Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-09-10

} Chief Among other fine horses in this
class we noticed particularly c. F. Pred
mores Henry G Root''-a splendid an
, NAL, giving promise Of future distinction.
r lie was speeded around the track with the
. others, and attracted the admiration OF all
who saw him. A. L. Writers. OF Milton,
shows very promising chestnut fills, sired
by Claybrino.
. THE ANNUAL ADDRESS.
Ats o'clock p. m, the annual address
was delivered from carriage in front Of the
grand stand, to an immense audience. MIR.
d. C. Barber, President of the Society.
handsomely introduced the orator of the
day, the Hon. Walter c. Dunton, Of Rut-
land. who spoke as follows
JUDGE DUNToN's ADDRESS.
MR. President, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
Having abandoned the calling of my ancestors
and left the old paternal farm in my early man.
hood for other pursuits it would be arrogance in
me to attempt to teach practical agriculture TO
you, farmers OF Chittenden county, who have made
1t the study and work u your ripper years. and
among whom are the b 3 agricuturists in Yer
mont, and can truly ado "ithout ilattery, in New
England
4
res of my early life throng my mind; and am
carried back TO the time, when lived and WORKED
upon A farm. and, with scytne in hand used to
take my place with the mowers, in the large mea-
dow by the brook running through the old home
stead
Although those days to me were days OF toll they
free from anxiety and care; and now look back
upon them the pleasantest part of my life; and,
in common with many other men Of my profession,
] cherish the hope of some time returning to tie
farm there to indulge the taste for agriculture
quired in my YOUTH al also to spend the last
Gays Of busy life.
But enough OF persona. "reminiscences. My his
tory in this respect is but the repetition of the his
tory OF very many farmers sors, who leave the
iarm in early life Tor other pursuits which to them,
for the time being, are more attractive.
This is becoming serious matter in Vermont,
and, II continued, il will not be many generations
before our lands will be almost wholly owned and
titled by thrifty and industrious foreg ners.
Our young men are abandoning the farm and
focking TO the larger towns and cities, which in
creasing in population, while cur rural districts
| are diminishing it being the growth of the former
the larger towns, Burlington, Rutland st. Adams
and others that has kept the census OF Vermont Tor
the last two decades, just above the old standard
There hardly school district in the State outside
the villages that has not within its limits number
! Of old, vacant farm houses going TO decay, which,
nut j few years ago. were occupied by prosperous
farmers who owned and titled the lands surround ny
! them.
This same process is going on in all the older
States Of tie Union, though perhaps nowhere TO so
| great an extent as in New England.
In referring to this matter a thoughtful writer
soil does not alwals Indicate cessation of product
i've labor But it does SO in many cases The
| young man turns from the hard but Independent
toll OF the homestead, to cut calico IN dry gods
store, or TO exc cut a poor existence in a fourth
| rate law office. For labor, speculation is
substituted: for the modest style Of the hamlet
the snowy ccstiiness Of the pushing town. As
| rule. expenditure Increases as production
| diminishes. The country could endure some
| thing Of either misfortune. The rapid progress
| OF both has brought Us TO the pass in which
| we are to-day Allow me to ask, is not this the
| reason why so mapv farms in Vermont have
| large 'rtgages upon them, which being fore
closed, and cannot be sold as nigh they cou be
fore the war, the farms offered for sale beng nuner-
| Gus, but the buyers few
! How u remedy this evil-hOw to create in your
sons love and Just appreciation o: your calling.
and such as will keep them upon the farm is a
theme worthy Of your serious CONSIDERATION. and
upon which, propose TO sgest lew thoughtsd-r-
lng the short tins ain expected TO address you.
| while our best farmers spare no pains pense
to improve their horses cattle and sheep and build
Tor them the most expensive barns and sheds, many
OF them are apparently Indifferent to the educa-
ton Of their children nd the happiness and comfort
! Of their iauilies
Farmers homes above all others. should be made
comfortable, pleasant and attractive, not costly.
! snowy or travagant. This requires no great out
lay oimOney, AMI but little labor, with proper care
aud iOrethougbt. Instead Of being surrounded with
unsightly heaps Ofruhb sh, every house should
/ have pleasant lawn n iroEt Of il. dotted hsre
and there with shade trees and Is walls instead Of
being brown and dnsy should be kept well painted.
| which is also good economy. The rooms inside
| properly, but not eAtraNaSantly furnished. The
room most occupied, the common sitting ROOM should
be the peasantest room in the house, and furnished
10 contribute t. the and comfort OF It's &C.
cupants, with such pictures and works OF art upon
It's walls. as the owner afford, 70 add its at
Effectiveness, for here the children and the family
| spend their evenings and leisure hours. and the
Impressions the children Will have q their home
depend very much upon this room.
houses should be kept and furnished for use, not
show. remember the square room. as i was
called, in my iather'. old farm house, which
thrown open only % visitors particular occasions
but INTO which the children were seldom allowed 10
enter. This was the only pleasant well furnish
cd room in the house; and when visited my rea-
tons in town and was entertained at their pleasant
homes, l became dissatisfied with mine and hoped at
some time, TO be able 10 get clerkship in one OF
the village stores as to live in town myself. 1
at last got the cle-kship, while lad with salary
Of two dollars per month and board, and envled
my good fortune by all the oher boys IN the ne Oh
bUrhood.
