The Portland daily press., 1875-10-14
The Farmer and the State.
Extract from the Address of Gov. Dingley
at the West Oxford Agricultural show
and Fair mt Fryeburg Oct. 13

| Rather than attempt to give an abstract of
| the whole of Gov. Dingley's address at Frye
burg. we print entire his remarks as to the
| causes which make agricultural life in Maine
| irkscme and have resulted in q movement of
population to the cities, manufacturing towns
and the West:
CAUSES OF DECAY--HAsTE TO GET RICH.
1. The growing intensity, reaching almost to
madness, which marks the pursuit of riches
and the prevalent belief that wealth can be
| secured much more rapidly and successfully in
| trade, commerce and manufactures-pursuit
| which necessarily concentrate population, even
| II not for convenience located originally in
l cities.
In new countries where nature is to be SUBJ
dued, and unSounded resources developed, the
| satural desire Of men for money and the OBJ
jects which it will secure is inevitably strength
| ened. There is something in the atmosphere
| of free institutions, where every man has equal
| opportunities to carve out fortune and name
| for himself which still further stimulates ac-
tivity. Instances of the rapid rise of real
estate and timber lands consequent on the un-
| exampled growth of new cities and develop
m ent OF business encouraged speculative busi-
ness habits, and fostered the desire of hasty
aceumulations. The opening of gold mines
| fed the fire, and young and old alike became
impatient with the old slow and sure methods
| of life.
Then came the war with its gigantic expend-
| itures and inflated and consequently depre-
ciated currency, to still further stimulate spec
| ulatiye habits, and create an increasing dis
taste for every occupation, and particularly
| agriculture, from which all opportunities for
| speculation were shut out. The healthy, old
fashioned method of acquiring property through
| slow accumulation is sneered at and the
| men who are talked about in every hamlet,
who become the ideals of the boys on the farm
| and who are too surely moulding the business
ideals of thousands, are the Jay Goulds, the
Daniel Drews, the Jim Fisks and the Ralstons,
| whose fortunes were made in short time by
those mysterious and questionable methods
known as Operations"
1t is not surprising that, growing up under
| such influences, the young men and young wo-
men in our rural communities should seize up
| on the first opportunity to make their home in
the commercial centres, where they imagine
everything will turn into gold under their
touch. If we would counteract these mischiev-
| Gus tendencies, we must strip off the gliding
from these youthful air-castles, and show our
| young men that they only hear of the few sue
cessful men who draw prizes in the great lot
terry of traffic; while few hear of the multitudes
who draw blanks and go down to poverty, and
| too often to disgrace. Take even the ranks of
| legitimate trade and commerce, and statistics
| show that only five merchants out of a hundred
| succeed, while ninety-fve fail. If this be true
| of the more healthy departments of trade, how
small must be. the proportion of speculators
/ who draw prize.
| 1t is capable of demonstration that a thous-
| and farmers in any district will accumulate as
| much property in a lifetime as thousand
merchants and manufacturers. on an equal
capital. But in the case of the merchants, the
fifty who will attract attention, have the larger
proportion of the wealth accumulated: while in
| the case of the farmers the accumulatons are
more equally divided. Few men who acquire
wealth rapidly, long retain riches secured in
defiance of natures great law Of equivalents
Those who have accumulated slowly have also
accumulated surely.
But back of all these corrective considera-
tions there must be steady and more persis-
tent incucation among all classes of the great
truth that the highest success in life Is b. no
means attained by the accumu ation of wealth.
but by the formation of noble and elevated
character, and Dy shedding abroad such an ex-
ample of intelligent industry, temperance puri-
make ones life an atmosphere of sunshine and
an influence for good in this world
soLrTARINEss OF FARM LIFE.
