The Van Buren press., 1873-05-20
The Source of Wealth

Commerce and manufactures, railroads and
;rlegraphs are SO prominently brought to
our view. that we are apt to think them the
moving springs of the world. A leok at o
watch shows us its handsome face and deli
cate hands that mark the passing hours
minutes and seconds with wonderful secura-
cy and regularity, but to find the motive
pswer. we must look beneath the surface,
and there we find the strong. tough and
homely ma.n-spring that gives and keeps IN
motion the entire machine, that without IT.
would become useless toy. so commerce.
manufactures and transportation the me arts
and literature, without the main-spring OF
strong. tough and homely agriculture, would
even siekcn and die. Agriculture Is the cor
per. stone that supports the entire fabric of
society. Let the crops fail for but one season
and distress porvades every interest OF the
community. 1t Is to facilitate the operations
of the farmer. that most OF these Interests eN-
;,t The manufacturer Of agricultural impie-
msnts can make them better and cheaper thah
the farmer and the merchant brings them 10
his door, so to speak. 80 that no hindranees
this. that although the farmer is the fonnds-
zion upon which wealth is fouLded' sun "'th-
ont the merchant and manufactures, ms ope-
rations would be so eircumscrioed that 10
raise enough for his own subsistence Wouio
be all that he could do lfhe was compeiiea
to haul his surplus produce TO distant points
and exchange with other producers Tor sUcn
things as he does not produce himself II
would involve so great an outlay OF time ana
money. that all exchange except between
near neighbors and in comparatively very
small quantities. would be almost impossible
We find, therefore, that the railroad ana
steamboat, are as necessary to move the sur
plus of corn. cotton. sugar tobacco ana rice
from the place of production to that OF CON
sumption at cheap rate, as the farmer Is TO
raise II. lit could not be taken to the con
sumer, 1t would rot on the producers hands
and his labor and money would be lost. All
the interests of society are dependent one
upon the other. The farmer is rs much ue-
pendent upon other interests for his comforts
and facilities. as other interests are upon him
for pecessares. The necessares OF life, are
things of intrnsic value, for life cannot exist
without them, and the more abundant they
are In any community, the more intrinsic
wealth Il possesses. and has a necessity to eX-
change for a comfort or luxury, and can sur
round itself with all that is desirable in life
With these facts before rs, SO plain that he
who runs may read" it seems wonderful
that so few young men engage In agricultural
pursuits. and those trained to it, to great cx-
tent, seem anxious to escape from it. Farm
crs seem anxious to sec their boys in steFes
and positions of supposed gentility, when the
highway to nobler manhood, than ever
clerkship afforded. lies invitingly before them
Many Of tho greatest statesmen and lawyers,
were also farmers, which shows there is noth-
ing in the occu patton inconsistent with the
highest mental culture. In fact an lntelli-
gent farmer is cultivated gentleman, having
knowledge of chemistry and botany, arlth-
metic and book keeping, pomolgy, hortcnl-
ture and enough OF mechanism to know When
his implements are well made and repair
them when simple repairs are needed. Let
farmers remember that In this our country,
where breadstuffs grow in abundance, 1t will
not pay TO import them, and the road to inde-
pondence and wealth Is to raise an abundance
OF the accessories of life, and avoid incurring
debts for other crops