The Van Buren press., 1876-10-17

The display Of Stock and Farming
Utensils, &c, began at the Fair Grounds
on Thursday morning. Our worthy may
or, Capt. W. J. Alexander, delivered the
annual address, which we give in full be-
low.
The orator of the day was introduced
by DR.. l.. e. White, in short but ex.
ceedingly unique speech, and spoke as
follows:
LADIES AND GENTLEMeN OF THK MEcHANI-
CAD AND AGRICULTURAL Association: 1t
must be source vi great satisfaction to us
all that We have again met at our lair grounus
with prospects So promising OF iLS inture sur-
cess Mahy ot you. doubtless, have often la
mented that an object 80 lraught with gond to
our county. should have, seemingly, appea.
Ell SO dead. say. seemingly 50 dead, Iur, du-
| ring aH these doletus years, while your fair
grounds We're given 10 weeds. and brcanle
the haunt uf tile opossum and The coon. many
Farmers, in riuing by must nave ielL that sucti
IA condition oi such All enterprise. Was u re-
proach IT, our county, AMI can reauIiy ilh-
asine some OF them giving expression to
their illpent hopes, in hummiug their re-
train.
There's good time c ming, boys,
| Wait II little longer"
Why your manager> should have chosen me
MS II speaker. II is not Ia my province to de-
termiue, ut in Justice Lo my sell, | may be
ALLOW ed to eX PLAIN that. feeling keehly IN, ln
ability TO act We'll so prominent n part, /
plead earnestly To be excused; and the truth
to say lhar,l. know Yet why 1 am before
you. to. day. unless 1t be that ! would ieel
ASHAMED oi my sell moi to perform, AS be.l |
couI. the part ASST sned me. to help foster the
| 4ruwtii VI the most praisewurthy enterprise
| IN our county. But rs | cannot be eloquent
| | caD Mt least. be generous. and. inaslntich as
you have been turned over to my mercy.
without lault of yours, promise not To de-
| tain you more minutes than there are angers
on your hands. Nor shall be simple enough
to attempt to tell YOU, the owners of rs fine
titled farms as can be found In the west, how
to plough. to SOW. to reap. TO NOV. but shall
coniine myself to II few reasons why we
should have an annual county fair. tor | do
verify believe that to maintain an annual fair
ut which our products and our industries shall
be fairly and fully exhibited, will do more To
enlarge our prosperity and Increase our ma
| terial and social comforts than even the much
talked Of and long-hoped tor railroad.
Fairs date as lar back MS civilization itself
and. o-day. Ii you would find u people who
have them not. you must look among savage
|
nation which add nothing to its wealth.
All over our republic, fair grounds dot tile
| land until could we rise to height to take
them all In our view, they would appear more
numerous than stars in midnight sky Zach
Of them had its small beginning. hence we
should not be discouraged. Aud each. to- day.
| is an unerring exponent OF tie prosperity,
and more particularly. OF the character otits
surrounding population; hence we should be
up and doing. There ,an be no mistake about
| this tor. just so surely as the fairs | Cnen
nati, of st. Louis. Of Louisville and ofa tbou-
sand other localities reflect the prosperity,
| products, industries and enterprises OF their
people, just so surely does our fair. to-day,
show our status In these respects, and to what
exte our people are imDued wi Ii Il
| spirit for the public good. Aud whether the
| display be satisfactory or not. and there are
many cases. weil-knawn to us ALL why this
could scarcely be expected. we have reason to
rejoice that the utter failure OF latter years
are. to-day. buried out OF sight we trust, for
eve. Proceeding then to the reasons why We
should hold ta.r~, the first that | shall offer
| for your consideration. Is, that they present
an opportunity to all Tor learning facts ot Vi
| tai importanec which are not readil, learned
in an, other way. For instance. suup,se that
to-,ay there was d specimen of each variety
ot corn, ot wheat ut cotton, and tther prod
utts OF our county. exhibited here. with state
ments of amount raised to the acre, the mode
| of rntivaiion etc, would not each farmer
sci about obtaining the best variety? And
would he not, also. be led tn consider the diff
| ferpnt modes Of cultivation. with II view to
adopt that best suited to his locality? These
Investigations apply To all things else as well
and must and would result In individual and
consequently, general good The experiences
of men differ greatly and by intrrcomnuni
cation. here afforded. We appropriate the ex-
perienee of Others to our profit. without dam
ger OF loss to ourselves: and this experience
of his nri2hbor every man needs. for there
are probably few ii any new principles IN
farming. All that is now known. has nereto-
ore been known Ii is reasonable to sup.
/ pose that Adam solved the problem nf the
| plough soon after the fall. for We are told that
Cain was n tilcr Of the ground. Su,soilinY
is no n principle. though ] can reco'lrci
the dav when. IN Carolina. negro would be
thrashtd for ploughing t. o deep, that |. IL he
turned up the red clay. There have been far
mers in all ages. who understand the general
prime, pies of tillage of the soil and so to-
day. in our own and adjoining counties. are
men learned in fact. aud skilled in their APP
plicatiol to the cultivation of our various
crops to the selection and culture Of fruit
trees, t" the = ising OF improved breeds of
cattle and ~ l.er matters ut equal Importance
! And. as at cur iArs. there are those resent.
.,1p ana willing to instruct. Others equally
Milling to inQtlirr and to learn, some ready to
| buy and still others ready to sell. 1t seems
| clear that coming together here and bring
! inx with us samples of various theories re.
,ucrd to practice. presents scho for learn
ing facts of the utmost importance. In the
most pleasing way And AS knowledge Is
more precious than gold we are warranted
In saving that the hi .hest consideration for
holding our county fairs should be for the
dissemination of know ledge. IL this view is
correct no other reason need be assigned for
holding fairs But there are other reasons !;
and the next shall present for youi consid-
Grafton Is that the friendly rivalry between
competitors for prizes. stimulates them and
others to develop II higher degree Of excel
.nce in the things exhibited. The desire to
! be esteemed as good AS Others. to possess MS
much AS Others. aud. in no respect, to be out
done by any body; in other words. personal
ambition Is AS universal as human nature; II
l. necessary to the pcrpetuation of human
| life, and il tie foundation or source. aside
| from necessity. of all our worldly actions.
Each one desires AS good farm. TO say the
least of it. as hisneighbor; so far from this
being wrong. 1t l. Just the reverse all his
neyhbors live in log cabins. Smiths content
to live in n log-cabin. too; but let neigh
hor build a more pretentious house. AMI
Smith aud Smiths wife must build one. too !;
and they are right THIS desire to keep up
with your neighbor ii II encourages the van
itic, or extravagances of life to evil but inas-
much as only the prodncts and industries of
field and farm are displayed at our county
fairs and inasmuch as these are the very
things we should cherish and nurture 1t fol-
lows that nothing but good can result from
such rivalry. and the greater the rivalry, the