Vaughnshire Farm

The Fruit of Industrial Capitalism

Perhaps industrial capitalism is more easily seen in the fruit of it’s labor. One could quickly point to the recent Walmart debacle and a dozen others like it. But if we look back to the beginning we see from the inception the same patterns. Think quickly of three of the greatest “capitalist” in American history. Who comes to mind? I’m not talking about the modern day Bill Gates and Warren Buffet types, although with all their giving to the abortion industry I think they make the case very nicely as well.

But likely, if you thought for just a moment your mind would wonder to the names of Carnegie, Rockefeller, JP Morgan and the like. For good reason, these men became men of great wealth. What is an interesting and little considered fact is that all three of these men begin their careers just prior to the war between the states. Each of them born within a four year period in the 1830’s managed to position themselves prior to the war in such a manner as to come out of the war with the capitol and means to build the businesses that made them the household names they are today.

So why do we remember them, and for what should they be remembered? Do we speak the name of Carnegie and talk about the 30-40 junior partners he made millionaires when he sold National Steel? Do we talk about how JP Morgan made Carnegie the richest man in the world when he bought National Steel for $492 million in 1900? When we talk of Morgan do we think of the fact that he combined 170 different companies together to form US Steel, a company worth around $700 million at that time. Do we marvel at the vast oil holdings of John D. Rockefeller?

I would submit that these are the very reasons these men are remembered. It is not because of the Carnegie Foundation, or the Rockefeller Trust. It is not because they were great philanthropist, but because they were the pioneers of industrial capitalism. Their notoriety is due to the great fortunes they amassed not the money they gave away. Many may point to the great sums of money they have passed on through their trusts and foundations as a sign of their virtue. But if that giving is examined in light of scripture, it may be found wanting.

Crimes of Philanthropy

RL Dabney spoke clearly to this issue in his essay The Crimes of Philanthropy. He made the case that as sinful man we often do the wrong things for the right reasons and the right things for the wrong reasons. Using Carnegie as an example, he had a heart to give back to society and redistribute the wealth he had accumulated. However, Carnegie was subject to the passions and teachings of his times, namely the Socialism in the political realm and Unitarianism in the church. Each of these effected him and his giving in such a way that Dabney would have called it a crime rather than a gift.

If we start with the reformed doctrine of the depravity of man and believe the catechisms that state man’s chief end is to glorify God and we further contrast these views with the goals and fruit of Socialism and Unitarianism we can see where the crime is committed. Both of these institutions remove the emphasis from God and place it on man. As such Carnegie’s giving was to help his fellow man, not to glorify the God who created him.

The result of giving with the goal of helping man, without bringing glory to God, is that it ultimately does not help man. In fact a case could be made that to lift a man from poverty without pointing him towards God will cause greater harm still. If we bring this back to Walmart and the Sam Walton foundation we see the causes they are supporting are civil interests such as government programs and public schools. These it can be argued do not help the public interest, but only further the interests of the government many times at the expense of the people’s liberty which we discussed in previous posts.

The second challenge in this debacle is the fact that Carnegie and other’s like him considered themselves Christian men. Again, as was stated about Sam Walton, ultimately that must be left to God. But we can look to the fruit of their lives and the worldview in which they operated to discern if there were Christian principles at work worth imitating. If a review is done on Carnegie’s The Gospel of Wealth, is sounds much more like a socialist rant than a Christian philosophy of giving. Every principle put forth is in direct opposition to a basic biblical principle. (That is a story for another day.)

The point in this comparison, is these men and others of that era laid the foundation for Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Conrad Hilton, and yes even the recently defamed Sam Walton. There is a pervasive philosophy that grants an appearance of Christianity but denies the substance there of. There is an order of business that brings financial prosperity without considerations for the order of the universe or the God who created it.

In short we ascribe the descriptor “Christian” to people because they go to church or claim the name of Christ, without examining the fruit of their lives. We as a culture have separated and compartmentalised our lives into the secular and the religious. It is this prevailing philosophy in the church that allows us to call men like Sam Walton “good Christian men” without regards to the fruit of the business they engaged in.

If one makes the claim that “God blessed Sam Walton”, then one must also make the claim that God judged and destroyed the small town where I grew up in rural Arkansas. (and thousands of others across the nation) Because as Walmart opened it’s doors most of the other little mom and pop shops that supported many good “Christian” families were shut down as they tried to compete with the high cost of low price.

