekends developing the software package that has provided a comfortable living for my family since 1995 – it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. ↩

The Library of Alexandria – Southern Agrarian Version

February 23, 2020 / / 11 Comments

Some of the topics here are admittedly quite a stretch for Southern Agrarianism, and this is one example. Today’s post was prompted by an email discussion with a friend and fellow Southern Agrarian.

The Library of Alexandria, built in about 250 BC, was designed as a repository of all the important information of the day. It was the essential knowledge that Ptolemy, II of Egypt wanted to collect and preserve. It is an idea that has fascinated me for many years. What would we, today, consider to be the essential knowledge of our time? If we had to restart civilization with nothing but what was in a collection of books, what would it contain?

When I became aware of the fact that so much of our accumulated knowledge is in digital format only – and at the same time, realizing what an EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) could do to what is nothing more than zeros and ones stored on magnetic media, I began collecting books. Not digital books, but real, paper and ink books – in hard cover if available. The pace really quickened when grandchildren came along. They would be home schooled, as were our two sons, and I wanted them to have a good library available.

The criteria I used for my library is simple: What can we not afford to lose? To that end, here is a list, in no particular order, of some of the book topics and types.

  • Farming and large scale gardening
  • Basic industrial processes (textiles, fuel alcohol, machining)
  • References (math and engineering formulas, conversion tables, logarithmic tables)
  • Classic literature
  • Classic works of art and architecture
  • History, without the PC nonsense.
  • Maps and Atlas
  • Encyclopedias
  • Culture (Etiquette, traditional living, raising a family)
  • Medicine, including veterinary
  • Bible study (Concordances, reference works, KJV Bibles)
  • Engineering design, drafting, land surveying
  • Leadership (public speaking, dealing with people, Roberts Rules of Order)
  • Military science
  • Gunsmithing
  • Basic science (biology, botany, physics, meteorology)
  • Communications (Radio)
  • Food preservation and preparation, nutrition
  • Home school materials to make sure that future generations will know how to make use of the library

If I were to sum up the thought behind my library, it would be contained in the title of a book on my shelf – The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch by Lewis Dartnell. I just take the premise of that book and go farther and deeper.

My most recent addition, picked up this evening at a Goodwill Store, is the 1943 edition of Fractures and Dislocations; it includes photos and description of using a large C-clamp and blocks of felt to set a fracture of the foot. Hopelessly outdated by today’s standards, it would be invaluable to those in a time when modern medicine becomes a distant memory. It is technology appropriate for the times.

Words Have Meaning

February 16, 2020 / / 7 Comments

gen-tle-man – noun a : a man of noble or gentle birth b : a man belonging to the landed gentry c(1) : a man who combines gentle birth or rank with chivalrous qualities (2) : a man whose conduct conforms to a high standard of propriety or correct behavior …

A while back, I watched yet another news clip of a police spokesman using the word “gentleman” to describe a street thug. In this case, a group of five Blacks walked into a restaurant, got angry because it was taking too long to cook their food. They shot and killed the cook and walked away. The cook had a wife and five children with the youngest being 2 years old. Our society has rotted to the point that this kind of brutal, savage disregard for life is no longer uncommon.

Another quote from the police: “It was a random dispute that went tragically wrong.” No, Mr. Detective, it was a brutal murder by uncivilized thugs who do not have even the most basic level of decency required to live among civilized human beings. There is more to claiming the title of “human being” than having opposable thumbs. Words have meaning, Mr. Detective, and if you can’t grasp that concept, you should not be a public spokesman.

One contributing factor to this is the fact that our society continues to treat uncivilized thugs as though they were civilized men. We have all heard police, judges, politicians, and news reporters use the word “gentleman” to refer to the worst dregs of society. Can anything be farther from the true meaning of the word? Do a web search on “gentleman” and you’ll find “gentleman’s club”. They are not where gentlemen congregate – they are dark, sleazy, degrading strip clubs. To add even further insult, their advertisements will refer to those who work there as “ladies” – yet another complete perversion of the meaning.

Language, along with art, music, architecture, etc., is a key component of culture. Language is made up of words, and words have meaning. When a society takes a word and reverses its meaning, that degrades the entire culture. “Gentleman” is not the only example. “Bad” has become slang for something good. “Gay” went from meaning “happily excited, merry, keenly alive and exuberant, having or inducing high spirits …” to meaning one who practices the most vile and perverted sexual deviancy. We have come to the place where George Orwell’s prediction about the way society thinks has become reality: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”

Perhaps we cannot stop the process of cultural Marxism as it destroys our society by changing the way people think. Perhaps it has already gone too far. We can, however, control it in our families, among our friends and associates, in our churches, and other places where we have a leadership role. Men think in words, and words have meaning. Insist that words be used correctly.

