The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1870-06-15
The Agricultural and 1mmi-
grafton Convention.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCI
ENTIFIC EDUCATION.

chief element Of national prosper
ity; food and raiment are essen
tiaI to human comfort, and, OF
course, the more directly and GER
tainly these are supplied, the
more room and the more encour-
agement for higher attainments.
AS general rule, men must be
placed above the pressure Of daily
need before they can have either
the leisure or the desire for men
tai cultivation.
We are not now to learn that
mind rules the world. The his
tory of this country until the late
revolution has left US no doubt as
to this position. 1t was to the
leisure for mental culture, which
the predominance Of agriculture
under peculiar circumstances af-
torded to her first men, that our
State owes her acknowlcd supre-
macy in the Federal councils. 1t
was the fertility Of her soil, COM
bined with permanence Of labor,
that enabled her to live and pros
per under a system Of partial and
oppressive legislation, to which
the world knows no parallel.
We have been bereft of our pc
culiar advantage, and arc now
thrown upon the resources which
we share in common with all man
kind. Nothing is left but our
soil, our climate and ourselves !;
but these are left, and they con-
stituto fund of material which
renders US fully competent to re-
gain our lost position, and COM
mand the attention and respect of
the world.
Indeed, we are not sure that, in
the long run, our misfortunes may
not prove an advantage to US ; for
while "cotton was king" and our
great staples were furnished to US
with a facility and certainty
which defed competition, there
may have been perhaps too little
Of mental effortin the departments
Of agriculture, and q sense of se-
curity which tended to foster our
natural Incidence, and the still
more natural pride Of our hearts.
We had inscsloly become boun de-
pendent and exclusive. This was
not a wholesome state Of things,
and the energies which are now
demanded, and the cooperation
and mutual consideration which
have become so absolutely neces.
sary to our success, may oventu-
ally place Us upon a frmer foun-
dation and elevate US to q higher
platform than we have yet en-
joyed.
While the returns Of our labors
have been so abundantsas to call
for little or no improvement in our
system of agriculture, the stimu-
lus Of necessity has driven others
to exertions, both Of mind and
body, which have reacted upon
themselves both in character and
fortune and it would be q matter
of surprise, and perhaps mortifi-
cntion, to some of US to find the
husbandmen of other lands sur
passing US, not only in physical
energy, but in scientific knowl-
edge and mental accomplish
ment. The farmers Of other re-
gions are practical chemists and
Intelligent naturalists, and they
have thus learned to wiring from
rocks and barren sands more abun-
dant results than can be obtained
from the negligent and superficial
cultivation Of more favored spots.
It is important that the stand
ard of agriculture should be ele-
waited among US, and that it should
be looked upon, not only as an
economical clement Of the COM
monwealth, but as an honorable
contributor to her dignity and
prosperity, so that athletic men
will not be compelled to occupy,
behind desks and counters, the
positions which legitimately be-
long to the gentler sex, but will
be able to meet the demands of
patriotism, as we'll as Of manhood,
by graphing with fortune in the
harder labors of field and forest.
We have lost our deferential
element, and now need a substi-
tute, and we doubt whether that
substitute can be found anywhere
else than in the application of
mind to the science Of agriculture,
availing ourselves Of the advanta-
ges furnished by chemistry and
natural philosophy in all its
branches, bringing to bear upon
our labors the mechanical ingenu-
ity which is SO rapidly furnishing
a substitute for manual operations
above all, engaging the interest
Of the operative BY according to
him the respect due to honest Ia
Dor and his legitimate share in
the proceeds Of his toll, and we
sec no reason why our State should
not resume her rank, and even
surpass her ancient renown.
It is not necessary to refer again
to our soil and climate there is
nothing in the world superior,