If this is the case than one must say that God paid Sam Walton to destroy these small family run businesses and if we look at the balance sheets we can see that God pays very well for this kind of work. It would be hard to seriously make this claim. However, that is the claim made when folks try to say God blessed Sam Walton and that he was a good Christian man.

There is more that needs to be considered as this is studied. To understand how this happened and the principles behind it we must understand the difference in the local economy and the national economy and the biblical examples of decentralization must be considered.

• Is Walmart Evil? - Part 1 Corporations
• Is Walmart Evil? - Part II Corporations Continued
• Is Walmart Evil? - Part III Capitalism verse Industrial Capitalism
• Is Walmart Evil? - Part IV The Fruit of Industrial Capitalism
• Is Walmart Evil? - Part V The Fruit of True Capitalism

We started by reading all about sourdough. Ever wonder what homemakers did before baking powder and commercial yeast? Sourdough would be the answer! By mixing flour and water and letting it ferment in at least 70 to 80 degree temps, you will be able to grow your own wild yeast. You may use potato water if you wish. You may also make a grape sour dough starter by adding slightly mashed grapes to ferment with your flour and warm water.

First, you slightly mash 2 cups of grapes. You want the grapes to ferment in your flour and water in a warm spot for a few days.

Add your grapes to the bowl with two cups of very warm water. Do not use a metal bowl for growing your starter. Yes, you can eat some of the grapes.

Add two cups of flour.

Mix it all up.

Still mixing it up. She is not liking what it did to her grapes.

Here are our sourdough starters. We let them ferment for about 3 days. Each day we feed our new pets. We say pets because we are growing live yeast and good for you bacteria. These are kitchen pets. We feed them by removing some of the mixture and adding 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of warm water and mixing it up again. With our grape sourdough mixture, we let this one ferment for a couple of days by itself and then strained out the grapes. I made a sponge out of some of my starter after it sat for the proper amount of time and will let that proof (sit or ferment more) for many hours before I make our first loaf of sourdough bread.

Stay tuned for the results!

Meal planning and preparation is certainly an art as well as a science. I have been reading about sourdough bread and the science of the process was quite interesting. I have trying to make my own breads and with that in mind, I started with making homemade tortillas, now I am ready to move on to other rolls and breads full time. We always make from scratch pancakes and waffles but just recently have I been researching how to make my own sourdough breads and am ready to take the plunge into that. Little by little. Over the years it has been a step by step process. Now being that we are a large family, it is possible at times for me to get overwhelmed with all the “things” that need to be done or the things that I want to do and it is important for me to manage these things in order of importance. It is my job to prioritize and delegate. It is not me personally that makes all the pancakes, tortillas and bread, in addition to all my other duties; this would be impossible. I have help. I have been training my 7 1/2 year old in these arts as well and she is very capable of cranking out 3 batches of tortillas without me lifting a finger. Yesterday, she brought me a hot fresh tortilla while I was giving a spelling test to one of my children. My older ones love to mix up pancakes and make them by themselves. This is a huge blessing to me!

This week we have been learning about the fermentation process, commercial yeast vs.. home grown wild yeast, good bacteria, rising and more bread making terms. I fully expect that she will be well versed in sourdough bread making within the next couple of months as we work on this together.

(Making her sourdough starter)
The important aspect is that she is learning at a young age one primary requisite for homemaking. The meals and meal time are so very important. Not in what you make, but in the overall atmosphere of what meal time denotes. It is the heart of the home. The kitchen, the meals, the preparation, the cooking, the meal times. The spiritual and physical impact that these things have on each individual in our family is a powerful influence and life-long message.

My hope is that I am able to prepare my daughters for these duties by allowing them to learn by serving their family now. Too many times, we do not allow our girls to learn the arts of homemaking when they are young because we get caught up in “trying to get it done” or we do not see the importance in that training. I have caught myself many times getting to hurried, instead of focusing on the real need of the hour, which many times is the training of my daughters. As girls grow into their little girl years, 5 to 8 years old, they need to be spending a lot of time learning the things that mom does. In their toddler years, you may have them experiment by playing with dough or helping you stir, or just playing with pots and pans on the floor, but it is in these little girl years that their interest in the feminine homemaking jobs is high. They love to make cookies. They love to crack eggs or pop popcorn. They love to dish out the ice cream and top it with whip cream and a cherry. They love to make their siblings snacks and play tea party. They love pretty aprons and putting a pretty table cloth on the table.

Some tips for instilling homemaking meal skills in little girls:

1.) It is not unreasonable to teach them to set the table for meal times. Little girls always like the special touches of a vase of flowers or a candle or a folded napkin for a supper meal. Encourage these things and do not see them as a unnecessary waste of time.