Tne amount @. work required Of farmers wives g
another great source o. the dsconteum ant and uu-
happiness OF their families. | used 10 know farm
ers wives who in addition TO bringing up from SIX
TO ten children did all the cooking, washing and |
ironing, and made and nended all the clothes for
their families, with the needle there /
sewing machines then. These same women also 1
made all the butter and cheese from larse diaries
and assisted the " men folks they called.
in milking IL would take 4 regiment OF Bridsets
30 Go the same amount OF work done by Of these
poor women. Their husbands treated them more /
Ike slaves than wives. Il peTchance they ever /
asked for a dollar in money 70 buy some delcacy /
for the table. needed article cloth great
;uss was made, and il Was denied them They he |
came prematurely DID, iretiul and peev 81 and lost
the attractiveness OF their sex at q very early age
Il could not be expected that these women would /
make their homes pleasant and attractive II /
impossible but the fault was not theirs. Il was
their husbands, who had not the leas; appreciation
Of what ought to be expected OF a wife and mother.
But am pleased TO see a change FOR the better in
this respect. The sewing machine and cheese fac |
tory havedon very much TO shten the labor OF 4
farmers wives, as class, aIthou III there 5 Yet
chance FOR improvement.
Remember, my farmer friend, the vow made by |
YOU when you led your wife and the mother Of your
children 10 the altar. She was Young and beautiful
then; that she Is now prematurely old s your fault.
l. -Eten her burden II may be too late Tor her red
cheeks to return but perpaps it is not late for
her to make your home pleasant and attractive and
such will cause your children TO be Satisfied
main at home ana follow the calling Of their aiheT.
Every farmers house should also have with t,lt
easta small well Sc .ected library costing, perhaps,
hundred dollars or more, containing he best stan
dArd worss Of En- sh and American literature, and
the best works upon agriculture, horticulture, &c,
which directly interest the farmer; and the chill
dren should be encouraged To form early in lie the
habit Of reading useful books. and, while they |
should also be taught and required TO do the va
nous kinds Of manual labor necessary to be done
upon the farm I'd made 10 properly appreciate its
importance and 10 justly estimate and eSchew kid
giOved farming, they should also be taught and |
uace 10 believe that mental Gu ture IS also 10 them
OF equal Importance and tina; the one Is not !ncom
paribie with the other.
You may perhaps think differently, but kgow OF |
no class Of people 10 any business who have more |
leisure for study and mental culture than farmers.
if they only know how 10 husband and improve !
their time.
/ am aware. by experience. that after having !
toied all day in the open and coming into the
house at night fatigued and sleepy, one dsin,ln-
ed to read study, tut this disincllnatOn can he
overcome and, besides with the present improved
machinery and appliances for doing farm work. !
there is not row tue necessity FOR that incessant toll
and drudgery upon the part OF farmers that there
formerly was, and they now have much more time
:or readin. and study
Bright, active thoughtful boys will not be salts
fed to he simply farm laDorers-" hewers Of wood
and drawers Oiwater.' God has implanted in them
desire Tor something higher and nobler; and, If
the Of gratifying this desire is denied them
upon the farm they will leave it for other pursuits
which, they hope, will supply this want. 1t is this
lack OF books this lack OF the means OF mental cul
ture and graft ylng the highest aspirations OF their
nature, that causes many OF your boys TO become
fed with the farm and to leave it.
The education Of farmers children should be
thorough and adapted to their avocation. The
minister stuoies divinity, the do tor medicine the
lawyer law, and the engineer and skilled me-
ehanic eng ineering and mechanics; hs who
should attempt TO practice either profess without
this preDaraton o: stuGy, would justly he garded
and treated as pretender and charlatan. Why
should not the farmer study agriculture and its
kindred sciences as preparation for his lie work
1t may be answered, that farming be learned
by practice without study. This is true to limited
extent: but thorou IN knowledge ofagrculture and
It's kindred sciences TO practical farmer gives him
greatly the advantage over his unlearned Compel
tors.
Although much has already been done to Improve
agriculture, great improvements Yet remain to be
made, and il is to the well educated, scientific and
practical farmers that are 10 look for these
discoveries.
Edward Everett has well said although agr-
culture is clothed with an Importance which rests
upon the primitive constitution nature. il is
very far from being the simple concern we are apt
10 think II. On the contrary, there is no pursuit IN
life which not only admits but requires for its full
development, more OF the resources OF science and
art-nOne which would better repay the pains be-
slowed upon an appropriate education
Our own Senator MorTll must have taken the
view Of this subject and fully appreciated the
benefits OF appropriate education TO the farmer
else he would not have bestowed the time and
labor that he did, in forming aud maturing plans
for the endowment, by Congress, o. agricultural
colleges in all the States of the Union, am
it is claimed that in many OF the older States, this
fund is diverted from the purposes for which il
intended; but in some OF the new States OF the
West where a.ricuture is almost the sole business
OF the people, the act Of Congress Great NJ this
fund is strictly construed and literally and iaith-