The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1864-10-28
ADDRESS OF MIR. l.. s. ABBOTT

Dir. President, Officers and Members O,
The Gedaga County Free Agricultural SO
diefy Your occupation is the most an.
cienI OF recorded Time. 1t had its iucipi.
ency at the beginning OF Time, when, in
the creation OF universe vast beyond the
conception or comprehension OF finite
man, the "morn'ng stars sang Together,
and the sons OF God shouted for iov."
This statement is obviously sell. evident,
since we must eat TO live or to labor. And
hence, il can be INDUCED in sorl of
rational allegory, looking back wards hro'
the long vista Of centuries, 10 ina gina
ton, shall fud old father Adam, as por.
trayed 10 us by thu, Book Of books, sin.
gle, distinct, rational, 'entlent, and, OF all
the creation, the only erect being, fresh
from the hand OF his Maker, the crown.
ing act OF creation, walking forth on this
morning Of Time, viewing, with ra2tures
untold, the plains, the bills and the val.
leys, the limpid springs, salien, ,ills and
sounding waterfalls Of the earth, and
where, over all
"Full many flower is born to blush unseen, ~
| IN search Of, not the morning pa.
/ per, the report OF the stock board, u
new garment, tin pan, or The barber
shop, but for something for the morn.
ing meal, from the harvest of Him who
had grown the frs; cereals, fruits, flow.
ers, and prepared the food for him. OF the
vast, new and perfect work about him -
Adam must first eat, on the rosy morn
ing OF Time, Of the products of The great
Husbandman, Creator and God. Thus,
gentlemen, we may take pride from the
authorship and the antiquity OF our occu-
patton.
The pristine origin OF our occupation,
ms compared with all others, establishes
this fact, that il is first in usefulness and
importance. II was the first necessity Of
our race. l have said we must eat to
live; and not until we have vigorous lie
can we have the phenomena OF lite trans.
actions, rs we See them in the various oc.
cupa'ions OF the world. Hence, ali the
occupations Of life depend upon The prior
existence OF agricultural! operations
Hence our occupation, having the great.
est antiquity, because Of its greatest use.
iulness, should be the most honorable in
the eyes Of the world Is il so? ....
This theme OF agricultural lie is com. i.
mon. or a hackneytd, and yet it it is an
inexhausted, one. |; is one that most all
men know something about, and vet the
wlsest of its devotees have large and NUN.
berless lessons to learn. They are bat just
entering upon the verge OF its world Of
truths yet. uustudied and unre ecognized.
Thus, gentlemen, you must bear me wit,
ness that pass not beyond the realm Of
truth when ! say. that. with all the ex-
periences OF the past, with those of the
present, and with those OF the ages that
ale 20 come, cumula;ed before the agri
cultural dcvolec, there will be something
yet unIearned by him, when the angel,
standing with one foo, on the land ,aud one
on the sea, procaims that the last cycle Of
Time is ended. a... .....
How osten,aiious and low insignificant
does that man appear, then, who even n
this age OF Information and experience,
sets himself up as The ne. plus ultra OF agri-
| cultural knowledge /; as one who does not
need the aid Of books and agricultural pa
pers, wherein is comprised within reada.
BILE limits, especially in the papers, the ex.
perience of numerous correspondents,
who are practical agricullursts--nor the
suggestions ol his neig need
TO avail himself OF the experience OF any
one, save that OF himself. Self.sufficient
man :... t.r.r.s. ....
Why,the simplest of agricultural oper.
ations are really simple indeed and yet
these are instructive 10 the truly wise ag-
riculturist. These operations Nature car
ries on unaided. even by the bumblest
creature of the world--reproducng eve.
ry thing in the vegetable kingdom--not
In as great profuson or perfection, tits
true, yet she does it. In our improved
operations. however, we take manr valu.
able hints from her. But we move slow.
ly IN our advancement. Let me illustrate
this statement.
In our religious notions, we undertake
to give definite time to the worlds age,
10 pronounce the period of its existence in
positive terms, and declare that il is near-
ly 5000 years old; very great period of
time, il is true. But, unguestionably,
ideas are by far too limited, and our esli-
mate wide OF the mark. The great En-
glish geologist, Sir Charles Lyell, finds
in the Earth's structure indubitable evil
dence that its age is made up OF indefinite
periods Of time, and that man has existed
even uncounted ages. During this meal.
culable period o time, he has been learn
ing all the while. Then, has his progress
not been very slow? Wesbow by our Fairs
that he is still advancing-and,b by ana!o-
gy and reason, that he must continue SO
ad infnitum. When our sufficient lar
mer. OF whom | have just been speaking,
comes TO consider truly these facts, if he
ever does, he will probably know consid-
erably less, ,confessedly. then, than now.
We are, as yet, not even Neophy ytes in
agricultural knowledge, tyros or novili-
ates--not wise enough 10 know that we