New-York daily tribune., 1858-10-01
FARMERS AND FARMING.
ADDRESS or RALPH WALDO EMERSON

! following address by Mr.. Ralph wahO Emerson at
! the dinner:
Mr. PEt.IDIsr. LADIES AsD GbsrLrsAs: sun
! pose there is 10 anniversary that meets hon .nr.
:ie. more entire good vii than This rural festival.
| Town and country, trades and msnufaetures c1urch
| ard laymep, sailor AMI soldier rren and vcm.n. al
| have an eans good viii, becarse equal stR,' in
the prosreriJ Of the farmer. II - well With AL ,cs
il i. web with him. 4e has no enemy Al ar ioui
in his pruise. Every wi.e State hns favored him, ard
The bess men have held him highest. Cato sas vhen
va. aid tha. such such 9 nnn was 'oci
hasbardnan, il vas locked upon ~ the yer, ,ass;
cgmplimsrt OF al the rewards given by the sonAns
10 Great public benefactors the most valued and the
rnrrt bestowed was the crown Of Grass, give only
bv the acclaDaon Il the army foE the preserva on OF
the whole amy. by the faith Of cre man. Since the
State rests or the ts- of tn. ground who grows the
grass the crown should be mor righ'fuly awariedto
the farmer. Let then look tt the condition OF the
farmer or the man with the hoe, ut iSs strength oud
xeakre- al his aids and servants, at his grester and
l.sser means and biz share In thu grest future which
opeu- before the people of this country.
The gt,1y Of the farmer IL that IS his to construct
ard 10 cres;e. lie, others borrow and initiate travel
aid exchange. and snake fortunes by speed and de1-
.4ri;y in selling something which they never made;
hu The whole rests ri last upon his primitive activity.
a. stands .lose To nature; obtains from the earth
bread the scd which vas not rs has caused 20 be- And
.Ais necessity and duty gives ths farm iis dgsay Az
men feel this 70 be their natural employment. The
frat farmer w,s the first man. and all nobility rests on
tbs possession snd os land. Men do not like hard
work very well; but every man has an exceptional
respect for tlage and feeling that this is the original
calicg Of his race that ne himself is only excused
from il BY some circumstances which may direct for
tis,e 10 other hands. Hhe had not SONS snsH skill
which recommend him to the farmer, some pro1uct
which the farmer vii give him corn for he must ham
self return to bis due place asaong the liant
ers Of corr. The profession has its e. ent
charm Of standng Close to God, He who
gives. Then think the piety, the tranquility, the
e d the s - h tSe c. ss% Of
beast otpeutry Of sheep, Of fruits, 81 Trees ana US
reaction on the workman, in giving him sirens tn ana
plain dignity like the face and msnnersof nasure, ap
men are sensible of. Ali Of u keep the farm N n.
serve as su asylum where to hide theC poverty ana
their Solitude if they 1o not succeed in society. VINO
knows how many remerseful glances are turned thus
away from the comPetfsiOns o the shGp ana cuSaung
room from the mortifrHg cunning Of the Courts and
the Senates After ths man he's been degraded 50
that he has longer the vgor to attemps active labor
on the SOIL yet when he has bsen poisoned bf town
life and drugged by cooks, and every meal 10 force
pump to EXHAUST BY stimulus the poor remainder OF
bis Strength, be resolves: "Wen, my children, whom
have injured, shall GO back to the land to be re-
eruited and cured by that which should have been
my nursery and shall now be the'T hospital -
The farmer 10 q person. Of rensrkAbs eonditons.
