Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-11-07
ADDRESS.

iHis-
Ladies and Gentlemen, and Gentleman Farmers =
We ae assembled together, for the sixth time, under
the auspices Of the Henrico Agricultural Society, and
in conformity with established usage, have been de-
puted TO address you upon the OCCASION. Now, 1t l had
been called on to make an Agricultural Address TO an
asse &c Of Farmers, my avocation, for the last tive
or SIX years, would, necessarily, have furnished me
with something to say, upon a subject to when my at
tention has been chiefly devoted-or, ii had been
requested To address an audience, such ~ see here,
upon the elegances, the refinement-, and The delights
Of a city life, | might not have been altogether at a loss-
but, 10 entertain the beaux and bellies OF Richmond with
q dissertation upon iurnips, and blind bitches, Is task,
fear, far beyond my powers. But, IN this undertaking,
am consoled, at least, by this reflection, that al
though my audience is chiefly composed of the inha
bilanls of The city, yet are they, also, citizens of u
country, peculiarly and emphaucally, AgricuturaL-
No where, upon the face Of the earth, IS Agriculture
held in more esteem, than amongst this Southern peo-
Pile. II is the favorfe occupation Of all classes-and,
however an untoward fate may, for the present, con-
fine him to the %drudgery Of a city lie, the merchant,
the mechanic, and the professional man, alike, look
forward, with a ray of hope, 10 the day when they MAJ
be dismissed TO the quiet and repose OF a farmer S lille.
We can never be Il people of cities. No, there is an
inherent, abiding, and aspiring longing in the breast OF
every Southern man, for the pursuit OF Agriculture -
1t grows with his growth, and strengthens with his
strength Let Us pause for u moment, 10 consider
whether this universal passion is a baseless caprice. or
whether il has its origin in wisdom and reason. Far
De " from me 10 0etTACL from tue elegant pleasures anu
delightful refnements of a city life-they are those 10
which | am indebted for the largest share of my earthly
happiness-but the most, # not all of them, are attain
able in the country-and the few that are necessarily
lost, are a thousand times out weighed by the freedom
from harrassing cares and busy thoughts that throng
about the haunIs Of commerce. DR.. RusH once re-
marked, that the Deity delighted in seeing mankind
congregated in ci,ies-but some one shrewdly observed,
that the YeHow Feper was q bad commentary upon tue
text.
Man, in every situation, is born TO sorrow, as the
sparks fly upwards. But let Us, for a moment, follow
The farmer in The pursuit of his avocation, and we
shall see, probably, as little Of evil, as can fall to the lot
of humanity. Let US rise with HIM in the morning,
from a couch sweetened by the labors of the previous
day. Vigorous, healthy, and cheerful, he goes forth,
"monarch of all he surveys and, with the beginning
of the dawn, he takes on himself the administration OF
his little kingdom. His dependents, and the patient
partners of his labors, their wants having been first
provided for, are 10 be marshalled and ARA yed for the
day-and, after nm hour or two of pleasant labor, with
an appetite such as healthy toll alone can give, he seeks
his home for his morning meal. But where has been
the good house. wife the while : She, too, has her du.
ties to perform numero dependents are waiting for
her kindly dispensations-the sick, the old, the infi'r,
are 10 be visited, and their wants supplied, and, above
all, their spirits freshened by a word of sympathy and
kindness from the gentle mistress. The feathered
tribe, loo, are Huttering and c~ackling in anticipation
OF the accustomed visit. The churn, also, that mo-
mentous dispenser of one Of the comforts of life, is to
be looked 10, and a hundred little Offices are TO be SUI
perintended, the performance Of which conduces to the
happiness and pleasure of those whom Providence has
entrusted to her care. At the appointed hour, the
members of this happy family meet at that most So
ciable Of all meals, radiant with the bloom Of exercise,
and filled with that cheerfulness which health aud o
quiet life is sure TO impart. And who is the presiding
genius of this happy scene II is the wife and mo-
Their, whose anxious cares and kindly offices have pro-
v,ded for her partial guests a banquet, which, whatever
It's intrinsic merits, is 10 them seasoned with the valued
spice of affection. 1t is TO woman's care, that pfovt-
dence has assigned the wants and weaknesses OF man
and these does she show most like 10 woman, when she
is engaged in the ministration of her gentle duties. J
know too we'll the generous and unsophistlcated hearts
of my noble country women, to wonder, that they
should prefer pleasures, such as these, to all the va
mites, the gewgaws, and the empty pleasures that too
often engage the attention Of the city matron.
In darker ages, an opinion prevailed, ~(perhaps there
are some silly enough to entertain il STILL that there
was something degrading in manual labor-that honor
and fame were due only to those distinguished Tor men
tai powers. But that nice observer, and profound
moralist, DR.. JoHssos, has declared, that Providence
has so organised mankind, that they are capable OF
deriving the greatest degree of enjoyment from those
pursuits, in which the mental and physical faculties are
called into requisiton, in due proportions. In TINS as
sertion, | believe he is entirely correct. The mere
student not only wants bodily health, but he genereiiy
lacks that mental vigor, which is only to be found In