The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-05-27
Hon. Ben Hill rs an Agriculturalist.

The Nashville Union and american, which
comedies to Hon. Ben Hill consummate ability
as an orator and a lawyer, has no faith in bis
agricultural knowledge and counsel. The
statement of Mr.. Hill particularly excepted to
is this: II tell you to-day, care not what
seasons may come, what large crops you may
raise, still under existing conditions, you will
ever grow poorer who produce cotton, and they
will ever grow richer who handle after it Is
produced. Under the present policy the next
generation of Southern people will become the
poorest, the most helpless and the most con-
temptible of earth's inhabitants; while under
wise policy the next generation of Southern
people may become the richest, the most pow
erful and the most respectable OF people,
Which destiny will we choose ?"
The Union and American takes issue with
MIR. Hills idea that we should make a support
on the farm, and have cotton clear money
crop as gain. Conceding that this, as gener-
al rule is sound, the editor proceeds to point
out Mr.. Hilrs mistake in these words: There
are many planters, particularly in the Atlantic
and Gulf States, who know so much more about
raising cotton than grains, or producing grass,
meat stock, wool or horses, that they cannot
shift their operations without great risk of loss
from ignorance and bad management There
are at least twenty different trades in the arts
of tllage and husbandry. Suppose planter
understands one or two of these we'll, and no
more. Should he abandon the trade he knows
to follow one which he has yet to learn? No
doubt the South would be greatly prompted by
diversified agricultural and manufacturing IN
dustry; and to attain this object the people
should sustain industrial schools, IN which the
most skilful labor, art and science may Do
blended. This would be true progress.
Chow will you have man or woman under
stand the business of making frst.class cheese
who never saw cheese dairy in their lives?
1t is easy to find fault and scold, when the SIM
pie truth is our people have no opportunities
to learn new pursuits in civilized aud highly
cultivated industry. They have no teachers OF
diversified agriculture; no examples to follow;
their education is still rudimentary and in the
embryo state. 1t is absurd to expect youth OF
either sex to learn any useful lesson which Is
neither taught nor seen, nor heard, nor felt IN
the community. Our mechanical and agrlcui-
tural schools are the merest myths.
"Mr Hill does not touch the great evil IN the
way of suggesting an available remedy. 1t
will hardly do to say, be ye wise IN all the pro-
ductive industries of the most advanced nations
of the GLOBE Of what possible value is such
advice? No human being is made wiser, tr
better off in his environment, or estate. This
language is high-soundlng and mystical, oue
like the philosophy of Plato Vor ct praterea
too often nowadays, for craftsmanship, and
vibration of air for sound agricultural knowl-
edge"
We think, for our own part, that the truth,
as usual, lies in the middle ground between the
Union and american writer and Mr. Hill.-
While it is not to be expected that Southern
planters shall all at once jump into the perfec-
ton of diversified industry, the fact remains
that they could do much more than they are
now doing to make themselves measurably self
sustaining.