Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1841-10-14

EXTRACTS, BROA an hpDRESS pELiN EREo
BEFORE THE "GREESvILLE AGEIcUL-
rURAL SOCIETY,""
At It's Anniversary, in august, lS4l.
ANTIQUITY OF AGRICULTURE.
"Man, in his rudest or primitive state, is
supposed by modern Philosophers TO have
subsisted on fruits and roofs. The art Of
hunting and fishing was, in their opinion,
the first step to'curis civilization. Then
came the pasturdge Of animals, and lastly
iiliagc, or the culture Of The soil The
plnnliug and growing OF seed are supposed
TO have been in Imitation Of the effects pro-
duccd by sand and mud, left by the luun-
daiion Of rivers. Hence, Sir Isaac New
ton aud others have considered that Corn
was frs, cultivated on the banks of the
Nile
BE these learned supposilions as they
may. il is certain that, in the rcmolest Pc
RODS of antiquity to which the knowledge
of man extends, tho science Of agriculture
was praciiced aud esteemed by the rise,
the great aud mighty Of The land. We are
informed by the sacred scriptures that God
sen, Adam forth from The garden of Eden
ITO TILL THE GROUND "Cuin was n
tiiier ofhc earlh." Noah began to be a
husbandman and planted vineyard
Abraham purchased the feld of Macphela.
Isaac is said TO have sorn and reaped n
hundred fold. Moses gave directions to
the Jews as 10 the cultivation of the vine.
The denleSne or crown lands Of King David
are said 10 have been under the manage
men; of certain officers. Elisha was
found in The field with twelve yoke Of oxen
before him. In Egypt, corn was purcha-
sed by King Pharaoh aud stored away
Homer, in the Odysy, (the earliest compo-
siion extant, save the Bibe) gives beau
tiful description Of Ulysses fnding his
father, old King Lare,es. who had been
robbed Of po'cer, ,realth and grandeur, hap
py aud contcnled IN the cultivation Of his
lille fields. iIerodotus, the father Of his
orans. tells US that the soil Of ancient Ba-
bylon was so rich and so rrell cultivated that
il produced tro or Nirec hundred .jotd.-
Xcnophon says that Cyrus, the wisesl and
best Of ancient Monarchs, distributed pre-
miumS, with his own hands, 10 the dill
gent cuitiraiors Of the soil. The invention
Of manurcs was 50 highly esteemed by the
ancicn,s, that Pliuy ascrhes it 10 Augeas,
a Grecian King; aud declares that rands
used to DC cultivated by The hands . even
Generals, and that the earth delighted Ia
be ploughcd with "a share adorned rCiM
iaureiS," and by Il pluuehman who had
been honored with triumph. Cincinnatus
was found at his plough when called 10 the
Dictatorship Of Rome. The Empeior oI
China, by an immemorial usage Of hi:
"CelesiIa Empire" is required annually
10 90 into The fields, with all the high dig
nitarcs of his Court, and plough Il iurruw
with his own hands, as au example Of IN
duslrv 10 his subjects, aud as an iIlus,ra.
lion of the importance Of agriculture
Amon,, the Egyptians, the invention OF
agriculture was ascrbcd TO supcrhrnan
agency. aud so absurd was their gratitude,
that they worshipped tho Ok for his scrvi'
ccs as laborer iu the field"
.:NIGEhTIoS.
"No high improvement in The asricul-
,urc Of any country can take place whilst
the spiri, OF emigration is abroad, aud the
population floating one. The farmer
should have fixed and abiding attach
men, 10 the soil. lie should love it be-
cause it has been his fathers, and IS to be
his childrcus lie will then feel n proper
pride in lis improvement and cultivation
His endeuvor will be to make il better, in
stead of wearn. il OUT and moving 10 new
country. In Rome. il was di,rcputable
for citizen To sell or abandon the home
of hi, fathers. would have the same
leelin. To exist in South Carolina. Every
vrtuous and patriotic citizen should fee
himself bound To the soil which gave him
brth-whicIl has been the home of hi.
father. aud which contains The bones of hi:
ancestors. This miserahly selfish, nvari
cious nnd daslardIy spri, Of emigration
no, on!y paralyscs the energy and improve
men; ofour country, but it destroys all loca
attachments and all love of country! II,
who is constantly wandering from place IL
place aud from State lo State, vino is vii
iug 10 exchange 5. Carolina for Alabama
and Mississippi for Texas, is utterly inscn
,iblc to a high, lofty and disintercsled feel
Ing of PATRIOTISM"