The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-02-20

TO the abolition of that inads Qua e bureau at
Washington which pretends to foster the aR-
ricuitural resources OF the country by the gin
OF decayed and worthless seeds, and in its
place we shall have in the cabinet of the presf-
dent minister OF agriculture and commerce.
whose functions in the time 10 come will be
more important than the offices of the secre-
tary OF state OF minister of war, and who NAV
perhaps save as from the disaster Of a second
class man as secretary of the treasury, whose
duty W II be easy when the full harvest is
We yet as little children in this subject
OF agriculture, and / commend 10 you IN il
consideration the wisdom of Solomon. When
God said TO him, Ask what shall give thee"
ana solomon SAID, II AN hut a lite child,
know not how TO go out or to come in: give,
therefore, Thy servant an understanding heart
t%eem d ana BAD !has NAY dsesTn be
him: because thou hast asked this thing and
hast not ask d for thyse.f long life. neither
The life of thi~e enemies, but hast asked for
thySelf understanding to discern Judgment,
behold l have done according TO thy word.
Lo, have given thee a wise and an under
standing heart, so that there was none like
thee before thee: neither after thee shall any
arise ike unto thee. And | have a so given
thee that which thou hast not asked, both
riches and honor, so that there shall not be
any among The beings like unto thee all thy
days"
Either the conventions you are holding con-
Germ your mere mercenaTy int; est or they
Il
lhelr ultimate lnhuence. When argu- with
reference TO their Importance do Z OF think of
one man or of one Interest or of an ssocia-
ton ofsnen, or of the interest of a single COM
mum Y. Ny thought is OF The interests OF the
whole people; interests that YOU can not help
affec ing. if you would. through the infiuence
OF your Conventions. You NAV thToy aronnd
yourselves limitations that will make progress
SOW or by stepping TO the highest plane Of the
discover how - almost iimffi es YOU DH m aT
De IN the benedcence with which you
can bless mankind. make 30 trivial pl a.
90 not occupy the platform of the illetanti,
asking attention TO sound without sense, to
words without meaning; to rhetoric beautiful,
but useless, for know that the ignorauce
with reference to farming is a curse and
that intelligence is blessing. 1 know that
insanity is more fir quent in the farming COM
munlty than in any other. A few DAYS ago /
was at Elgin, Illinois, where well appointed
insane asylum arrested attention before its
school houses came into view, and Iknow that
mere the wives OF farm rs troubled deaf
heaven with their bootless cries." Houses are
desolate, for the mother has gone. They are
the victims OF drudgery and mOnotOny on the
farm. Every heart-rending shrek / heard
was protest against ignorance and an appeal
to God Almighty for intelligence. You here
are fathers and husbands, br, theirs and sons,
and my appeal for knowledge that should
gladden. the home and Ii hten its burdens will
but echo the voice in the patnos of the utmost
contralto of your wives and your daughters
OF the mothers - w and those who are to be
the mothers hereafter My plea is not for the
dead. but for the hving-for the sightseeing,
not the biind-for the sane, not the insane.
Neglect the duty that urge, and you Will be
as foolish as you lighted a candle for the
blind man and spoke for imbeciles and fools.
When reflect fully upon ell that concerns
you, and then let fancy play through all the
hopes have for You, think o nigh stormy
and dark, when sat by my window looking
out upon the play of the elements. saw the
vivid lightning split the mountain clouds; till
the blu5 heaven beyond them revealed.
One flash and The resounding thunder; then
another and another, until at last all the
clouds were burnt and the stars
came out and the moon, and ii was as il
there had been no storm. These clouds
think of as the density OF the ignorance you
are und Ttak ng to Hume, and the lightning
stands for the intelligence with which you
are lifting the darkness until the brightness of
wisdom almost heavenly shall break with
its million stars, and every star hope, over
every farmhouse in the land. L can almosb
see the fu,fllment of the promise which these
conventions OF men and women give of future
greatns IS and goodness. ! commend you, in
the patience of your industry and hopes to
forest You OF Will H3"r NOT Grenffd 1 Sp1 closer
ly look at them, find one respondent.
You will find the poorest twig even at the end
of every branch holding Itself Ike an up
turned palm OF a suppliaDt awaiting bounty.
How patiently they wait. aud how surely the
gift of spring comes. Rim does not drown,
nor ha destroy their hope, and the bud and
the blossom and the fruit appear in answer to
the whispered prayer which you may hear to-
day ifyou turn willing ear to the trees as they
sway 70 and fro with the breath of heaven.
Let us be patient too and hopeful
and trustful as the tree, 'nd soon the bud and
drop upon grateful world The, first bud of
ii will gladden. you as a new born babe =
mother. Its first blossom will be like the
promise of manhood and its fruit like the
fulment of life: and when you come to pass
away, as the leaves fall in autumn, with all Of
spring and summer in them. to warm
again the earth for next years
blessing all that you have lived ana
done will but renew and increase for the COM
ing with the glory of your beDedicfiOn.
have seen leaf fall and. though blown hither
and thither, find its place at last at the very
base of the tree and underneath the same
branches that bore ii, and it could not help
giving back It's beauty and its strength. re-
newing its life in the reproduction of a greater
strength and purer beauty, and so may IL be
with you, and So will il be. The roof tree that
covers you now will cover you then, and the
home you brighten will be relighted " 18th your
light multiplied through your children and
your chi oren's children.
On conclusion of the address Major Cor
don said that while it was impossible in any
lecture to concur with all that was said, yet
that much had been said with which all
could concur, and he therefore moved a vote
OF thanks. The vote of thanks was carried
with a rousing AYE"
DIR. Stevenson, the first president of the
state board of agriculture, was called on, but
excused himself and the meeting adjourned.