The Portland daily press., 1896-10-01
GLADSTONE TALKS ON BUTTER.
Pastoral Speech to His Agricultural Neigh
bors at Hawarden,
(From the London Standard. }

of the Hawarden and Buckley Horticul-
tural Society yesterday, and thousands
of visitors found theil way to Hawarden
Park. The exhibition was held in a
marquee erected In the park at the foot
OF the hill on which stands the old cas-
tie. In the afternoon there was the us
ual gathering in front of the castle ter
race to witness the distribution Of prizes
by Mrs Gladstone. After the cheering
had subsidized, Mr.. Gladstone, mounting
| the terrace wall, said:
'sNeighbors and Friends: My wife Is
greatly obliged to you for the thanks
that have been expressed and the cheers
you have given, and either Is, or ought
to be, still more obliged, because she has
done something to earn them, whereas
sorrowfully confess that I have done
nothing. (Mrs. Gladstone: "That Is
not so.') 1 retain all the good wishes
toward this institution which have al
ways felt and expressed, but I am sorry
to say my good wishes .are now rather
barren. In other years, perhaps, many OF
you or some Of you at least, may recol-
leot that used to be DESTROYS and glad
to inform myself as we'll as I could upon
the branches of exertion in which you
have been so prominent. / used to ike
to know what was going on and whas
had been done and what could be done
In the growth Of flowers, in the growth
OF fruits, and In the growth of vegeta-
blss and so forth; but am no longer in
bo ob1 10 lob b lad
with ns much facility as could have
done twenty Or thirty or forty years ago.
! II you could oontrive to take twenty or
thirty years, or even ten years off my
back, then would .endeavor to behave
to you az well as have done in former
years. At present have little to do
but congratulate you, but am able to
give you those congratulations not only
) with good will, but with confidence.
congratulate you on the numbers in
, which you are assem- bled, and we all re-
, joioe to know that from every sign,
!, both of the visitors and likewise Of the
exhibitors, it is quite plain that this
: excellent institution, which we call the
Hawarden Flower Show Though 1T in
q oludes many other things, am glad to
' say, along with fowers), has had a great
' hold on your good will and favorable
!. Judgment. Ever since it began this In
r stitution has not lost any of its titles to
8 your approval or any of your disposition
Il to acknowledge those titles. I am very
: glad to learn that in some respects you
n have gone ahead of other institutions oil
a the same kind; that Is to say, that you
d have included with credit and advantage
!, branches Of effort which in some of those
cases are unknown.
], "For example, I am told there Is the
J useful article Of butter. ! suppose WI
d are all mere or less familiar with thai
n article. ] believe we may hold up oul
heads in the face of our neigh bors il
d other places and contend that the butter
of Hawarden does credit to Hawarden
understand upon the highest authority
that 1t is very good 1t bears good nam,
IS and character as to its quality. ! an
not a judge in any sense of the word, ye
\ II am consumer. and the consumer hal
,r something to do with 1T; and having
been consumer, venture to take
. upon myself to say that We here in GU,
) i house, and no doubt lit Is the same il
y other houses, eat better butter q oW tina
we did in former years.
IT. sss'I understand that In all branches
a. speaking generally, although the grea
warmth aud dryness of the season ha
IN tried you hardly, particularly as to flow
y ers, yet understand that the num- Der O.
1s exhibits has been we'll sustained, ant
that their quality also is well kept up
70 only to support this institution, but t,
81 recommend the principle of it amonl
your friends elsewhere. 1t is gooC
u, Thing for US that such an Institution a
n this should exist. In the first place, /
as brings us all together upon a common
&c and friendly footing here. In the seoon
place, it is an encouragement to industr,
r and to "a description of ind ustry which l
OIL not burdensome, but attended with mucl
l. pleasure, interest, and satisfaction. II
the third place, you know that from
otl time to time we hear too truly that
ge while the population Of our towns in
Nv creases rapidly::with our general trade an
Al Industry, the population of the country
that is to say, of the rural districts
7 does not increase rapidly, and, In som
(; parts of the country, tends to diminish
~ Well, am greatly opposed to artificial
III Interference by law with the nature
course of thinga and believe it is
er good general rule to allow each perso
u to Judge for himself what his pursuit
es should be and whether he shall folio,
re them. But at the same time carnestl
desire the maintenance and increase {
r. the rural population Of this country, an
a. I rejoice in all pursuits thatEtend towar
OIL that increase. Evidently these pursuit
a. tend to maintain and inrcase the rura
in population of the country. have reat
| In the course of the last year, aver
IL interesting work showing how man
an things there are that can be advantage
nol ously done in the country. and I rejoi,
Il in the extensive discoveries of thu kint
al for after all while we are delighted I
ed think how many advantages the inhab
Id tants of towns enjoy now that they di
re- not enjoy in former times. through tt
"a action of railways and from other cause
sd yet it is blessed thing to live in tt
m eye of nature and in the clear light
RI day. I have been a townsman most
:" my life but am rural man-one of IL
country folk-now, and it Is great en-
ioyment to be free from the foul rive
and the masses of smoke and the darl
ness that overhangs many of our grel
n. Towns and to enjoy the scenery that
~ |around us-the light and the air &C
on has given us, just in the way He gay
IS them. 1t will be all the better for th
On loountry the more we can maintain al
b. Ia. .rao 90 tho rural nOnul ati0D NJ tho la