Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1870-01-01

LADIES AND GESTLEnKs.-hay'
ING been requested BY the Directors
of the Agricultural aud Mechanical
Association OF Dallas County 10 de,
liver an address at its fourth annual
exhibition, appear before you al
his hour 10 comply, 30 Tar as my
very humble abilities wiii enable
me, with that request
Nv pOsitiOn before you Is, per-
hans, n peculiar one. In the outset
Twill frankly confess to you, not
withstanding such an admission
may not place mo in an envinole
nositlon as a citizen Of Dallas eouh.
~. that do not now remember Of
ever having heard an address deiir'
erod on n similar occasion, neither
do remember of ever having read
ono In my life. Such being tho
case, the course TO be adopted by
me, MS your orator on this occasion,
may differ materially from that
pursued by your orators heretofore,
and may, for that reason, detract
from tho interest That otherwise
yonld attend the remarks that
shall make ut present. Yet, Ladies
and Gentlemen, il ! can succeed IN
Interesting you even in a small de-
rree and shall thereby be the moans
of advancing tho interests OF inis
Association, and of furthering its
Grand and glorious objects, l shall
bo well satisfied,
/ am glad, notwithstanding tho
inclcmency of tho day, to sec SO
many happy faces present, not only
of citizens of our own, but OF our
sister counties. Your presence, my
fellow. citizens, indicates to me, that
Won feel an interest in the success
of this organization, d fact which,
in itself, ioreshadows its ultimate
triumph; for when the people, the
masses ofthc people, become interes-
ted in the success of any enterprise,
all that is necessary is ior ihose
who hold the helm TO manage tho
same with discretion and that sue
cess is certain. Permit me, ladies
and gentlemen, to hope that all
present may feel themselves well
naid at the conclusion of this annu-
nj Fair for any trouble and expenee
they may have incurred in being
thus present, and that this may be o
great Jubilee for the citizens Of fDai'
las county and those from sister
counties, who arc present with us.
[ remarked that this made the
Fourth Annual Exhibition Of this
Association, thus showing the Or
eanization to bo yet in its in
fancy. 1t is true, that about. ten
years have elapsed since its first
annual exhibition, but tho clrcum-
stances against which it has been
forced to contend, growing out, OF
the extraordinary condition OF the
country. have been Of such tre-
mcndous and overlhrowing charac-
fer. that the wonder is, that it sur
yived the shock at all, and especial
" that it retained so much vitality
as it is now exhibiting. sgC%
When the people met at the sec
ond exhibition of this Association
in the fall of 1860, the dark cloud
of civil war was booming up in
near prospect. All eyes were soon
turncd to its threatening aspect,
and during the dark and bloody pc
riod which succeeded, every enter
nrise in the whole South was stop-
ned with suddcnness and violence
which wrecked it in all its parts,
and in order to it's reconstruction,
after the expiration Of that period
more extraordinary exertions were
necessary than were at first requlr'
ed to cali it into being. Thus this
organization may truly be said to
date from the time of its rcstora
tion after the war, and this, should
be termed its second, instead Of its
fourth annual exhibition.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it will
perhaps, be expected Of me on tht
present occasion to advert briefly tt
some of the objects in view by As
sociations of this character, to some
of tho benefits resulting from the
same, to the classes of society or
which such must mainly rely fol
their growth, extension and fina
results, and lastly, to tsome OF tht
incentives which presentthemscive'
to us, rs q great people, to encour
age such organizations by adyoca
ting their claims and granting then
material aid for the purpose 0
building them up and spreading
theG influence.
One of the principal objects o
such Associations is thelimprove
ment of the country in an agricul
tural point of view. The study o
agriculture is not only a grand, bu
also a difficult study. Agriculture
as a science, may be justly ranke'
among the highest and most at
struse of all that the ability and az
- siduity of man has ever mastered
1t is, strictly speaking, that scienc
which teaches the tillage and man
agement Of land. 1t was studie
with the greatest interest anon
the ancients. Some Of the creates
and most powerful minds Of ant
ouity concentrated all their vast er
crgies, all the powers Of their IN
teiiect to master this grand scienc'
90 mysterious and yet 50 prolific
benefits 10 the world when properl
understood. The ObaldeaBs an
Ezyptians, SO celebrated for the
knowledge of geometry and astro'
omy. seem 10 have cultivated the
pleasing sciences in reference
success is agriculture; the return
the seasons and Just division
land being essential 70 every in