Some Facts About Monarchies

February 9, 2020 / / 8 Comments

A post at the Mad Monarchist (one of my favorite blogs, but sadly, it is now closed) presents some interesting facts about the actual cost of monarchies compared to republics. Here are a few points from the post (written during the time of EX-President Obama):

In Great Britain, the Queen is known for being exceptionally frugal, using the same car until it practically falls apart. In fact, in a recent year, the travel expenses for the entire British Royal Family was considerably less than the travel expenses for President Obama and his small crew.
•••
(W)hen people think of Marie Antoinette, they think lavishness and frivolity, they do not think of a woman who gave large amounts to charity, who broke down social barriers at court and who invited poor children to eat with her own royal offspring at Versailles. When it comes to royal children for that matter, it may surprise some to know how much more luxuriously the children of a President of the United States live compared to royal or even imperial offspring.
•••
The Romanov Archduchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia, for example, had to sleep on camp beds and take cold baths. Their educational schedule was positively Spartan with dawn till dark studies and exercises. The White House may not be the Winter Palace but you can be sure the Obama daughters are taking hot baths at night. Similarly, when one thinks of an Emperor one doesn’t usually think of someone like Emperor Francis Joseph who slept on an army cot and wore clothes until they were worn out -and then patched them and wore them some more!
•••
In Russia, Emperor Alexander III preferred the simple meals of his servants to the delicacies of the banquets thrown by the upper class and his idea of recreation was a simple walk in the Russian wilderness with some sausage and a piece of bread for his lunch. These imperial leaders were hardly men of lavish, wasteful luxury and indulgence.

So… what is the point of this, you may ask? What does monarchy have to do with Southern Agrarianism? Aside from the fact that monarchies are a time-proven form of government that is grossly misunderstood by those who depend on American public schools for their education, it would behoove us give some serious thought as to what will replace the republican form of government here in America once it fully self-destructs. If you don’t see that coming, then you’re not paying attention. Am I advocating that America become a monarchy? The fact that I cannot see a realistic path from “here” to “there” precludes that. Still, it is a form of government that has stood the test of time for far longer than any form of self-government has. It’s a sad commentary on our ability to govern ourselves.

Have you ever wondered how monarchy might once again bring stability and order to our chaotic world? Getting From Here to There is an article I wrote in November 2017 that presents one possible route.

Mercy and Chivalry

January 19, 2020 / / 3 Comments

Commemorative painting of the Stigler/Brown encounter by John D. Shaw, courtesy Valor Studios.

 

What does the story of an aerial encounter over Europe during WWII have to do with Southern Agrarianism? That’s a very understandable question to ask. The answer lies in Southern culture – specifically the virtues of honor and chivalry that help define the Southern gentleman. Understand that Southern Agrarianism is not just about “agrarianism”. It is also about “Southern”, and that means the culture that we largely inherited from the English Cavaliers when they came to America.

Most of The Southern Agrarian blog has focused on agrarianism – being deeply rooted in the land that we cultivate and raising poultry and small livestock. That will continue to be the major focus of this blog, but it will also include more about the “Southern” part of Southern Agrarianism.

 

 

Mercy is one of the great hallmarks of chivalry. Mercy toward one’s enemy is the hardest mercy of all, which is probably why Jesus instructs us to love our enemies.

The following is taken from the Men Who Lead blog by best-selling author Marcus Brotherton. Mr. Brotherton’s post is titled, The Most Overlooked Command Ever (page no longer available).

On December 20, 1943, in the skies above war-torn Europe, two bitter enemies—an American B-17 bomber pilot and a veteran German fighter ace—met in what is undoubtedly one of World War II’s most remarkable encounters.

The American bomber, piloted by 21-year-old West Virginian Charlie Brown, was severely damaged. Bullets from German fighters had chewed the bomber to pieces. Others bullets had shot straight through the fuselage, and several crew members had been hit and were near death.

The German fighter plane, piloted by Franz Stigler, was poised to blast the bomber from the sky. It was Franz’s job to kill the enemy. His sworn duty was to triumph in blood.

In fact, encountering a wounded bomber was Franz’s lucky break. Other fighters had already done the initial damage, and when Franz flew up to the bomber, it was the most badly damaged airplane he’d ever seen still flying. That meant an easy target. And in the kill-or-be-killed quest to reach air superiority, the odds against the German’s survival were much worse than the American’s. Of the 40,000 German fighter pilots in WWII, only 2,000 survived.

But what happened in that tense moment when Franz and Charlie came to stare at one another across the frozen skies only can be described as other-worldly.

The American 8th Air Force would, in fact, classify the incident as top secret for decades.

The German military sealed the record as well. Franz was ordered never to speak of the act again, at risk of facing a firing squad.

What happened was, very simply … mercy.

Franz didn’t turn his machineguns on the Americans.

Instead, Franz risked his own reputation, career, and even life, to fly for miles in close proximity to the bomber’s wingtip, providing a “shield” for the damaged enemy plane.

Instead of killing his enemy, the German fighter pilot escorted the sputtering American bomber to safety.

The full story is both incredible and inspiring. The book, A Higher Call (Amazon link) fills in the details, including the admonition that Franz Stigler’s previous commanding officer gave regarding situations such as this.

Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown

Both men survived the war and became close friends.

