The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-10-12
ADDR ESS
HON. T.. O. HAMLIN.
Delivered Mt the First Annual Fair Of
the Stearns County Agricultural
and Mechanical Association,
OCTOBER, IA, 1871,

Cloud agricultural and MecAanica1 As.oci.
alton:
| 1t has been sixteen years sioce first
saw St. Cloud. To many, the most of
US pe,bap', they have been sixteen
years OF disappointment, of hope de-
'erred, o: trembling faith. OF the few
[ mel here then, only one, here and
there, remain to-day. Some have gone
10 other places of hope and labor; some
have gone 70 that other country where
years and time are swallowed up in
eternity. 1t is we'll for Us sometimes 20
contrast the past with the present.
The slow progress OF years is almost ig.
nored, in the restless Impotence with
which We await the ful6l|meot of our
hopes, AID We learn slowly and rcluc-
family the lesson that "little by little"
is after all the only general principle
upon which we can safely hope to form
a life or build up country or town
aud yet it is the teaching of the history
OF the world. It is truo there ara ex-
ceptious to all general rules. We
thought sixteen years ago that our
towo would be the exception aud We
all saw the shadows of our hopes upoa
the curtain of the future aand c,lled
them realities: and the contrasting of
our past with our present may teach US
patience while it encourages our hope.
Is years ago We had weekly mail !:
to-day we read at out dinner tables the
news Of yesterday from all the world.
16 years ago when the winter came and
the leo bound up the river,it was long
and weary ride of days and nights,
which the sickly aud the feeble could
scarce endure, to reach the railroad and
the telegraph and the loved ones at
the old home might die aud be buried
before We could know that they we're
gone. To-day the railroad whistle and
the click OF tbs telegraph are heard
alike in the winter and the summer
time, and We can stand in the streets
Of the City Of Now York, with less
fatigue and 10 less time than it took Us
then to reach Dubuque. Sixteen years
ago We sent to St. Anthony for our
physician, and had it not bee n for the
speaker and one or two other self.sacri-
ficing men, this whole section of coun-
try would have been without the bles.
sing Of lawyer! Sixteen years ago
We had no bridge across the MISSISSIPPI
pi river spent; the best part of two days
IN getting to St. Paul; ran our lumber
80 miles down the Mississippi river
from Little Falls; had no Mills, no
Court House, no Schools, no Churches,
il fact :sere about as near nothing as a
town could be which had paper plat
and name!
Prior to the fall of 1855, I doubt if
there were 100 people in this whole
country there were no roads except such
a. II sturc made, and no title t. an acre
Of land except i'll the United States.
Less tn "A Is years ago the farmers of
tois country had to import wheat for
scol, anl a state bordering upon starva-
ton commended Us to the sympathIes
Of tho charitable. Certainly there i,
room tor encouragement. We cross the
river in the nights as we'll as by day,
10 the fall and spring as we'll as ia the
summer time with no wear and tear of
Lungs shouting to reluctant ferryman,
and no dagger OF swan ping boat from
drive OF logs or floating ice. Our
anxiety is no longer how to get our
selves, but the railroad, across the river.
We manufacture our own lumber and
sell to others we have as good or bet
ter schools than can be found in any
town Of our size in the State; and We
have churches enough to teach all the
way to Heaven who desire to go there.
We have good roads, good titles to our
land, and raise and sell as good wheat as
is grown in the world. In fact We
have really only one Of the great wants
OF l6 years ago. Gradually the priva-
tons have yielded. to the years. We
have comfortable homes, good society.
The town fair library; the county
population of 18, 900, and all the acces.
series aud very many of the comfor ts
and luxuries Of life, but that one want
is here yet-the want Of money!
1t is range thing to me that DUR
lag all these Is years Stea,as Cou nty,
with its reputation Of being one of the
best Agricultural COUNTIES ia the State,
should have waited uatil to-day for its
Inaugural Address to "tho Stearos
County Agricultural aud Mechanical
Society" But tho organization of
this Society is happy Oman for the fu-
turo; not only because OF tho direct
ioauence which such a Society will
have for good but because of its evil
dence that Va are learning, at last, the
lesson Of little by little" to which I ad-
verted few moments ago !; We are
learning at last the truth embodied in
the heather fable-"that the gods
help those who help themselves"
The present is no time, in my iudg.
ment, for lengthy address ; and the
open air very poor place in which to
iudul &c in flowers Of rhetoric or at
tempted eloquence Of speech. But il
you will bear with me I will, instead,
tell you 10 the very brief period which
| have allowed myself for the purpose,
ANNA Main and homol0 frn<hs uh;oh