The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-11-27
Address of Hon. J. Foster Marshall.

tag Erentng, Nooemder II 1857.
Gentlemen Of The State -1griculturol
Society,":
You have assembled again, to celebrate
the thid anniversary of your association,
under circumstances OF peculiar gra,iIica-
tIon to each member. You have invited
hitler by your premiums, medals and dip
Tomas, the industrious planter, the man 0:
science, the energetic manufacturer, the in
genious mechanic, the cntcrprising mcr-
chant. the skiiIuI artist, and Though last
not least" the aged mother and blusllins
maid. Each in their appropriate sphere,
have contributed something Of their skill,
industry aud ingenuity, and something OF
the products of the soil, to show to The pass
ing stranger that the people Of South Car
olina have awakened from that letl,urgy and,
supinencss, which has SO long paraly yzed her
energies. That we are alive now to our
high calling, the Offering that each citizen
has made to your Fair, proves that spirit
YinQniry has gouc throughout the length
and breadth of our land.
1t has been beautifully said "that the
ea,th is Is great machine, made ready by
the Almighty to the hands of man, with
its soil and seasons working for him and
1t may not he unintcrcstny to trace for Il
few moments the progress that man has
made i'll exploring the mighty resources of
this machine.
The experience Of man for nearly four
thousand years is written in i,nnutabIe
characters in the great volumes of nature,
exhibiting, as it were, Il Journal Of the pro-
Sresslvc and rctrogrcssive operations of
mind, in lis efforts 10 explore the hidden
secrets Of the universe. Look into the dim
vista of antiquity, among the diapiJatcd
masses Of mural rubbish, strewn through
out The once gorgeous East, and the wrecks
OF ancient grandeur, meet our gaze at every
turn. Where are the ancient cmporiums
Of agriculture and commerce, Rome, Alex
andria, Tyre, Sidon, TarSllish anal Thebes
The foot prints of dcsolalion are clear aud
dctined, and with all their storicd greatness,
they arc now almost lost to human ken.
W here too, are the mighty people who once
occupied on our continent, the dilapidatrd
palaces Of Analluac, Otumb;,, Cholula, On
mutual and Palcnque! They cvincc, iE ISL !
lent veraciy," an enlightened era in .Amc- !
RIGA. These nations, like the nations of the
East, occupied the most favored portions of
our continent, and Yet deserted palaces and
dilapidatel lumni are all that is lett Of
this mysterious people.
These nations Of the east rose from oL ,
security, MS lillcrs Of the soil, ana to such
point of perfection did they attain in this /,
department Of industry, that the name of
iiusbaildman has become immortalized bv
their poets and orators. History the great .
teacher Iv example. tells US that they, too !,
were Republics, and while agriculture flour.
'sbcd the patIon prospcrcd in commerce and ,
the arts. but when luxury, with its con- !
comitant evils, passed through the gates or |
their cities, instead of,hc products of the !
soil, they became an easy prey to cacl, o,il- .
or, and the c"nquercr in his turn fell into
the hands OF the Nandal and the Goth. ,
They and all their gorgeous grandeur have .
been swept into the vortex of oblivion, and |
all that Is let. to us is the foot prints of their
mighty Intellect. We read of their mirh :
ty men Of genius and learning, a CaLmus,
Solomon, n llerolotus, n Socrates and an ,
ArchimiIcs 4; ola Cicero, plinv, Viroil: /
and above all we read of the patriotic and |
farmer Cincinna,us, who twice saved his !
country from impending ruin. May we
not pause here for n moment, while we are
in the brilliant march Of intellectual i'm
provcm"nt, and ask the question, arc we |
yet i'll the meridian height of this great |
Struggle Of mind over matter, when we
take into consideration the advancement
that was made in agriculture, commerce
and the fine arts 10y these mighty nations ,
Of antiquity May not the splendid ca
reer oi to-day lie based on the wisdom, the .
invent'ons and discoveries that have been
madetwcn,y and thirty centuries aoo ? Nav .
they not have furnished the rudilnents Of
mechanical elements from which We now |
form the fiery vehicles on which mini tri. !
umphantly rides from the dusty pe,licus
Of antiquity" to its present dazzling achieve. !
mcnts
Discngagcl from the gross hallucina-
tioas Of past ages imposed Ly priests and
princes, mind has now mounted. tire car of
pro2ress, with its feet resting on agriculture :
the reilis Of science in one hand and com.
mcrcc i'll the other-is now cnligaeninr
the world:'n its course and invigorating the
germs OF intellect and genius. Time and
space arc measured by its operations. and
the world is embraced at a siancc II com.
mands theelelnents and they obey it The |
world is too ,circumscril'e4lsfor., us !expan.
siye research-tiie universe alone .caff4 lin.
1t lis aspirations :; sss, A~
The discovery Of Ar6eriea, ,fffa aseatiob
q printingand the applicatioaso OF ssaassE 10 I
the VARIOUS wantssDf. man, have done more |
to Change the destiny Of the moral, pl,ysi. 7
en-! and commercial world, than all tl,cpfit
ff"s6pi'y ofsages, tho swords Of acon4aErorS@
tho tortgfes Of tis inanjsitotiaI tribunal, or
Il; the sslnc- o.. rose'aeates pl,iiantIroiist..
ti'ese discoveries tsere essential 10 mans I
successful Career Of Improvement, but what |
would, Y Fash sbave geen tlrs progress q. ..aIe |
xorld 90, q. Sagyiealtare. commerce pssitb fab
seres ! ;andths n,esieaic arts, wtl,oGt .Jt,ne. /
r,caJ Mind would. have esy,bsen sfeiteed I
tassn by gaists, decaess. md bulls OF tle |
Eols World djssesey, i5.of Shj;se,i |
fsss ssas gpiesd d . eeasaeuA bs lhs4