2.) Cooking a baking simple things is taught starting young! At 7 years old she may be able to make a complete salad, make homemade dressing, make simple breads, decorate a veggie or fruit tray, make simple desserts, make tea, make tunafish sandwiches but the training started at 5! These are some examples, however she will need you to train her in the younger years. You may deem appropriate activities according to her abilities and age. At 5 or 6 years old she can make peanut butter cracker snacks, cream cheese and celery, pour drinks, set the table, help with dishes, peel an egg, crack an egg, beat an egg. At 7 and 8, they are really starting to pick up on their skills and able to do a considerable amount of kitchen related things. I have seen 12 year olds complete a meal and bake incredible things by themselves and know how to clean a kitchen when they are finished.

3.) If you are training a 5 year old, you may have her stand in a chair beside you while you are baking something. Tell her exactly what you are doing and why. Have her pour, dump and mix. Do not be concerned if a puff of flour is spilt on the counter or water is splashed on the floor or egg is smeared on the counter. These are opportunities for you to point out to her things to watch for. As they develop, they will regain better coordination and abilities to for see situations. For example, she may not realize that if you pour 3 cups of flour into a beating mixer all at one time that most of it might end up right back in your face and all over the kitchen. Your gentle guidance will assume that she does not know these things and you can teach by example.

4.) Expect a mess but don’t train a mess. Training is dirty work. I do not expect a completely trashed kitchen, but I do expect a mess and I do expect extra time. However, the time will be well spent because as the years go by, one day the kitchen will be filled with the aroma of home baked cookies or Sunday roast that you played no part in except the years of training when she was little.

It is truly exciting to see these womanly skills and arts take off in our young children

The Difference Between Capitalism and Industrial Capitalism 

After my long “discussion” on the lack of a Biblical foundation for the notion of federally authorized and created entity or “persons” commonly called corporations, I want to be clear that I am not against people making money.  I’m not against capitalism as a political / economic system, I am very much in favor of true capitalism.  However, what I see changing the face of the America I grew up in, is the Industrial Capitalism planted in seed form before the war between the states.  The difference is a true free market economy verses a system where every big business has such a symbiotic relationship with the government that it might as well be communism.

Just as a reminder, for those of us who are government educated, Communism, at its roots, is government control over the tools of production.  It is interesting to note that Communism is a response to the dangers of Industrial Capitalism; the “bourgeois”.  It did not come about until the 19th century when Industrial Capitalism was on the rise and its chief complaints are against the fruits of Industrial Capitalism (IC), not traditional Capitalism.  While The Communist Manifesto correctly identifies many of the weaknesses of IC, it posits a solution that leads to less freedom and a stronger state.  (Not a position that tends to advance liberty!) 

So then, what is the difference between Capitalism and Industrial Capitalism?  It would be trite to say that it is a sole proprietorship verse a corporation, but it is.  But it is much more than that. 

• It is a philosophy as well as an economic discipline
• It is a nation of families, verses a nation of individuals
• It is community, verses nationalism
• It is Calvinism, verses Unitarianism
• It is filling a need, verses marketing a good
• It is traditionalism, verses progressivism
• It is free market, verses government control
• It is agrarian, verses industrialism
• It is gold currency, verses paper notes
• It is small town shops, verses large scale production

It is all these things and so much more.

Robert Sobel in The Pursuit of Wealth speaks to one aspect of this.  In the chapter “Emperor Wheat and King Cotton”, he states:

“One historian, Eugene Genovese, in some of his works, most notably The Political Economie of Slavery, has argued persuasively that the southern frame of mind was precapitalist.  While northern businessmen were concerned about maximizing their wealth, southern cotton planters, while hoping to live graciously, were more interested in preserving their way of life.” (emphasis not in the original)

I think this quote sums it up fairly well, in that the difference between capitalism (which he calls pre-capitalism) and industrial capitalism is a different approach to life.  One says, “it’s the economy stupid”, the other says some things just aren’t for sale.  It’s a matter of priorities.  One says that if I can just make a little more money, then I can buy the things my family “needs”.  The other says, the more time I spend making money the more my family needs things that can not be bought.

This captures the heart of the difference between industrial capitalism and true capitalism.  It would be a great study to compare each of these items one by one.  But perhaps the more telling study will be to contrast the fruit of the industrial capitalism as a whole to the fruit of true capitalism.  We’ll begin to take a look at the fruit of industrial capitalism next.

