The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-09-19
SPEECH AT FAIR
AdoIph O. Eberhart Delivers
a Fine Address.
Discusses the Possibilities of the Man
With the Hoe.---The
Big Shows.
[spEo,Ar. TO THE FREE Press.

ESPECIAL TO THE FREE PREss.l
Garden City, Sept. Is. This was a
big day at the Blue Earth county fair
and the hundreds of visitors are we'll
pleased with the displays and various
entertainments.
Yesterday the,Valley band of Garden
City. consisting of fifteen members
discoursed music Today the Lake
Crystal band held the boards and to-
morrow-Amboy day-the Amboy band
is leader of the Garden City band and
he and his members were the recipi-
ents of many compliments for their
excellent music yesterday.
A ball game between Vernon Center
and the Garden City base ball teams
was one of the attractions yesterday
Another ball game was pulled off to-
day.
This afternoon Attorney A. o. Eber-
hart of Mankato gave an address, and
was followed by Attorney G. N. An
drews of this city and by W. s. Ham
mond of Madelia.
Mr.. Eberhart spoke in part as fol-
lows on "The Possibilities of the Man
With the Hoe
The speaker began by saying that
the county fair has been an annual
occurrence ever since it was inaugur-
ated by the children of Israel in the
Holy Land. Besides the usual number
of exhibits, the program generally in
cludes a little of what the poet calls
"Speech- making, foot racing. leap
frog and games He divided his sub
iect into three parts-industrial in
tellectual and social possibilities. In
taking up the industrial possibilities,
Mr. Eberhart said that the history of
the man with the hoe was as old as
the human race. The industrial pos
sibilities of the farmer are almost
imitless, because he rules the indus
trial world. He occupies position of
great Importance because agriculture
is the sustaining force of human life,
and our state is naturally adapted to
the development of this great indus
try. If the farmer lays down his hoe,
not branch of any industry can sur
vive.
It may be that the farmers life is
one of constant toll and hard strug-
gle, but where is the profession that
does not require earnest and persistent
effort2 If there were none, it would
not be worth having. The industrial
progress has been rapid in the past,
and if this exhibition may be taken as
an indicator, we have good reason to
expect still gceater developments in
the future. As to intellectual posi-
bilities, the farmer himsef claims
that the drudgery of the farm renders
him unfit for mental training, but this
theory is disproved by the rapid intel
lectual development of the rural popu
lation. From early childhood, the man
with the hoe Is taught to rely upon
the strength of his own arm to earn a
sufficient livelihood. This naturally
fosters independents of thought, Jude
pendence of will, and independence of
action, the three great essentials of
all true progress. True education
does not merely consist of a certain
amount of high school or college train
ing, but in the proportionate devel
opment of all the powers of man.
Washington and Lincoln possessed but
a limited education, yet the secret of
their success was not the possession
of knowledge, but in controlling what
they did possess, not in making use of
opportunities offered but in bringing
about the opportunities themselves.
The farmer boy is strong COMPETE
tor in every field of knowledge and in
dustry, because he has strong will
pow er to Withstand the attacks of bad
habits and Indifference I am con-
WINGED that a strong will power is
| the greatest essential of success. Edu-
Gated boys and girls of today often
| fail, not because they lack necessary
knowledge, but because they have not
sufficient will power or force of charac-
| ter to put their knowledge into prac-
tical use.
Socially, the man with the hoe is
not demanding his true rights. His
| fixed idea of a trainers inferior call
| ing seems to deter him from social in
tercourse with persons outside his own
immediate circle Of industrial associ-
ates. When true social qualifications,
such as character, good habits and
behavior are considered, the farmer is
not distinguished from the city resi-
dent except by the latter's desire for
holding Office. Perhaps the greatest
obstacle which confronts the man
with the hoe in the way of social
preferment is poverty. Although per-
feet quality may be divine reality
or an angelic possibility, but a human
absurdity, no man is SO poor that he
| cannot be. social
| Mr.. Eberhart's remarks were lis
tended to with rapt attention and were
applauded frequently.
j. s. Parks of Pleasant Mound has
100 varieties of apples and six varie-
ties of plums on exhibition in floral
hall
Many familiar faces were seen on
| the grounds yesterday men and wo-
men who for many years past have
done much towards the success of the
| fair.
REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS.
| Warranty deeds filed