The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-06-02

Mr.. ElwoOd Fisher, in his defence Of slavery,
attributes the alleged superiority Of the South
to its agricultural pursuits, for which negro
slavery is said TO furnish peculiar facilities. He
lsVshes his praises upon a purely agricultural
life, and seems TO consider cities nothing but
evil. All his reasoning rests upon this view
he is like all men that take extreme positions.
We think it may be proved that cities have their
use, and that the most favorable state Of things
exists in that country in which there is a due
mixture Of agricultural, commercial and manu-.
featuring industry.
M /. quotes that Well-known verse
God made The country, bat man made the town."
Which contains Just about as much sense, as
"HaO drives rat oxen must himself be fat"
When Mr.. F. speaks Of the country, he
means the country in its agricultural state, co.
vsred with houses, barns, fences and stables
Where did he learn. except from his poetry,
thar The Deity concerned himself more fmmedi-
stely in making the fences Of the country than
in building the houses Of the town. If he had
been speaking Of some Of our vast wildernesses,
in which the sound of the axe has never been
heard, his poetry might have some relevancy;
but as things are, We do not see what SUPERIOR
~ 10 possesses over many other efforts Of the
Imagination, which are to be seen in the pamph-
let.
If one kind Of labor is 10 exist, TO the entire
exclusion Of every other kind, agriculture
should, Of course, have the preference. But If
ever wealth is acquired by agricultural pursuits,
commercial and manufacturing industry must
be joined with them. Without commerce the
farmer would produce nothing but what eoHld
be consumed on the ground. How, then, could
he become wealthy He might have millions
Of bushels of grain moe than would be neces-
essary for bis own use, but if he had no means
Of exchanging the superhuous grain for other
articles needed by him, il would have no
value. Whatever tends to promote this ex-
change, is commerce; and for the prosecution
Of commerce, cities are necessary. Where
would the Virginia gentleman get his carriage.
which Mr.. Fisher considers so good criterion
Of happiness, if there were no commercial and
no manufacturing industry The Southern
planter, without commerce, and without the re-
snlts Of manufacturing industry, would be sur
rounded by immense piles Of unginned cotton,
which would be Of about as much use TO him as
piles Of gold would have been TO Robinson
Crusoe on his island
The bountiful earth produces what is neces-
sary fsf mans physical well-being The INTEL
ligsnce Of man sees that one portion of the
soil will bring forth abundantly one thing, and
another portion will produce another. He
makes use Of the forces Of nature in the places
where he can make them the most productive,
depending upon his intelligence to find the
means Of removing the fruits Of the earth 10
the places in which they are to be used. He
employs labor and intelligence in bringing forth
the productions Of the earth; he employs labor
and Intelligence in removing them to the places
In which he needs them. He also emplovs Ia.
Dor and intelligence in converting the suIstau-
ees which the earth has produced into forms
which render them convenient for use. These
three forms in which labor and intelligence
are employed, constitute agricultural, CONNER
eisl and manufacturing industry. There is
nothing in the nature Of one Of these forms 10
render 1t superior TO either of the others. Az
ricultural labor gives value, manufacturing la
Dor gives value, and commercial labor gives
value. For the lsbors Of commerce, and for |
the perfection of manufacturing industry, ci-
Ties are necessary
Bat cities are Of great advantage in other |