The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1908-12-05
II PASTOR
ON FARMING

on this occasion was so bright and in
teresting that we take pleasure in re-
producing it for our readers.-Ed.l
Fellow members of the Cecil Farm
crs' Club: give you a cordial well
come to West Nottingham Manse. 1t
was with some hesitancy and trepida-
ton that | accepted membership in
your body. to- which | had previously
been elected, because ] felt ! was not
able to return To you value for value
received
As | had gone from home to home
partakng OF your buuntiiul and gra-
eious hospitality. viewing your mag
niilcent equipment, and listening to
your valued comments on farming
enrichment and preparation OF soils,
the cultivation of crops and care of
cattlc-glcancd not from books but
from the more thorough school OF cx-
pericnce, the thought came To- me:
What have |. who know nothing about
farming. tu give these men whose en-
tire lives have been lived among these
things But Is ! associated with YOU
| found you were not merely farmers
but men. whose interests were not
bounded hy your own fences. but ex-
tended into the great world oi men be
yond For the farmer 10 day is a many
sided man, with wide outlook. and
awakancd sympathcs
As ! have been listening To- Your dis
cnSSionS have noticed they have tax
en- wide range They have no, been
confined to the merely practical side Of
farm life, but have dealt with the
broader themes. touching the better
mcnt oi mankind Sometimes they
have been political, formulating a pro.
test against IN unequal and unfair SyS.
TEN oi taxation; sometimes social and
economic
Past conditions on the farm and of
farm life have been cuntraStcd with
the present conditions. very much to
the advantage OF the present. For
whatever was FORMERLY true OF the far
mcr, To day he is no pcsSimst. Our
attention has been repeatedly called 10
the improved conditions OF lwnp-thc
modern c"nycnicnccs once unknown
~ the farm huusc-thc telephone. the
rural deliver. the daily paper brought,
to the door
Sometimes the discussions have tax
en- semi religious Uhu' wholly de-
v"uil turn "nr the farmer, SO con
Stantly in touch with nature instinct
lvcly acknowledges natures God. upon
whose hcnchrcnt providence he is so
dependent t"r the growth oi his crops.
not forgetting that whoever may plant
or who may water II is To God he must
look Tor his increase II was in this
attitude one oi our papers lately dis
cnSScd most beautifully and rcvercntlv
the Bible quotation. We know in
part with II, practical application to
agricultural problems
he farmer Is No longer the man
with the hoe A. depicted bv Edwin
Markham. else We could never have
had tina, prose poem paper So full of
sacred sentiment aud which touched
our hearts into tenderness al our last
meeting
But the farmer. too. is practical
man. lh, you have shown in the way
y"n have not unly stated your prob
'cmN. hut solved them at youi own
farms. When YOU have discussed need
cd reforms YOU have appeared before
the proper court, and secured rcmcd-
ial legislative action.
While ! fccl utterly incapablc 81 add
iuu au"ht Ia YOUR cotnsclS or store Of
experience. ! wish here and now Ia &C
KNOWLEDGE my Indebtedness to the Club
Tor the help 1t ha, been to me.
he subject which ! wish To- discuss
frankly with your indulgence to-day is
one ot personal interest purely and |
wish ! might hope ii,m each ~ YOU
as frank expressions ~ opinion
THE PREACHER AND PASTORAL
PURSUITS.
use the word pastoral to-day not
IN any religious sense pertaining to
the spiritual Hook or congregation OF
winch ] may be pastor, but as pertain
my to the country business OF farming
We read ul the preacher IN poll
ties, the preacher IN business" &c
Those Of lis who have had peculiar
notions about the sacrcdncss OF the
calling Vi the ministry nstmctiycly
shrink from the idea
Is farming different. don't want
t. be misunderstood at this point |
don want any one To- feel that | in
anywiSc undcrratc farming as a bust
ms, proposition, Tor have learned
IN your midst To- ycncraic the farmer
and 10 regard farming as the greatest
and most productive business IN the
world. For ! have learned that II the
American farmer went out OF business
this year he could clean up thirty
Thousand million dollars
Talk of moncymad trusts, They
mirht have reason 10 be mad il they
owned the farms instead OF their water.
ed stocks When we remember tina,
the \mcrcan farmer earns enough in
y day, To- buy out Standard Oil.
enough in so day, 60 wipe Carnegie
and The Steel Trust oF the industrial
map. the story II the trusts seems like
the short and simple annals Of the
poor
owe american harvest would buy the
Kingdom 81 Belgium. King and all:
two would huY all Italy. three would
hny Austria hungary, and FIVE. at a
snot cash price. would take Russia from
the Car
T'lk ~ swollen fortunes With the
setting 81 cvcrv sun the money box
bnlpcS with the weight Of iwcnty-iour
new millions Only tie most athletic
r