The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-03-26
AN ADDRESS.
Delivered Before the Semi-Annual
Meeting OF the Sumter Agricultural
Society by j. Frank Williams.

for all time to come on the 14th of
August and on the 18th of March. Its
name Is the Sumter Agricultural So
ciety." and II Is hoped that the in
fuence for bettering the conditions of
the farmer exerted by this Society
will be as far-reaching as the name
OF Sumter Is known.
Agriculture has been treated by
some authors and writer's as a science
but that Is incorrect. for a science
means one science. and there are a
large number of sciences all combined
In the business Of farming. The his
tory of agriculture dates from the
time when Adam and Eve were driv-
en- from the Garden of Eden, and the
curse was placed upon man that he
should earn his bread by the sweat of
his brow. The power and greatness
OF all the ancient nations depended
primarily upon their being located in
fertile and productive countries. We
see the rich river valleys nursing the
cradles OF civilization. China, Baby
Ion. and Egypt, each building up its
civilization on the Yellow, the Tigris
and Euphrates. and the Nile Rivers.
All great nations of long ago were
either agricultural or robber nations.
We find Rome. the greatest of all an
cient nations. first honoring and rev.
ering agriculture and then degenerat-
ing to a robber. Diocletian. one Of
the great rulers OF Rome. abdicated
his power and retired to farming. On
being asked II he would not like to
take up the robes OF Office again, he
replied: Were you to come to Salona
and see the cabbages 1 raise In my
garden with my own hands, you
would no longer talk to me of empire"
There came a day when agriculture
was neglected In the Roman empire.
and soon the great nation was totter-
ing on her foundations. The govern
ment tried every means. except estab-
fishing rural schools to get the people
TO go back to farming again, but to
no avail They even offered to give
the people farms and bounties for
growing grain; and still the people
collected in and clung to the cities, |
demanding corn from the govern
ment. In response to this demand,
Rome sent. out her soldiers and upon |
various pretexts. wrung corn from the |
barbarians-in some instances actual |
~ numbering them for their grain. |
When a generation OF Romans grew
MP I'm idleness. disobeying the COM
mand OF God that man should earn
Rome In turn. shorn of all her pres
tige and valor. became the prey Of
the barbarians. and was pillaged and
sacked OF the great treasures which
her generals had collected from all
parts OF the world.
why do we study history In our
history repeats itself-that we live
I'm cycles. and by being informed con-
cerning the fatal mistakes OF the past, |
we may hope to avoid their repetition |
I'm the future. The United States is |
a very young nation. Most Of our
country has been settled for less than |
century and half. and look at the
condition OF affairs that already exists |
in some portions OF II. Our cities are
growing too rapidly in proportion to
the development of our farms. AL |
ready we have the second largest city |
I'm the world. and number Of others |
that rank with the largest cities Of |
Europe. Cities we must have, but IL |
Is the farms that should build the |
cities. and not the cities build the |
farms. Enough food and clothing |
must be produced on the farms for |
the farmers themselves. and then for |
the people living in the towns and |
cities. The law of supply and demand |
should regulate the number of pro-
ducers. distributors. and professionals, |
but II does not always do it. as theory
does not always work out In practice. |
A man who Is city born, seldom
comes out on the farm TO become a
producer, and II he does. he seldom |
makes good. While on the other
hand. thousands OF our boys reared
on the farm, are drifting each year
into the cities, and they successfully
compete with the city born lads for
the jobs In the city. So then the prob
lem of increasing the rural population
cannot be solved by inducing the city
boys 10 come out TO the country. but
by keeping the sturdy lads reared on
fhN form, homo ITc,,s xs,o,. At, 10