Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-07-03
ADDRESS BY AIR. MANSON


II having pleased The society TO name
me for Their presiding member, | feel il a
daily. on my FIRST appearing among you,
to repeat my acknowledgements, for that
honorary distinction with the assursn-
ces OF my sincere desire 10 promote The
snccess of an establishment, which has in
view so valuable an object as. that OF I'M
proving the agriculture OF our country.
The faculty ofcuitiva.ing the earth, and
of rearng animals, by which food is in
creased beyond The spontaneous supplies
OF nature, belongs TO man alone. No other
,erresirIsi being has received a higher gilt.
thanaa Instinct like,k OF the beaver or
The ant, which merely boards for future
use, The Food spontaneously furnished By
nature.
As this peculiar faculty gives ia man a
pre-eminence over Irrational animals. so
II is the use made of ii BY some, and the
neglect OF II by other communities, that
distinguish them from each oicr, in the
most important features of the human
f, character.
The contrast between the enlightened
and refined nations on some parts of the
earth, and the rude ANA wretchcd tribes
OIL others, has It's foundation in this dis
tilciion. Civilization is never seen with
oat agriculture nor has agriculture ever
prevailed, where the civilized arts did moi
make their appearance.
But closely as agriculture and civiliza-
tioa are allied, they do not keep pace with
ca ch other. There is probably much
higher state OF agriculture in China and
ia pan, than in inany other countries far
more advanced IN the improvements of
civilized life. 1t is surely no small re-
proach to the latter, that with so great a
superiority IN science, and In tie fuller
possession OF the auxiliary arts, they should
sUi!cr themselves 10 be outs rpped in The
very art by which both are essentially dis
inguiShed from the brute creation.
1t must not be inferred however from
the capacities and Tie motives ofman, for
an artificial increase oithe productions Of
The earth, tina, The transition from The
hunter, or even the herds man state, 10 The
agricultural, is a matter OF course. The
ilrsi steps ~ THIS transition are attended
with difficulty; and what is more, with
Discrimination.
Wiillouta knowledge of the metals, and
The implements made OF them, the pro-
cess OF opening and stirring The soil, is
mol an easy operation; though one per-
laps not requiring more effort and contri-
Vance, than produced The Instruments
used by saVagcs i'll war and in the chase.
And that there is Discrimination in hu-
man nature to exchange the savage Tor
the civilized life, cannot be questioned.
We need not look for proofs beyond our
own neighborhood. The Indian tribes
have ever shewnan aversion to tie change
Neither the persuasive examples OF plenty
and comfort derived from the culture Of
The earth by their white brethren, nor the
lessons aud specimens of li!iage placed IN
the'mdst OF them, and seconded by ac-
iuai suiierln9s from dehcientand preca-
rIons subsistence, have converted them
from their strong propensities and habit
uai pursuits. In he same spirit, they al
ways beiray al anxious disposition 10 re-
tlrn 10 thelrprlStine lie, alter being Wran-
ca from 1t by time, and apparently mould
ed by inlelcciual and moral instruction,
mo Tie hdDliS ana tastes oil an agrIcul-
tnrai people. a SIN more conclusive evil
dtnce oil The bias ct human nature IS seen
IN Inc familiar TACT, That our own people,
nnrsed and rtared IN these habits aud
tastes, easily siide mo those OF thcsavage,
ana are rarely reci'Ined 10 civilized So
ctty WIN tHelr own consent.
Had HE Europeans, on their arrival,
10 inn lh!@ contin NJ destitute OF human
ID a, ants, whose dangerous neighbor-
no, NJ kepI them III compact and agrl-
cUitu al sla'e, an bad their comnr'nlca
non win th" countries they left, bren DIS
continued ihey might nave spread them
serves INTO me forests where ganc and
HiiitS Woulu nave dOouhdcd and gradu
ally forgetting the arts no longer neceesl-