• Is Walmart Evil? - Part 1 Corporations
• Is Walmart Evil? - Part II Corporations Continued
• Is Walmart Evil? - Part III Capitalism verse Industrial Capitalism
• Is Walmart Evil? - Part IV The Fruit of Industrial Capitalism
• Is Walmart Evil? - Part V The Fruit of True Capitalism

No intelligent person would say that the care and feeding of a family is a small, insignificant job. It not only takes time and work, but careful thought out planning and preparation. It is to be expected that the homemaker is a meal maker extraordinaire. Be it a humble supper or gourmet meal, it need not be an elaborate display to qualify. Often times, with little ones in the home, the simple meals become necessary in such a busy season of life.

1.) I couldn’t do it without a crock pot. These little devises are amazingly handy to busy homemakers, especially if you have several little children running around. I use my crock pot many times each week. It will lift a huge burden from your shoulders. I usually use a crock pot on those days where I am either really busy, (which is actually a lot) or when I am having to run into town or on Sunday. It is very nice to come home to a inviting aroma of a home cooked supper when you have had to run errands or grocery shop. I highly recommend the Fix It and Forget it books for crock pot cooking ideas or look on the internet for a gazillion crock pot recipes. They are quick and easy and inexpensive.

2.) Freezer meals. With little children, having some planning and thought for freezer meals will save you the last minute out to eat decisions that eat up money. I have found for us that having already prepared spaghetti sauce in the freezer allows you to literally have a meal on the table within minutes. You may research some other meals that you can quickly prepare in a pinch of time or when something unexpected comes up. For us, when all else fails, spaghetti and salad!

3.) My great aunt told me that she ALWAYS started supper at 4 pm. She taught me the time and focus that is put into a meal is never wasted or unimportant. While at this season in my life, I can not make from scratch rolls and dessert fresh for every meal like she did, I can put time and focused effort on insuring that meal time is important.
Modern homemakers have so many unique little devices and aids making meal time preparation a much easier process than in times past. It is necessary to put time and thought into planning and preparation. At this season in my life, it is very rare that I plan out an extensive gourmet meal that I am unfamiliar with. I keep my meal complexity within reason according to my family situation. With many babies and toddlers, I have to arrange and manage these additions as well as the meal. Some times have been more difficult than others and yes, often meal disasters, yet the goal is to have a well managed home complete with inviting meal times (even if it is an occasional peanut butter and jelly) to be enjoyed and remembered for years to come.

At Sherwood Baptist, Jim McBride serves as Executive Pastor. It’s safe to say not too many pastors have had the experiences that Jim has. (More about that in Did You Know?) When it comes to growing in faith, Jim wouldn’t trade the experience of being involved in FACING THE GIANTS for anything. Here’s what the man who plays “Coach Bobby Lee Duke” says:

“I am thankful for so many things: working with so many Christians who really believed in and were committed to making this film was a privilege; seeing God work in such a mighty way during every aspect of the process was incredible! I feel blessed beyond measure that God allowed me to be a part of this. FACING THE GIANTS has expanded my vision as to how truly awesome our God is in that He could take something like a move made by a church in South Georgia and use it to touch the world. To Him be all the Glory!

Facing The Giants Opens on Friday!
Find a Theater Now:
http://www.facingthegiants.com/theatres/

The feminist movement would have us believe that the life of homemaking is only for uneducated, low achieving, lazy women who do not have any ambition to do anything profound with their lives. In reality, the mother and homemaker, who do in fact throw themselves into the high calling of home, are far from uneducated, low achieving and are sure not lazy. For it is the most profound, fulfilling achievement of womanhood, that of wife, mother and homemaker. No other job on earth will provide the fulfilling completeness of the female sex as God designed.

As we have all be saturated in this anti-home culture and are familiar with the effects of abandoning home, as Godly women, we must remain vigilant to not only be content with our noble vocation in life, but be completely satisfied and fulfilled.

I found it rather interesting that today, Monday, September 25 is in fact Family Day. Several grocery stores in our area published a reminder in the local sales flyer to “Remember Family Day”: A day to sit down and eat together as a family! It went on to list the facts about what eating together as a family can do for children and why it is so important. Yet the feminist philosophy would say this is hogwash because that would mean that poor woman would have to be relegated to a real kitchen at home to cook something. I recently read something where a woman was lamenting the fact that she was forced to cook at least 3 times a week for her family. You should be able to hear me laugh out loud about now. Only 3 times a week?!? Forced?? What drudgery!?!

