Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-01-12
The Tri-County
Farmers Institute
TIE AMERICAN FARMER ASA CITIZEN
ADDRESS BY
Hon. j. T. Updegraff,
Before the Farmers Institute, at st
Cia;rsyiile, December 29, 1881.

This special topic was not of my owl
choosing. 1t was assigned me by tn,
officers of this Institute. This l mentiur
not in objection to the theme, but rathe
to say in all the range of tOpics-bOtl
practical and interesting-connecteC
with the much-embraeing subject OF ag
ricslture, there is no one to which
would rather, fora few minutes, invite
your attention. 1t is = theme full ol
import and rich in suggestive interest
These learned men who have address
ed, and will address you, treat practical
questions connected with agriculture
and by awakening interest in this great
subject, and so largely assisting in its
advancement, and therefore necessarily
aiding in the development of wealth, and
better still in the formation of a healthy
appreciation of the Importance, the dig
nifty, and the just claims of agriculture
both as an industry and as "a science,
are doing work as grand in scope and
as far-reaching in results as any achieve
ment If scholar. statesman, or soldier.
Two thousand years ago, the wisest man
of that age declared that he who caused
two blades of grass to grow where one
grew before, was benefactor of his
country. Agricultural science and ag-
ricultural progress have million fold
multiplied and enlarged just such beRe-
factions. They have not only made ten
blades of grass and ten bushels of wheat
and ten bushels of corn and ten bushels
of apples grow where only one, or none,
grew before, but they have given beau
ty for barrenness, fertile fields for
swamps and naked plains, and wealth
and culture and content for poverty, ig-
norancer and crime. In all ages, and in
all countries, the work of the cultivatOrs
of the soil and the producers of food
the first necessity of life-has ranked as
an honest, useful, Indispensable occupa-
tion. In the primitive forms of society,
before civilization multiplies mans
wants, almost the only symbols of wealth
are lands and fiocks and herds. But
vastly dissimilar in different ages, and
countries, have been the rank, the con-
dition and the influence of that large
class whose occupation was agriculture.
In countries with aristocratic forms of
government, all labor is supposed to be
degrading Intelligence Is the symbol
of rank. Rank is the synonym of pow
er. Wealth is the standard of which
honor is the shadow, and incidence and
tyranny the inevitable substance. For
tunately for us, both the institutions of
our country and the spirit of the age,
make these conditions impossible in
America. Probably never in the history
of our race have SO favorable eircum-
stances surrounded any class of men, as
have fortunately conspired to make
American farmers what they are. Our
ancestors were brave, hardy, resolute
people, sifted from the nations of the
old world, by causes which brought to
our shores the very choicest spirits from
every land beneath the sun. The men
who loved adventure came. The men
who hated oppression and sought free
dom, came The independent souls who
were CALLED by the hollow mockeries
and degrading conditions of arIstoeratic
governments came. The men came whose
deep religious natures could not be
moulded by state formulas of imperial
orthodoxy, and who chose the wilder
ness with free conscience, rather than
ease and luxury and power, under the
poisoning shadow of a State Church.
These were our fathers. The sturdy
and heroic qualities which brought them
here were developed and intensified by
the discipline Of hardship, self-reliance
and labor, which pioneer life enforced.
In all the early years of our national
life, farming in some form, was almost
the only industry. Those primitive days
were fall of heroic activities. Those
primitive homes were full of hospitali-
ty, quiet happiness, development. They
I. Nj hnaf
wheels. They had little of fashion, but
much of pure grand manhood. They
lacked many of the sO-called luxuries,
but there was no lack of true heroic
manliness. One great key to their pro-
gress, as well as to the elevation of the
whole people, was the ownership of the
soil by tLose who cultivated it. They
had seen in the old world the degrade
tion of the farming class, and the stag
nation of activities by the monstrous
system of primogeniture, entailed es-
tates, and an aristocricy of idleness
They seemed to realize that patriotism,
as well as progress are growths of free
homes on the basis of equal manhood.
They established wise system of title
deeds to the land unknown in other coun-
tries, but which has become, and
now stands, the model for all the gov
ernments of the world. The relation
thus founded between the farmer and
the ground he tills, by the undisputed
and absolute ownership of the land, de-
veloped and educated devotion to the
homestead, already dear by the tradi-
tions of freedom, which became not on
ly an element but mighty motive pow
er in intelligent patriotism. Only three
or four generations grew up under these
influences until the Independent spirit
of our people had outgrown the narrow
traditions and stagnant life of English
power. The war Of the revolution came.
1t is no fgment of fancy, but the cold
truth of history, where one Of our great
poets says Of the first fight at Concord
bridge:
ssThe embattled farmers stood
And fred the shot heard round the world"
Since that conflict was closed, the cho-
sen career of the American people has
been career of peaceful industry, and
their achievements have been the admi-
ration of the world. Our civilization,
which is advancing with such rapid
strides from sea to sea, is progressive
civilization of thrift, intelligence and
freedom. Its basis is honorsd industry,
free labor, free schools, free homes, re-
ligious liberty, and independent man
hood. These are the bed-rocks of na-
tion's growth and power. Healthy pro-
gress is possible only by that popular
intelligence which grows out of these,
and which make free citizenship the
safety of our system.
ssOhl freedom! open thou space,
Where every king, where every slave,
Shall cast in crown and chain,
And only man remain"
/ have thus endeavored to trace hasty
and most imperfect outline of some OF
the causes, which for centuries, have