Little Luxuries – Tea

January 12, 2020 / / 7 Comments

Southern Agrarianism is closely tied to the Southern plantation culture, where the enjoyment of simple pleasures and little luxuries play an important part. This is part of an irregular series of posts that look at some of those little, affordable luxuries that virtually anyone can enjoy.

The Southern plantation culture was largely shaped by the Cavaliers, who brought their English customs with them when they fled the English civil war and settled in The South. Part of that culture is the custom of afternoon tea. Why did it not catch on here? Well, it began in 1840, and by 1880, afternoon tea had become firmly entrenched in English culture. The War for Southern Independence (1861 – 1865) interrupted such cultural transfers, and the impoverished state that it inflicted on The South made tea an unaffordable luxury for nearly everyone. That, however, is no reason that we cannot enjoy the custom today.

Lest anyone think that enjoying a relaxing cup of hot tea is something practiced only by the ladies and by effeminate males who sip from dainty tea cups while extending their pinky finger, consider the fact that, since 1945, the British Army has had “Boiling Vessels” built into every tank and armored vehicle so that soldiers could make their tea without being exposed to enemy fire. Many current U.S. armored vehicles now include a similar feature, designated “Heater, Water & Rations”. We should also note here that the concept of enjoying a relaxing cup of tea also applies just as well to coffee; we’re just focusing on tea due to its connection to traditional English culture.

“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”
Henry James

Up until just a few years ago, I truly believed that there was only one way to serve tea in The South – Sweet with lots of ice, and served in a tall glass. Though I still enjoy a tall glass of sweet iced tea as much as any Southerner, my wife and I have made a practice of enjoying a cup of hot tea together as we sit on the back porch swing. Sometimes, it’s just a simple cup of tea – sometimes we include traditional English scones (she has perfected a recipe based on one from an English tea room that we enjoyed going to).

As with many such little luxuries, the enjoyment is not just drinking the tea, but it begins with the ritual of preparing it. If you’re new to hot tea, here is how we prepare it, and it’s a nice starting point.

  • Start with loose leaf Earl Grey tea. We get ours from Twinings, who have been in the tea business since 1706. For convenience, or for decaffeinated tea, you can use tea bags. Since part of the enjoyment is from the ritual of preparing the loose leaf tea, and since there is at least a theoretical advantage in using loose leaf, that is how we make ours. If your local grocery store doesn’t carry it, you can order directly from Twinings (link).
  • Measure out one teaspoon of loose leaf tea into a tea infuser (Amazon link).
  • Fill one cup with water (the type of water used makes a big difference, so try tap water, well water, filtered spring water, and whatever else you have available to see which you prefer) and pour it into an electric pot.
  • Use cold tap water to rinse the tea in the infuser to wash out any tea dust and “relax” the tea leaves. Place the infuser and tea into your cup.
  • Heat the water to boiling, then pour it over the tea until the cup is full. Always use fresh water. Never re-boil water. Never boil longer than necessary.
  • Set a timer to three and a half minutes. At the end of that time, remove the infuser from the cup.
  • Sweeten to taste. I use the same amount of sugar as tea – one teaspoon. We also use Turbinado sugar (local grocery store or Amazon link), which is a tan-colored, raw unrefined sugar.
  • Let it cool enough so you don’t burn your mouth. Enjoy.

There are all sorts of things you can do along with this, and it’s something that both husband and wife can enjoy together. Experiment with different traditional ways of brewing tea. Brew several cups at a time in a tea pot. Try some of the many different types of tea available. Look into the health benefits of tea. For a bit of fun, check out the Star Trek connection on YouTube. Host a Ladies Tea (link is to one that my wife organized – it has become an annual event at our church). Collect different kinds of tea cups, tea pots, mugs, infusers, tea strainers, etc.

As a “Little Luxury”, it is meant to be enjoyed, so have some fun with it. Enjoy a relaxing cup of tea.

The Ultimate Career

December 29, 2019 / / 7 Comments

This being The Southern Agrarian, may lead one to think, “Ah, it must be farming or other agrarian field that is ‘the ultimate career’. Wrong. Producing food – like all other careers – exists only to serve and support the ultimate career. That career is Homemaker, wife, mother, and the endless sub-roles that comprise the honored title of Homemaker. Think about it. Is there any other role in human society that would continue beyond the current generation if not for the role of Homemaker?

Southern culture has always revered women and their role. Always. And Southern women have always taken great and justified pride in their place of honor. The image of the Southern Belle has no corollary. There is no “Northern Belle” or any other iconic image of women in any other culture that can match the cultural image of the Southern lady. There is good reason that Southern women are not found in significant numbers among the screeching radical feminists who strive not to be better women, but inferior men. Southern women are confident in the knowledge that their traditional role of wife, mother, and homemaker is valued, treasured, and revered in our culture.

It is the Homemaker who has the Ultimate Career that all others exist to serve.

The Homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only – and that is to support the ultimate career.
– C.S. Lewis

 

(Top photo is of our son, daughter-in-law, and hours-old grandson – April 2012)

« Older posts

© 2024 The Southern Agrarian

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