The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-02-26
The Nobility of Labor,

Extract from an address delipered 1y W.
W. HOLDEN, before the Cumberland Ag-
riealtxral Society, at Fayetteville, Nocem-
Ter 8, 1859.
II have said, fellow citizens, that agricul-
ture is the chief pursuit of man; vet it is de-
pendent on. and indissolubly connected with,
the mechanic arts. They exist together,
they flourish together. or they languish and
decline together Slight, neglect. injure one,
and you injure the other If the farmer
feeds lis the mechanic clothes us. If the
farmer looks to the soil for support, and for
sustenance for Others he looks to it and ia
bors in it with the implements which the
mechanic has placed in his hands. Every
ship that sails; every fertilization that tow
ers along the deep; every improvement upon
our rivers, lakes, and seas; every town
and city that adorns the surface of the
world; every temple dedicated to law, art,
science. and religion; every telegraph wire,
annihilat,ng space; every steam-car, uni.
ting the interests and sympathies of distant
communities every telescope sweeping the
heavens and bringing other worlds largely
before our vision; every microscope reveal
ing the hidden wonders OF the world around
US; every printed book which informs, in
structs, delights, and clevates the mind; ev-
very fabric and contrivance which eontri
hutcs to our convenience and comfort, or
which protects us from the heat of summer
or the cold of winter. is the direct result of
mechanical ingenuity, industry, and skill
Let no man be ashamed of mechanical la
Dor. Some of the greatest and best men
that ever graced the earth with their pre-
aence, were mechanics The hard hand of
Doil is infinitely more honorable than the
seft hand of sloth and luxury Rather let
the mechanic be proud of his skill. of his in
tklstry, and of ms usefulness to society. Let
him honor his vocation, and his vocation
will honor him. The true test of merit is in
the performance of duty in whatsoever stu
alton we may be placed. Tried by this lest,
TIE mechanics and working men of North
Carolina are the equals of any and all Others.
lie true, gentlemen mechanics, to yourselves,
TIC your country, and to your God. Be loyal to
your country and its interests, as you always
isxve been, and as your brother mechanics
were before you. who followed WASHINGTON.
the farmer, and Greene, the blacksmith, and
Morgan, the wagner. and Sherman. the
shoemaker, and Franklin, the printer, in the
war of independence. Remember that YOU
are now a power in the State; and that
Common Schools and internal Improvements
sre constantly increasing your intelligence,
your influence and your power. Remember
tkat labor of all kinds, rightly appreciated
and justly protected and rewarded, is the
happiest temporal Inheritance of man. Its
fruits are seen every where, benefiting, glad
dening, and blessing the earth. Labor, of
whatever kind is the life of the State
When it prospers. all interest flourish; when
1t languishes all interests decline. Let US,
then, cherish. encourage and honor it; and
let the mechanics, whose interests and des-
TIMES are inseparably associated with those
OF the farmers, resolve to do their full part
in advancing the prosperity and augmenting
the glory of our good old State.
"Toil swings the axe and forests bow:
The seeds break out in radiant bloom,
Rich harvests smile behind the pillow,
And cities cluster round the loom:
Where tottering dones and tapering spires
Adorn the vale and crown the hill,
Stout Labor lights its beacon fires,
And pumes with smoke the forge and mill.
The monarch oak, the woodlands pride.
Whose trunk is scanned with lightning scars,
Toll launches on the restless tide,
And there unrOlls the flag of stars;
The engine with its lungs of flame,
And ribs of brass and joints of steel,
From Labor's plastic fingers came,
With sobbing valve and whirling Wheel
IT'S Labor works the magic press,
And turns the crank in hives of toll, .
And beck0ns angels down to bless
Industrious hands on sea and SOIL
Here sun-browned Toll, with shining spade.
Links lake to lake with silver ties,
Strung thick with palaces of trade.
And temples towering to the Skies"