2. Another cause of this tendency to aban-
don the farm, especially in the case of our
young men and young women, arises from
craving for excitement-for society, recreation
and all other advantages which aggregated pop
ulaticn brings. To certain extent these ad-
vantages are real, and cannot be supplied in
rural com munities. And to a greater extent
than is usually fourd, they may be had. Re-
ligious privileges need not be withheld in any
rural community where there is proper recog-
milton of their importance. Educational ad-
vantages may be secured to rural towns in a
satisfactory measure. The rural and less pop
ulous portions of our towns should demand
schools of the same length and same character
as the village. With two ffths of the cost of
our pubic schools paid by the state, no town
can excuse itself for having poor schools. And
then there comes in the free high school sys-
tenn, adapted to the most sparsely settled rural
town, and supported in part by the state, to
meet the wants of our farming towns in the di-
recton of advanced instruction.
1t IS true that the necessarily solitary life of
the farmer deprives himself aud his family OF
some of the social advantages of village and
city. These, however, are overrated by those
to whom distance lends ench Antn.sos TO tho
view nj whatever there is substantial in
them may be in measure supplied ii farmers
will use the opportunities within their reach to
make the homestead attractive to the children.
So far as pictures, flowers, newspapers, books
and attractive surroundings can make home
pleasant, the farmer has everything at haud
that the denizen of the village has. The dis
trict school-house and his own parlor afford all
needed facilities for frequent gatherings for
recreation, social converse and culture. In
short, even rural communities afford innumer-
able opportunities for social enjoyment and
culture, if they are only sought out. The truth
is that the too prevalent solitariness and dearth
of advantages of country towns arise from neg
lect rather than from necessity.
THE DESIRE TO AVOID WORK.
8. Still another cause of the tendency to
abandon farm life, is the belief on the part Of
SO many that other pursuits are less laborious
The trnth is that man has never taken kindly
to the injunction, "In the sweat of thy brow
shalt thou eat bread" In short, the shrkers
outuumber the workers. In every sphere of
life we fud large minority. to put the best
face on the matter, struggling to get living by
shirkiug. Good, honest work was always at q
discount. and particularly go in these days of
shame, shoddy and mushroom aristocracy. The
class of men who are trying to live by their
wits, is increasing. 1t is curious TO note how
much ingenuity and effort are employed to get
at living in an illegitimate way, when it really
seems as if half the labor, honestly and square,
ly put forth, would yield Immensely better re.
turns.
1t is no wonder that farmers, devoted to a
calling in which the returns depend so largely
upon honest but intelligent work, should some-
mes be beguiled by the thought that after all
shirking pays as we'll as working and should
seek some other employment We take it,
however, that generally speaking, no one ever
legitmatey succeeded In any calling without
hard and constant work. 1t is the price of sue
cess in any profession or business. The stu
dent who imagiues that there is royal road to
learning, soon learns his error. The profession
al man re aches emnepce only by years of ex-
bausting labors. The merchant who succeeds
labors not simply from sun to sun, but on
through the hours of night The story goes of
young man, a few years since, who wrote to
an eminent divine to help him to an easy posi-
tion in New York. and received in reply the
information thae he knew of no easy position
this side of the grave. Whoever leaves the
farm with the idea that he will find place
where success can be obtained with less work,
is quite likely to be disappointed.
ADVANTAGES OF FARM LIFE.
The Governor proceeded to direct attention
to some of the advantages of rural life and 10
emphasize the important position which the
farmer holds in our system of self government.
1t is we'll known that agriculture is more fay
orable to physical development, health and Ion
gevity than any other employment. If it were
not for the recupeeative Influence of the coun-
try stock yearly supplied to the Cities it is more
than probable that the race would soon show
signs of physical deterioration. Health is the
create, earthly blessing conferred upon man.
Without it, one struggles at fearful dsadvan-
tage in the battle of life, finds hmself out
stripped by inferior intelects supported by
sound bodies, and finds nothing but discour-
agement and disappointment in life
Probably no calling in life secures so large a
measure of substantial, unalloyed happiness as
that of the farmer The large measure OF health
vouchsafed TO cultivators OF the soil is itself a
source of pleasure. The farmer has his trials
and dsappointments; but how few com pared
with most other men! On seed time and har-
vest he can rely; but who can rely ON the re-