The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-03-17
Meeting of the Vermont state Board of
Agriculture nj Bristol, Thursday and
Friday, March q md o. 1871.

| r.. y.
seltinc was chosen 10 preside. Rev. MIR.
Small, by invitation of the chairman.
opened The meeting with prayer. After
which MIR. llassclIinc made an opening
address rs follows:
awe hail this rs an suspicious dav.
Not because we have so lately extricai-
cd ourselves from II serious, vet dis
graceful presidential middle. and sue
ccedcd. rs we trust. in placing the right
man in the right place. Not because
spring is so near ut hand with IFS cxcit-
ing cares, its stimulating ambition of
seed-time, but because we have gather
cd to-day, as we believe, an assembly of
toiling yet intelligent men, TO consider
and talk in an intelligent way upon in
tercsting and Ineligible subjects. We
greet this day, for il furnishes additional
proof that the farmer of yesterday is not
the farmer of to-day; that advance
mcnt has become his watchword; that
progress is inscribed in his cscutchcon.
and that brain, thought and mind arc
becoming indispensable conditions of
prosperous and successful farming. The
maxim of "most muscle, most farmer"
is gainsaid by the events of TODAY. The
notion that he who has brain and COM
mon sense can only find his legitimate
sphere of action in the counting-room,
pulpit, or at the bar. is to-day branded
as an ideal relic of bygonc ignorance.
| Muscle has its worth like beef or pork
its value is marked bv Intelligence.
Sermons are valued not for their words
but for their thoughts. The LAWYER is
sought not because he can talk long and
accomplish little, but because of his in
tcllectual sagacity and well-balanced
| judgment. Butter is valuable not be-
cause il is n nccessar, result of me han
ical operations. but by the skill shown
| in lis texture, color. flavor. The laborer
is valued not by his avor,lupois but bv
what he does. We are gathered to-day,
members of this agricultural board
| friends and neighbors, to cheer and en-
! courage each other in this great struggle
| for success; to increase our faith in
| that grand ultimate truth, that human
| thought and energy are the necessary
| and indispensable concOmtants of q
| successful agriculture: that with them
nature becomes our assistant and helper,
not an arbitrary ruler. 1t is the problem
| presented TO every farmer of to-day. to
make use of natural agencies by his
| powers of Intelligence. thus changing
what would be useless and lost into
means of prosperity and happiness.
There are respects in which natural
laws are beyond the reach of human in
reference and control: .nch are the
great laws which bind together the uni
verse. But it is iusl Is sure there are
| also laws in Gods system of nature
which come close 20 Us. whose Office il
seems TO be to minister TO human life.
He has made them of such character
that the human mind is necessary to the
! development and greatest furtherancc
Unnatural laws. 1t is said by some, that
anatural law is perfect in itself, whereas
| il is perfected in many instances only
when pcrmcaied by human voliiion.
! Electricity.ior instance PLAYS a round of
| lis own. 1t has its own pastures. and
its own great running grounds; il per-
forms large function unknown. beyond
our reach, and without our knowledge.
| But so far rs ordinary purposes of civil
lied life are concerned. electricity does
nothing until we have taught II to serve
us. When mind takes hold Of IL, cleo
tricity becomes patient drudge. so that
we now work by lightning. which would
never have been done had il not been
harncssed by the human mind. Light
performs great amount of work,
whether we are sleeping or waking. in
its vast journey through the universe.
Mans mind scizcs this law and does
what Phnton could not, d,.ires II. we
have it at work in our dwelling: we
| give ii the power of a living pencil. and
make il draw rs an artist, And vet we
are i'll the midst of caIping philosopher,
who say that we can obey natural laws.
h"t cann4f cnnirnl thcm DOL. ., "o
lures fruits; there is but beginning in
natural fruits. and they never. when
left TO nature alone, reach beyond that
point. When man finds crab-apple
in its natural slate. he would not Will
lingly find il more than once: vet
brought to his own orchard il becomes
fine fruit. But did nature make
the pippins? Nature had boon irving
her hand for wears, and had never been
able to get beyond tho crab-apple. Man
| says TO her, you are bungling alb
prentice; will make You journey
man. Nature can make iron. bui she
never made a iacknilc, nothing but cold
dead iron. Nature can make potato
balls. but she couldn't make the Early
Rose. Nature can grow wool, but not
the soft silk-likr mcrino. Nature can
falien veal, hni she cannot do il on
skinned milk, Now is this course of
metaphysical reasoning? Is not this
truth reasonable? Are not the few facts
alleged conclusive? If they be true,
what is the result! Ills that nature has
certain crude general function, which
natural laws perform of themselves
without any regard to men: but these
laws are made 10 be vitalizcd and di-
rccted to higher development by the
control of the human mind and will.
Nature needs man 10 keep her at work.
Away with the philosophy that says,
imam is only TO obey God has moi
put us before nature To make us only its
pupils, but also lis master. We are not
only 10 obey, hut also TO rule. The
whole talk about the absolute and in
flexible government of natural laws is
groundless. Nature l. a divided empire,
and mans part is more than natures.
Gentlemen, we are here to-day rs men,
bers of that class whose chosen avoca-
ton calls them constantly to notice the
III TIL istnIdinons WAYS in which nature pro-
duces her various results, and he is the
most thorough farmer, who nGtiGes most
accurately discriminates clearly, re-
members distinctly, and uses properly
these means, which are placed within
his reach for the Improvement of him
self and the world around him. Have
we not good cause TO he proud of to-day,
since we have good reason 10 believe
that agriculture ia fast gaining ground
and is taking prominent and honora-
bic position among the noblcst pursuits
of men? 1t may be yet in its infancy;
and il is believed that IRE of tlis nine
teenth century although much ahead of
former times, are yet in our q. b, of n
complete and perfected agriculture.
Great wheels move slow. II is diff
cult matter to rise above preconccived
notions, to dig ont prejudices root and
branch, and with these the farmer is be-
set on every hand. The popular idea.
although fast changing, of the farmers