Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-03-14
For the VERMONT FARMER.
THE DIVINE ORIGIN OF
AGRICULTURE.

| was much pleased with the friendly crit.
icsm ofW II. w. in the FARMER of Feb
2lst, on my unpremeditated remarks at
meeting of the Passumpsic Farmers Club
| The writer takes issue with me on two points
First that God, when he created Adam,
placed him in the garden ito dress it and to
keep it." This W. II. w. candidy and tru.
ly admits. He admits also that agriculture
was the first occupation of man this then
must be Of divine origin. Now if he can show
that God instituted any other system Of labor
or occupation before the fall or transgressiou
then, | shall chcerfully concede the point and
admit the divinity of the other occupa-
tions or pursuits But, after the fall, men
began to seek out other omployments and
inventions; God as punishment for their
sins and transgressions permitted and sane
TONED other occupations and pursuits, such as
lawyers, judges and other professional men,
just as he permitted and sanctioned polyga.
my and the torturing poor old patient OBJ by
that other fellow" alluded to by my friend
W. All these evils were entaied upon the
human race in consequence of transgression.
The second point that men who engage
in other occupations are trying to evade
Gods laws by so doing, he thinks was slip
of the tongue which sober second thought
would rectify. was aiming to impress up
on farmers sons that labor on the farm or
garden should be made honorable Men who
are of necessity engaged in other pursuits
should when opportunity offers, go to the
field or the garden, ani, by earnest, faithful
labor in Gods sunshine, set an example to all
that they regard agriculture as the natural
occupation Of man, instead of employing, US
too many do, some ignorant foreigner to do
the work, while they stand, with gloved hands
not farmers, who view the matter in its true
light, avail themselves of every opportunity
to labor with their own hands upon the face
of old mother earth. 1t is related of the
Rev. Lyman Beecher that he kept large
pile of sand in his cellar which he shoveed
once every day and twice every Sunday to
get the necessary stimulus for successful
preaching. What claim is that agricul-
ture is the original, natural occupation of
man. Whatever tends to make it honored
and respected is of divine origin, while every
occupation or pursuit that tends to debase or
render it unpopular may be justly ascribed to
the author of sin, call it or him by what
name you will
While chattel slavery existed IN the coun-
try, manual labor was degraded aud looked
upon with contempt by many. The road to
honor aud fame was looked for in some other
occupation or employment. Hence the rush
into the more geateei professions until they
have become so crowded that many shrewd
iar-seeing professional men are leaving aud
turning their thoughts, their time, and their
capital into this original divine occupation
of man. Il mean nothing personal here, Mr..
Edtor.)
With the overthrow of slavery and its in
human results, labor has taken new lease
Of life, and is fast coming to the front This
fact has been foreseen by some, while it has
been ignored by others. Unfortunately the
farmers themselves seemed to have got the
idea that manual labor was not the proper
occupation Of professional men, especially
the clergy, A few years since neighbor of
mine offered to give the clergyman of
the place a years stock of wood, if he
would cut it down and work it up himself.
The offer was accepted After getting the
wood home, while out of town on visit, the
young men taking the advantage of moon
shiny evening worked up the wood, declar-
ing that it did not look we'll for a minister
to saw wood, or take any special interest in
temporal affairs.
How those young men would have been
shocked to have seen the Rev Mr.. Murray,
Of Boston, the eminent divine, the popular
lecturer, while in St. JOhnsbury a few days