New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-11-12
rrE MECHANICS AND AGRICULTURAL
FArR ASSOCIATION.

rairs have been frequently held and the adyan- to
aoes consequent on them have been SO pat n
nable that they have become recognized as n,
almost a necessary incident OF the INDUSTRY %
of the communities in which they are heiu,
For instance the great fair Of the Mechanlos
Institute, held annually in the city OF Ne" IL
York IS acknowledged to be one OF the lnosl
potent of all the agencies that have stlraua'e0 s
into activity the inventive genius when Is 30 =
characteristic Of that part OF the county
And the same may be said Of the other ota'e
fairs. and exhibitions which, before the WfsF
had become established methods of faolllta- 6
ting the interchange of ideas and OF pfoaue's'
III their beneficial effects on lhaus.lS'
these exhibitions far surpass any otiiei
system that could be adopted; and theS
contribute greatly to rescue enter
prise and energy from the aeaaellins
| atgaefs of that pernieious system OF 'protec-
+;o,,,, which the dominant party has fastened
upon US. !.
One Of the most important advantages re-
s,lfi,e, from fairs such as that to be held N
IEtbis eity. is the opportunity which it gives to
i,,yantors to place their discoveries before the
FpubIic. and the stimulus to inventive genius
Il which is afforded by an interchange OF ideas
ana i practical inspection Of models. we an |
ticipate that in this respect, besides many
Eotlaers. the fair Will be of inealculabIe benefit
to Is. Iabor-saving machines have for some
i wears played conspicuous part N the n
4 6lustry of the country but they have never
III had much influence in the South For
T0 enuQl6-
Z rate, our agricultural population relied e1elu-
!, siiyelv on the human muscles for the cult4Ya-
tion of their lands and the gathering OF
al their products and with the excep-
zion Of the cotton gin, which is now
half a century old, the cultivation Of cotton
, has been marked by very little mechanical
II Improvement The alteration in the relations
Il lof society caused by the events OF the wal
z bas worked .. manifest change in our views on
Il this subject. The deficiency Of labor which
3 has already been severely felt. has made us
conscious Of a great want, and has opened
ID large field for the exercise Of invention, IN
If order to supply that deficiency. For the III
Il Ana HE South must look to labor-saving ma.
III chimes for the adequate development of hel
/, AGRICULTURAL, as well as Of her manufacturing
II resources III this respect the fair will e1er
-Iv else d very benefeent influence BY stimulat1n!
n liz exertions Of inventors, and by bringln!
a their projects to the notice Of our people
Of course a very great effect is not to be anti
H. cipated 1T once, but if we establish the fa1
IL. as an annual institution, We shall not have 7
IN wait long for the fruits.
,ip lii the same way all other departments O
to trade and industry will be benefited and es
he peoially by the development ofnew ideas, AM
lie the exhibition Of the practical results OF ney
d experiments in agriculture and manufactures
n, according to that profound and accurat
ne thinker, Mr.. Herbert Spencer, progress ]
ID nothing more than the consequence Of tha
GREAT law Of seyolution" which governs al
Iey material. mental and social phenomena. Ant
ed steyolution'' is simply the gradual unfolding
81 IF canacities the introduction of variety il
III place of uniformity and the integration 0
Of these varieties into q eongruous whole-or, a
as he expresses il, the gradual advance from he
b. moeeneity to integrated heterogeneity Th
idea involved in this proposition may be to
ar abstract for general comprehension, wlthor
lot an Ineligible illustration, and, therefor
nd we may point to the South in the past as
lb snaeirnen of industrial and commercial hom
nd eeneity, and to the South in the future as
example Of integrated commercial and indu
ma trial heterogeneity- is to say when {
ore the energy and labor Of our people We're e
pended on a few Objects such, for instanc
on las the production Of one or two gre
of staples-th were in a backward conditio
ib- but when all their resources are deyelope
when their society has arrived at the hi
state Of organization which includes the gre
5iSo est variety Of industries consistent with t
Ili'ss laws of economy, they will have achie7
any their destined evolution" Now nothing
eS'l- more certain than that we have not yet ey
lees approximately developed the natural resourt
ll1L' !, with which our country is endowed, AS
aAel humble instance, we may take the case of pon
5ss9' culture.
'ola- 1t is well known that the Southwest p
afa, sesses extraordinary advantages as to fl
tlcle raising. The oranges of Louisiana are
care y surpassed in the world. The bananas
6llle equal to those of Cuba. Peaches surT
lh.is those OF New Jersey in size and flavor Pc
! ne nectarines, grapes and numerous other fir
ehe can be proftably raised. The experience
apoh Nh. Afieok and Mr. Lawrence, two OF
u . " eminent pomoculturists, demonstrates Il
h, facts beyond cayil, and yet we are conten
Wlli let hundreds Of thousands of splendid T
very land remain in state of nature, "
y y 9 we persist in the struggle for cotton, Il
alne' too, we hope for much from the inhuenc
the fair. People will see that the finest fl
on5S can be raised in our climate and they
eelYe convince themselves that the culture vii
name profitable The same may be said Of n
other industries. In short, there Is n
ghe class in the community that may not rea
ntloh ably anticipate some immediate or prospe'
my benefit from this exhibition
we are reioieed too, to see that as the
our for the opening Of the fair approaches,
rarys people begin to exhibit mostintense int
sugar ii its success. We are rejoieed to see thi
from cause it is an unrnistakable symptom Of
hun revival Of the industrial spirit, and Of
onifi- energy ana enterprise of our population
+ our has formed so conspicuous a feature o
n Y,rCOf that