His office precise and important and Is OF no se
to try to paint him in color. You must take h'n
Just AZ he stands. Nothing is arbitrary or sentimental
m his condition. and therefore respects rather the
elements Of bis Office than himself. He bends to the
erer of the sessons and the weather and the s as
bs sails of the ship bend TO the wind He MAKES his
gains little by little, and by bard labor lie is SLOW
person being regulated by time and nature, and not
by city watches. lie takes the best OF the sea- )ns oi
the plants and Of chemistry Nature never h7rries,
and atom by atom, little by little accomplshes her
work. The lesson one learns in hshing' yachting,
hunting or in planting. is the knowledge OF nature
patience with the delays of wind and sun, Asys OF
The seasons exc- of water and drouth, patence with
the snwness Of feet and with the ttleness OF our
II e l.~1 Tha
farmer, or the man with the hoe, times himself TO
ture and scQuirrs that immense patience which be-
longs to her. Slow, narrow Iaan-he has to wait for
his food to grow His rule " that the earth shaa iced
him and find him. and in each he must be q graceful
splelder His spending must be farmers spending
and not o merchant o.
But though farmer may be plnched on one side 'e
has Advantages on the other. He is permanent; ne
clipgs to his land as the rocks do Here in this town
farms remain in the same families now for seven or
eight generations and the settlers Of l6 have their
names still in town and the same general fact holds
good in all the surrounding towns in the county. This
hard work will always be done by one kind Of men, not
by sehemiDg spectators, not by professors, nor by
readers of Tennyson, but BY men of strength aud en-
durance.
The farmer has great life, and great appetite
and health. and means for his end. He has broad
land in which to place his home. He has wood to
buru great fires. He has plenty Ut plain food. HIS
milk at least is watered. He has sleep, better and
more of i, than men in cities. But the fa. 'el has
grand trusts con6ded to him in the great us'hod
9f ua.urr. The farmer stands at the door v"ry
family and weighs to each their life. 1t is fo to
say whether shall marry o NOT: Ear, r
riages and the number OF births are indlsso al
nested with abundance, or as Burke sa
breeds at the mouth" The farmer is the 'a-d Of
C.,.~an.;,a r. has not only the life but Z sth
oi others i'll his Keeping He IS the caprai WIN
as bis farm 10 the capital Of wealth. And L Ia 'h
hrn and his influences that the worth an '"er,
nor, and intellectual, Of the etis. comes: mes a'y
is always recruited from the country. Inc u'
tho .x,tar nj
wheels In -Sde or Politics. or arts OF lette
vnnlen Of beauty and genius, are the children
children of farmers aud spending the yie
xhich their hard, silent life accumulated IN + tor
row. in poverty, in darkness, asd in necessi =
Summer X heat and Winters cold. Then he - III
yersal fac srY. He who digs and buildsa well@ -
q stone fonntain, he who plants grove VI tre TIE
roadside. Who plants an orchard and builds uTaoe
house or even pats q stone seat by the way side,
axes ts hand lovely and desirable and makes for
tune whish he ceAnot carry with hum, Du wmch Is
useful to his country and mankind long afterwari.
The mes tina, works at home moves society through
ont the world u be tre that not by the nat OF po-
tcsl parties, but upon external laws OF political eco-
nomy slaves are driven ont Of Missouri, ont o lexas,
out of the Middle States out OF Kentucky ihen iie
true Aboltionst the farmer of Massachusetts, who,
heedisss Of laws and Constitutions, stand. Gil day N
the 6sd investing his labor in tbs land and making
prod act with which forced labor can IL the iohg
run contend. Tie rich man. say, can speak tne
truth. 1t i, the boast that was eve, claiIned tor
wealth. tha. il could speak the truth, could arord
honesty, could afford independence Of opinion I'D ac-
ton and taat is the theory of nobility. bf nnder-
stand ths: 1t is only the rieh man in the true 'nse
sho do this-the man who keeps his outgo " Mn
his income.
The bays who xatch the spindles in the English fac
tories to see ths. No thread breaks gets entanged
called "mi ,ders And in this great factory OF
Copernic Globe shifting its slides OF eonsteiia
toDs, tides and times. bringing now the ds! m P'al
ing Lew the day of watering the day Of reaPng,
now the day Of curing and storing, the farmer Is the
minder." His machine is of colossal proport'ons'
the diameter of the water wheel the arms of the ie'si