The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-09-16
Address

Address
At Garden City Fair. Thursday, Sept.
18th, 1891 by Prof. Edward
Soaring. of MankatO.
FELLOW CIrIzENs-Whcn I was honored
with the invitation to address you to-day !
accepted It not unwillingly, although for such
an address l could Ill afford the time at the
expense of more legitimate duties. l did 30
for two reasons: First, because I have always |
had "a hearty sympathy with country life and
work, and second, because l honestly thought |
] had something To say-something that might
not. perhaps, win applause In the hearing, but
that, carried home with you In memory and
contemplation, might prove to be good seed
sown In good ground. The son Of u farmer,
spending the first sixteen years Of my life on
a farm-the best Of all places for ~boys-hav-
Ing boon ever since a constant reader of agri-
cultural papers and books, and for the last
ten years., to some extent, u practical horti-
culturist, l claim u sort Of right "to speak In
meeting" among farmers-a right outside Of
that which your invitation gives. Let this be
my excuse also, U excuse be needed, for the
specific and practical character Of my re-
marks. Discussions Of this or that theory OF
finance, Of this or tina scheme Of transporta-
ton, or of tariff. and also all ''glittering gen.
eralities," I leave to those who arc better
politicians, and, perhaps, poorer agricultur-
lists than myself.
will admit that the question of transpOr-
tation, the currency question, etc. F., are Qucs-
lions that concern the farmer, M upon
which he should have opinions but they arc
| by no means matters Of chief concern to him.
He may be prosperous or otherwise, what
ever be the solution Of these questions. A
| farmers success depends much more upon
himself than upon the character Of a partic-
ular currency, or the enforcement Of a "Pot-
ter Law" The ideas which l wish to impress
to-day, may, perhaps, be grouped under the
general title
u TRUE I%NTnnREsr OF AGRICULTURE.
In respect IL agriculture, as q profession,
allow mo To express my belief that It Is nei-
Tier moro honorable nor less honorable than
any other useful business. A great deal Of
nonsense has been said and sung about tho
intrinsic nobility Of u farmers life. Ny OBJ
servation leads me to believe that with farm
ing, As with most other employments, the mo-
bility. II answhere, is in the man rather than
In the work. All useful employments are in
themselves alike honorable. There is no diff
ference here. But there 10 q vast difference
In men. An ignoble farmer degrades his pro-
fcssion as much rs an ignoble lawyer or
minister does his. On the other hand. a han
whatever 10 be.
Act well your part; there all the honor lies"
That IL the noblest profession, then, which
contains the greatest proportionate number
Of noble members. But, as the census of no
bility has not yet been taken, ] am unable to
say. whether agriculture, judged from this
standpoint, is or is not the noblest employ
ment.
COMPARATIVE USEFULNESS.
Again, agriculture Is no more useful than
some Other-than most other pursuits. The
great industries OF our present civilization
are mutually inter-dependent. The farmer
who grows wheat cannot be said to be q more
useful member of society than the miller
who grinds 1t, or the man who transports II Il
market. Why Is the man who holds the pillow
any more useful than tho man who makes
the pillow ? The blacksmith, shoemaker, mill
OF, lumberman, merchant, physician, teach
or, etc, are just as Indispensable to the
farmer as the farmer to them, unless 1t Il
proposed to tear down the whole fabric o.
our present complicated civilization and 10
turn to that primitive and simple condition
Of society In which the women grow and grint
the corn. and the men add the spOils of tn,
chase. Even II we return to this artlcss state
/. L A. A., -.Is gl a a ..lll ..... -
send the arrow or spear with greater fore,
aud precision than the former ''princel,
merchant and banker"
Il A LITTLE LESS NONSENSE.
Let not any one unduly magnify his call
ing. Let US not, as agriculturists, give en-
enlargement to the expression Of much NOR,
: nonsense like this which l oundr recently Fl
4, some paper. and which Is a fair specimen O
u good deal of unreason that now-a-days FIN,
\ u%ttcrance:
} Let the farmers Of the country suspen,
I operations for one year only, and the who'll
machinery of trade, from the princely mer
chant aud banker to the vender of ginger
! bread In the streets. would be more or les
Out Of Joint, while absolute failures would b'
, the general rule. Railroads would cease 4
!. bear their ponderOus trains of produce, an,
manufactures would be compelled to turn Of
, thoir laboring millions for lack of raw ma
, terial. The farmers are the great substra
tum upon which all other industries ar,
based, and they arc soon to become, too, tn,
d, great power of the land"
: What would DO the effect upon the farmer
themselves, Of this suspension Of operations
for one year 2" Would 1t be any less disas
, trous to them than to others 2 This idea OF
the greater innate usefulness or importanc,
Of one class of producers than another IL falst
and mischicvous. The assumed superiority
engenders selfish and unjust views and nc
tions. Ii tends to create an aristocracy, ant
We van no ari stOcracy here, whether OF
bloatcd bondholders Or Of 1.-THE great substra
tum." The assumes superiority is especially
dangerous when the class 1t fiatters Is so large
as to be. OF be likely to become. 'the great
power In the land"
Ispeak thus freely and boldly because l am
sure l speak to intelligent men. Too much
Of this tumid and vaporous talk-a specimen
of which l have quoted-has crept into the
literature Of this great Farmers Movement,
not, l suspect, to any great extent from
farmers themselves, who Of all men arc least
given to self-righteousness, but rather from
the s~ycophantic buzzards that ever follow In
the wake Of such a movement.
Agriculture, then, ! repeat, is neither more
honorable nor more important than various
other productive industries. In nobility
(Which comes from the workers, and not from
the work. and In usefulness 1t ranks with
them, but not above them, Notwithstanding
the oft repeated assertions of superiority,
supported even by the much quoted words Of
Washington.
II ATTRACTIONS OF COUNTRY LIFE.
Willing to allow 1t neither greater nobility
nor greater usefulness, I am, however, dis
posed to claim for 1t pre-eminencc in one re-
spect. 1t really cGers to the diligent and in
telligent seeker, greater attractions and delights
than almost any other employment. / say
this from tho ~profoundest conviction. II
Washington had said Agriculture is tho most
healteful, the most natural, and the most de-
lightful employment Of man" ! would believe
him.
Every man is born with more or less love of
Nature. The dullest appreciate to some ex-
tent, the contrasted and ever varying beau
ties OF the world upon which they gaze. The
finely organized, the intelligent, the cultured
find I'm external nature sources Of the ripest
and .purcst pleasure. or country life and
country scenes, poets have sum In all agos.
Tn dcnizens Of cities have always loved,
and sought as highly priced delights. the free
dom and purity and beauty Of the country.
The parks Of great citIes--those efforts To