The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1878-12-11

creature, his fancy painted her when
first her smile was Bliss; and to hel
he is the same gallant manly being
who won her from herparental home
and thus they cheeifplly journey to
gether down life's descending plane
and over the dark river, to the sweet
Elysian fields Of immortal yerdure
and blossoms beyond The primal
object Of our order is 10 unite those o.
our own pursuit in common effort
to raise our people as a class higher
in the intillectual, social, and materi
al relations, they may sustain among
mankind. AS agriculture was the
oldest, it was also the most honored
occupation;
''In ancient times, the sacred .plow EN-
plowed,
The kings, and awful fathers of mankind;
And some with whom compare your insect
tribes,
Are but the beings Of summers day,
Have held the scales offnipires, ruled the
storm u.s.
OF mighty war, then withunwearied hand
Disdaining little delicacies, seized
The plow, and greatly independent lived"
The riches Of the early Jews con-
sisted chiefly Of cattle and fruits; and
we read Of harvest field and hanging
gardens in the yalliess Of the Eu-
pirates and Tigris. Egypt, from the
first dawn Of history, was called the
land Of corn. Greece Is said to have
invented the art Of dfhining, and the
use Of composts and manures. But
among the ancientsS fhe early Ro-
mans attained to theigfeatest perfec-
tion in agriculture. 8 tract Of land
was allotted by the State TO each cit
izen, who was restricted by law to
his own land, which lie cultivated by
his own labor. 1t was regarded as Il
point ofhusbandry, nbt TO have too
much land in ono arn; for they
found more profit came from holding
little, and tilling II we'll. "The
farmers may praise large estate but
let him cultivate a small one;" said
Virgil. No greater pfaise could be
bestowed on an ancient Roman, than
TO call him good hushandmen; from
The farm came up to Rome the rulers
ofthe state. Cincinnatus went forth
from the plow to fight the battles Of
his country; and Cato distinguished
as an orator, a statesman, and a Gen
eral, was chiefly commanded for hav.
ing written n book on farming.% But
personal industry aup frngality at
home, and conquest and plumber
abroad, brought weal,h with its at
tendent luxuries and vices; slaves
were introduced to tilltheilahds, and
the personal attention the farmer
grown rich was withdt tlwnsfrom his
fields; and then anarch hy, bloodshed,
and decay:
~ HAS, for Earth, iar, new ,illWesecs
Tile brightness in her oye, She bore when
Rome was free"
Our own country is yet new; its
lands are generally divided fairly
amongst our people; for we have u
larger number of landed proprietors
in proportion to our population than
any other large country in ancient
or modern times. We have every ell
ement and condition to make ours
the first power on earth, and the far
mers and laborers of the land can if
they will, control its destinies. But
what we want first, is the capacity
to manage our individual affairs. a
man who fails to attend to his own
business comes but poorly recommen.
ded to Offices of public trust. By
personal application and training
each one acquires the art of securing
his own prosperity; and strengthen
ed with this training he may with
propriety approach the consideration
Of public affairs, having that kind of
practical training that fits him to
act with good judgment. Our order,
like all other good institutions, has
met with opposition, and that too
from those whom we least expected
to oppose us. We have avoided par
ty politics and have taken no part
in party strife, yet when it suits
them, we are indirectly opposed by
all party appliances. read the
other day in an Iowa paper, where
the Republicans have large major
ity, an article exulting that that
party had overthrown the "Demo-
Gratis, the Grangers and the Green
backers," and in a paper published
in this State it was said that the
Democratic party had overthrown
the "Know-Nothings, the Radicals
and the Grangersl" Now, if party
machinery is to be used against us
as an organization, may we not de-
feud ourselves and our order? For
one, believe the time has come
when we should speak out and make
ourselves heard. Hitherto we have
been treated as though we had moth
ing to do in public affairs but to vote
and pay taxes as directed by our
party leaders. Demagognes and pol
iticians plunged our nation into an
unnecessary civil war, that war was
prolonged in the interest of ambi-
tious aspirants and speculatorS mil