I have yet to see the facts supporting the evidence that women who abandon home and hearth are good for society. It is quite the opposite, the facts are that homemakers and mothers play a key role in the overall positive and successful welfare of civilization itself. It has been said, “The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world…” and that becomes all the more apparent when one looks at the condition of our Nation. The home has been abandoned and we are seeing the effect of mother being absent.

Women who hold the full time job of homemaker and mother are in the minority and it isn’t any wonder that many of us feel alone and unprepared for our job. We are told through media and culture if we are at home, that something is wrong with us. However, few understand the incredible genius required in the field of homemaking and few are prepared or encouraged in this influential vocation.

However, the field of homemaking is not for the weak hearted. The management of a family system requires a meticulous multitasking mind and a bold, creative spirit which seeks to further the vision of her family by supplying them with those Proverbs 31 attributes that quickly put any feminist to shame. We are the home maker, the overseer, the manager, not an ornament of stagnant beauty sitting around wondering what to do each day.

To Be Continued: I intend to write more on the requisites for managerial homemaking including some interesting reads that I have run across, as well as practical advice on homemaking for wives and mothers.

PERA, The Public Expression of Religion Act of 2005 (HR 2679) is up for a vote tomorrow.  This is an important bill as it will keep our tax dollars from supporting the ACLU every time they attack a public expression of religion, such as a 10 commandment monument, the Mt. Soledad Cross, etc…  Flashback article Governmental Jurisdiction Tax Collection and Distribution

Please urge your representative to support the passage of HR 2679

For more details on this alert you can visit the National Christian Broadcasters Web site here and visit Reclaiming America for Christ here.  Both have a good summary of what is going on and the details of the bill.

However, the most important thing you can do is call your congressman at (202) 224-3121 and ask that he support HR2679 The Public Expression of Religion Act of 2005

If you need help finding your representative and his personal contact information this site will be helpful as well:
http://www.house.gov/

In addition, you may also e-mail your representative from this site: http://www.house.gov/writerep/  It is better to call, but it never hurts to do both.

We received an early morning phone call that the package we ordered had arrived and was ready for pickup. Yes, there are some things the postman will not deliver and live baby chicks happens to be one of them. My husband had ordered a special breed of meat chicken to raise. It is a mixed breed that is doomed to a life of obesity and death from the moment of hatching. The fact is if all goes well with his life and he is not eaten by stray dogs, he only has this to look forward too:  he will die in about 8-9 weeks either from broken legs induced by obesity or by the butcher knife. Such is the life of this breed of chicken.
This mixed breed chicken is really a true meat chicken. It gains weight at an incredible rate and if it is not processed at around 8 to 9 weeks old, its legs will break from the shear weight of the body and it will die. My husband is smart about these things and while I would not venture into raising free-range organic chicken meat by myself, he has….. and thus the 50 chicks in the basement under a heat lamp,the 300 square feet of electric fence netting in our yard and a automatic chicken plucker he ordered off ebay.

Me, on the other hand, I prefer to stick to gardening.

I can’t complain. Since moving out to the country, the children have been in heaven with endless things to do and see. Not only have they discovered mysterious bugs, crystals and fossils in rocks, multiflorous plants but at the same time, pestilential vines and bugs, the joys of working the land and caring for animals, as well as learning some valuable lessons. The adults have too had their fair share of character building opportunities and fire forgings.

I believe many times children exhibit certain behavior issues because of shear boredom. I am not saying that our job is to entertain them and excuse that bad behavior, however, I do believe when they are busy and productive, the instances of mischief and strife and boredom are greatly lessened.

Yes, we still have the normal toddler whine, cranky cries and general nit-picky things children, eventually with our guidance and discipline, with God’s Grace will overcome. We deal with over-tiredness and impatience too. However, the amount of time spent hovering at my ankles wondering what they can do is an obsolete thing of the past. Currently, the biggest issue is cleaning them up, dealing with the tiredness at the end of a long day and trying to fill their hungry bodies which seem, at this moment, bottomless pits!

I snapped this picture: A 3 year old spends over an hour making himself a spider web complete with a well pump. I wasn’t following his reasoning for the well pump, but it was perfectly logical in his mind. Later on I noticed him sitting in the middle of his spider web tree as if he were a spider resting from a days work of web building.

Even if you live in a neighborhood, a cheap roll of yarn and a poor backyard bush might lead to hours of creative spider web building ! Keeping their minds engaged, their belly full, and restful sleep can do wonders for children!

This time of year, I also found that sending them outside to eat lunch on a picnic sheet under the peach tree made for some happy children and saved me the lunch time mess cleanup indoors.