Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-10-21

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fwnished BY their masters humanity wit
wheelbsrows. iu order that they might a
longer carr such enormous loads on thei
heads. persisted in carrying their burdel
lin the good, old way. wheeibarrows and all
Hence was hardly surprised to end, q
the Council Board of the great World
4 Exhibition in London, atha, Mr. Phili
; puses. Who there represented British Agri
culture. and Who wss undoubtedly one o
the most enlightened and best tarmers il
the Kingdom had absolutely no conception
'fthAt there existed any knowledge, any pfac
tice. any Implement even. in the roun'
ssfid beside. by which British Aghcultur'
could be sdvanced or pro6ted. He evi
DENLY prssuned that 10 give prsmiuns fo'
iplows, for instance, with sole regard Il
Then sbsolufe merits, would. be 70 have
Ithose prenisms sll uonopoiised By British
linveutofs. aud manufacturers. 1t the risi
OF. offending and mortify ing those Of al
other countries; snd the triumph of an
American Reaper. which be was among
| the 6fst to acknowledge and to crown, was
TO him even more an astonishment than q
jgtatifcation. - - s-s.E less :
| Il instance this most intelligent, snccess-
fui,f eminent sgrieulturist. to indicate how
universal these prejudices are. While
searly every other vocatiou-is pursued un-
der circumstances which invite and facili-
tate-a constant comparison of processes,
progress, eficiencs, results, each farm is to
some extent insulated If not Isolated. and
its round Of lahoss is prosecuted without
much regard to what 10 doing On the next
farm, and much less ia the next township.
The unparalleled frequency Of migration,
and the consequent frequency of visits
from the new homes to the old heartts, AMI
reciprocslly, somewhat modify this inertia
among Us; the benignant influence Of our
Fairs, still more of our Agricultural Press,
battles IL with even greater efficiency; bu.
il nevertheless remains deplorably true
that improvements are diffused more slow
~ and adapted more reluctantly in Agri-
culture than in any other department of
Productive Industry. ll-s.as-.' -
Bot, without further preface, let me in
dicate. 10 the brief, suggestive form re-
quired By the occasion, what, il my judg
mcnt, are the principal needs of American
Agriculture. 20 D. s...i p. e-s -4-.s.a 4is s=1l
- t. place at the head of all, the need
Of an adequate eotception by farmers Of
the nature and worth Of their vocation. In
taking this position. put aside as imper-
tinent, or trivial. or chafy. all mere windy
tai of The dignity. honor and happiness OF
fhe farmers calling. When I hear any
one aiIaie in this vein, 1 want to look HIM
square iii the eye. and ask, "Sir, do you
know farmer who acts and lives as though
he believed one word of thisi Do you
know say one who chooses the -hrighfeaf.
abiest, best instructed, among his four or
five sons, and says to him, Let the rest do
as they piedse, | want you to succeed me
in HE old homestead. and be tie best far
mer in the counuyi" Do you know one who
really believes thu, his son, who is to be a
fsrmer,requires as liberal and as though an
education as his brothers, who are to be re.
spectiveiy lawyer, doctor and divine! Do
you know one who is to-day personally tilline
the soil, who, if he were enabled to choose
for his only and darling son Just what ca
reer he prefei red ABOVE all Others. asvould
make him farmer! If you do know such
a fsrmer-and confess do not-then !
cav yoB know one who will not be offend-
Ell at any thing ! shall say, implying that
"A griculture is not now tie liberal ard lib
erizing vocation 1t should and yet mist be.
Whenever the great mass Of our farmers
shall have come fully to realize that there
is scope and reward in their ownS pursuit
for all the ksowledge and all the wisdom
with which their sons can be imbued-rare
geniuses as we know many OF them are
then we'shall have achieved the 6rsts great
step towards making Agriculture that 6rst
of vocat:ons which it rigntfally should be.
But to-day, it is the current, though una
vowed belief of the majority-and of far
merseten mote than Of others-that any
education is good enough for husband
man, and that any blockhesd who knows
enough to come in when j: rains, is quail
| fed 10 manage farm.
ii. The need of Cur Agriculture next
In order Is a correction OF the common er-
ror that farming is an affair of muscle only;
and that the best farmer is he who delves
and grubs from daylight to dark and from
the FIRST of January to the last of Decem-
Der. You will not, am sure. interpret me
as underwriting industry, diligence, force:
| certainly, you will not believe me to COM
mend that style of farming which leaves
time for ioiiering away sunny hours in bar
rooms, and Tor attending every auction,
horse-rsce shnoting-match or monkey.
show that may infest tho township
know right well that he who would sue
coed in any pursuit must carefully husband
his time, making every hour count. What
II maintain is, that while every hour has its
i duties. they are not all muscular; and that
the fsrmer who would wisely and surely
thrive must have time for menta! improve.
,,..ent as we'll as for physical exertion.
know there pre- farmers who decline to
take regularly any newspapr7, even one de-
voted to Agriculture, because they say they
i can't afford it, or have no time to read it.
saw no farmer can afford 10 do without
one. To attempt it, is -blunder and ,
loss if he has children growing up arount
/ him, it is moreover a grieyous wrong.
d II every hard-working farmer, who says
, he cannot read in Summer, because it Is
d burrying season. were to set apsrt tw'
e hours Of each day for reading andrefectiou
J. he would not only be wiser and haPPie
8 | man thsn il he gave every hsrr to mer
e labor-he would live in greater com'or