Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1853-06-30
ADDRESS,
Delivered before the Wapello
County Agricultural Society,
juno llth, 1863.
BY ]. w. NORRIS.
[PUBLIsHrD BY REQUEST OF THE SOCIETY,"
GENTLEMEN OF THE AGRICULTURAL

NENTLEMEN OF THE AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY:
1t becomes my duty, wheth-
er pleasant or unpleasant. | will not ye'
take il upon myself to say. to address
you upon the subject OF Agriculture
the subjec, of farming-,hat great bust.
ness OF life-that business, to promote
the success of which this Society ha.
been formed. and we have here Assem-.
bled together. IL would afford me great
pleasure TO talk to you for brief space
upon subject SO important. directly SO
i'm mportans to many OF us. and incidentally
SO important to all of US. if knew more a.
bout il. AS it is, the pleasure is good
deal mixed; for | am troubled with sun.
dry apprehensions, lest standing in the
presence of SO many practical Farmers,
so largely, and ! have reason to Snow,
SO successfully and prof,ablv employs ed
in farming. instead OF throwing ligh, up.
on the subjec,. l may only expose my
own ignorance. But you have placed
me here, and doub. not you are prepar,
ed TO take The responsibility; besides
can assure YOU, that if you derive very
liule benefit from listening to my re.
marks, have promised myself good
deal in preparing Them; so that in sEy
event my effort will not be wholly
thrown away. j am only student in
the school OF production, d. ifthereis any
man among us who is not student, and
does not always expect to be, he is pass
ed my philosophy. and will please con-
slider these remarks as not addressed to
him. There are. il is true, different de-
grees and stages Of progress in all pur-
suits; some have advanced further in one
direction. and some in another; some ex.
Gel in theory, and others in practice
This is certainly the case in Agriculture.
Most of you, all of you think. under.
stand much more Of the theory Of farm.
ing than do; while in the practice OF
the Art, you could all of You give me a
great deal of valuable information. W hich
| have no doubt you will take pleasure
in doing. when you are called upon. III
your turn. TO stand where | now stand.
In the meantime, | shall have to draw
largely upon your indulgence to over,
look such mistakes as / cannot hope to
avoid.
You will therefore understand, my
friends, that | do not presen, myself so
you in the attitude of Farmer, either
theoretical or practical. |, would in
deed be the heigh,h Of imper,inence and
folly in me TO do so; for beyond a limit
ed garden experience, the soil and my
self have had only a passing aequain:-
ance. But notwithstanding this, | fee
1t is my right and my duty, as it is the
right and the duty Of every member OF
society, 10 take an interest, and an active
interest, IN this subject; for there is nc
man who can stand aloof and coolly say
tha, in some way, aud in many ways
he has nothing TO do with il; and that il
is to him a matter of indifference--this
business of farming which feeds the one
thousand millions of the human family
which absorbs and controls nine tenth.
of the fixed capital Of every country
and gives constant employment to some
two hundred millions of men; this bust.
ness which feeds US. clothes US, and sus.
,ains US; which fills the earth with plen
", and keeps out want and famIne
which fills up anG replenishes from a
never failing fountain all the streams ant
channels OF our prosperity; and is tbs
only foundation, sure and Stable, of eth.
er individual or national wealth. happi
ness, or prosperity; and which is, in
deed. so commepdable as one of the mos
calm. peaceful. and heal,hful Of al
human pursui,s,' and free from those
cares, perplexities and uncertainties
which are found in every other employ
mens. Where is the man then, who car
say or ought to say, that he cares moth
ing about il; that he has nothing to dt
with it; that Farmers and their societie,
have no elaine upon him; and that they
may take care of themselves and of ,hei
business and interests in their own way
There may be, indeed we know ,her,
are some such, there being all sorts o
people in the world; but we trust they
ase not very numerous, as they are no
certainly very worthy class. and may
very safely be let. to the consequence
of their own narrow. mindedness ant
selfishness.
Yes, my frieEds, Farming as dis
tine. inieres. of society, and Farmers a
a distinct class OF men, have stronl
claims. not only upon those who ne ac
lively engaged in il, but upon all others
and am only assonished that thes
claims have not. in every age. been NOR
generally regarded, at leas, among tn
civilized nations of the Earth. Fh
Poet has indeed often made rural life tn
theme of his song, and the historian ant
the political economist have treated of
incidentally. in connection with othe
topics; bur 80 far az any effort to eleyat
il to the place il is entitled to occupy q
mong the most important Of arts an'
sciences, no systema,ic attempt has beel
made. at least until within our times.--
The only exception worth mentioning
10 the Chinese. They have always re
garded their Agricultural interests witt
peculiar and paramount solicisude; bu
they are only half-civilized. What
mean to say. is that the nations VIII