Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1873-10-17

al results of our State thought as dis-
proving the picture, l reply first that
here are grouped the achievements not
of the old but the new order of agricul-
ture, which has won recognition and
support, not by the help of the assist
auce but in spite of the opposition of the
average farmer as he existed twenty
years ago; and secondly, should look
beyond these grounds TO the country it
self-not at the farmers that are here,
but at the farmers who are not here
and see if my words a,e not true. This
is a Vermont Fair, but Vermont is not
here. She is represented here to-day by
the few not by the many; by intelligent
and prosperous and enterprsing, not by
the average farmer. Here and there
one has come, but on either eide and all
around him scores have not come. He
will be benefited, but these will get no
impulse, no knowledge, no ambition from
this days gathering. They have neither
contributed to nor will they be benefited
by this entertainment. Proceed further
and ask why are they not hereY The
answer is this, lack of desire, the result
of ignorance, has held some; poverty,
having for its parent the same cause,
Others; the absence of anything worthy
of exhibition, far more. Looking at
these grounds to-day one might think
that New England is full of progressive
agriculturists, and her acres but SO many
gardens but if you look over the heads
of this audience and beyond these
grounds, where the mass of the people
actually live, you will see that ignorance
and poverty, and lack of ambition are
embodied ON all sides. In houses un-
painted and gardens grown to weeds !;
in fences neglected and orchards unre-
newed in stunted stock and impover-
ished acres /; in unditched meadows and
ungathered harvest; in all these signs
you will behold proof that the knowl-
edge of New England agriculture is but
superficial, which prompts me to say that
the average farmer has been, and is to-
day, stupidity slow to act in those direc-
tions in which action means success.
For one, then, / do not blame the
young men of New England because
they have left the farms. They deserted
agriculture only because agriculture
could furnish them with no worthy OBJ
jeet or ambition or effort. In the place
of reasonable amount of wealth as a
reward of application, it could hold
forth only bare livelihood, and as to
honor or culture it promised nothing at
all. Such being the condition of things
the young men had right to leave the
farms. They had no right to remain on
them, even as one has no right to remain
ignorant when he can become learned,
or poor if by honest effort he can become
rich.
The true way to prevent this desertion
of so essential and noble pursuit on the
part of our young men is not found in
exhorting them to beware of cities and
wealth, but by providing some way by
which wealth and culture shall come to
them while engaged in agricultural pur-
suits. When our young men shall see
that in arborculture, Horticulture, horti-
culture, stock raising and other refined
and educative branches of husbandry
they can earn one, two, three and five
and ten thousand dollars per year, who
supposes that the cry will longer be heard
in the land that "our young men are
deserting agriculture" In material.
istic age like this you must put material
istic influence upon men and hold ma
terialistic rewards before them in order
to keep the just equilibrium between the
several industries, and the only way to
make our young men choose farming as
their profession is to make farming pay.
But allow me at this point, lest some
misapprehend me, 10 declare to those
young men near my own age, and in
deed before you all, that l am not be
lever in the maxim that money gauges
mans success in life." Riches as q
means of bene6cence to ones self and
others are to be desired, but as the OBJ
ject of life are TO be despised. Riches
may come, but they do not express the
object of individual or governmental ex
iste nee. Our fathers did not fight thai
we children might be rich, but that we
might be free. If the republic stands
for anything it stands for laws wisely
framed and impartially administered
for economy in administering the govern
ment aud honesty in collecting the taxes
for virtue protected and intelligence
spread abroad amid the people; and il
the personal rectitude of those who ar,
elected to honor. No one so lily repre-
sents the republican idea as the mar
who gains and uses wealth only for sci
fish ends; who having been elected by