The Portland daily press., 1869-09-24

CORTLAND :
Friday Morning, September "a, 1869
H.etter from a Practical Farmer.

iTofh u FrUclfcni Fufmef
The Hon. Geo. b. Lorng did us good ser
vice by his address before the New England
Agricultural Society. Organized free trade
societies make great efforts to propagate the
opinion that there is an antagonism between
the manufacturing interests and the interests
OF other classes, particularly that OF farmers
But the men who do most 20 advance these
views are interested in British manufacturing
Ut are paid for doing so directly or indirectly
ny men who are. The truth is our interests
''re harmonious and all require that our
"orhshops be at home and not abroad, near
ana not lar off-that The great American fam
lily do their own work rather than hire it
done three thousand miles away. because
some poor fellows over in ENGLAND are oblic-
ed to work cheap, and some rich fullows there
want our gold. New England farmers must
have a market near, or give up their business.
was pleasant to notice that the late Fair
was a success and that nearly all its features
it was commendable and will show good re-
suits hereafter. But the humbug is omni-
present. and the counterpart is never Tar be-
bind the advent OF the genuine. In some or
the pureblooded and graded stock there is
great value beyond doubt, and it is apparent
that York and Cumberland counties are a
little behind some others in the breed of their
stock. But when we are told of the fabulous
sums of modey there are hidden away in a
rawny boned COW of the Jersey or Aver
shire" persuasion, the practical farmer may
not quite 'see it, but there is this that he
does see-that the vender, il farmer, has
got demoralized and belongs to the class we
call spectators. After the fools have all
died, this respectable class of our fellow citi-
zens will make less money and do more work.
OF late it has become the fashion to have
horseracing in connection with agricultural
fairs. 1t attracts the crowd and brings in
money, and managers 60 in for financial sue
cess-which racing secures. But it has no
connection with the farmers calling, and he
should set his face against any disgraceful
alliance with his profession. If gamblers and
greenhorns will take to horse racing, let them
do it in their own name, not in that of agri-
culture. We protest against it. What farm
ers need is to add dignity and attraction to
this vocation. Horse racing will degrade us
and ought to. 1 must talk plainly or not at
all. We have the best business ON earth.
am more proud to be farmer than 1 would
be to practice at the bar after the present
fashion of that practice, or to peddle pills, or
sermons unless could excel the mediocrity
in those professions. Yet farmers sons leave
their fathers farms to sell gew-gaws in some
Vanity Fair, thinking they are rising in the
world by getting into a store. They never
made greater mistake. But boys will take
this false view so long as the father with
holds from the son who is to be a farmer, the
education he gives his brother who is to be
something else. Here is just where the fanlt
begins
The proper remedy applied now will make
the next generation vastly more intelligent,
which, while it will give to the farmer self-res-
pect, will give to his children contentment.
Intelligence and integrity are getting to be,
and ought to be the measure of mans respec-
liability, and farmer should have as good an
education as any other man. The boy who
| is to till the farm should have as good an ed
| ucation as he who is to be the lawyer He
| as good. He need not study Latin, nor
Greek nor Algebra. But he wants an educa-
ton suited to his business. Philosophy, AS
tronomy, Natural History, Geology, Chemis-
try and such branches are just as useful in
| agriculture as in law, and perhaps 1 should
| say little more so. But we must not let
the teachers fool us by putting our children
into the comparatively useless studies have
named. The Humbug has got into the
schools lately, and it takes little mother wit
and good supply of common sense to shun
him. Most of all it takes intelligence. An
ignorant man can never get through this
world without being more or less imposd up
on, and herein is a good argument, II argu-
ment is needed, tor education. We farmers
being generally honest and often ignorant II
am sorry to say) the sharpers aim for us, and
we must make our children ready Tor them.
To this end We must make our education
practical Get practical religion, and be-
come practical farmers.