The sing-song
That song of last century’s American Grange, “The Farmer Feeds Them All,” was played on the CBC the other day and that prompted some memories.
Remember the 1940s when there was a Farmers Union of Alberta, a UFC Saskatchewan section in the wheat province and a United Farmers of Manitoba? Their annual meetings each year included a period of singing designed to encourage enthusiasm for the cause. They always started meetings with “O Canada,” and ended with ” God Save the King,” but somewhere early in the program they would sing some rousing songs. Someone like Mrs. Mabel Bradley of Milestone, Sask., would thump away on the piano while a song leader would call out the numbers on the song sheets.
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Most of the delegates could handle “Home on the Range” and “Pack Up Your Troubles.” Singing was a regular occurrence at united farmer, wheat pool, UGG, and even CCF and Social Credit country meetings.
At that time there was a vocal minority in each of the three provincial united farmer associations who had Communist sympathies and they would want to sing about the Red Flag. Farmer-Labor delegates called for “Solidarity Forever,” and some even wanted to sing that whimsical song, “Still We Love Saskatchewan.”
Today farm meetings have become so businesslike that members seldom sing about anything. If I can find my pocket-sized Farmers’ Union of Alberta song book again, perhaps I can invite you all over for a chorus of “The Farmer Feeds Them All.” Regrettably, Mrs. Bradley will not be available to play the piano.
