Year: 1879

an address to day. The choice was GER
tainly not made in view of my ''siiver-
tongued oratory" as I possess none Of the
oratoricai attributes which enable men OF
genius, to sway multitudes. Neither was
/ selected for any profound knowledge
of the great science of Agriculture, nor
for acquaintance with the Mechanical art.
Only one plausible reason can be urged
for the choice, and that is that the man
ayers of this organization knew of my al
most revercnt love of truth; that, follow
ing in the footsteps of the illustrious
father of his country was never known
to wiIlfully tell q lie; and that, in conse-
quence of this noble trait of character the
address which [ would deliver to day
would be wholly and absolutely made up
of the truth, the whole truth, and moth
ing but the truth. This is probably the
cause and the whole cause of my now
having the distinguished honor of adj
dressing you.


Ladies and gentlemen, the science of
Agriculture is as old as this big round
planet. We learn from the bible that
the Lord, after shaping and originating
innumerable things, took the slime of the
earth and from it created Adam. He was
placed in garden of pleasure and given
command over all the animated creatures
Of the earth. He was told to eat of every
thing that grew upon the premises if his
appetite permitted, or, if il would rest
easily upon his stomach, always except
| ing, however, the fruit that grew upon
one particular tree. This he was forbid
! den to touch, and from all accounts he
didn't hauker much after it, as he had a
sufficient variety OF other edibles to salts.
fy the most fastidious appetite. The
fruit, in all probability wouid never have
been plucked nor tasted, had not Adam
fallen into Z very deep slumber one beau
| tiful summer afternoon, during which
| one of his ribs was noiselCssiy and pain
lessly taken from him, appropriately
clothed in flesh and transformed into a
| beautiful woman. When Adam awoke
and beheIl this ravishing creature stand
ing proudly before him, completely dec
Grated in the enchanting and Intoxicating
fashion of the day, he did what proba-
bly, you or I would do under the circum-
stances-he fell deeply, madly, irretriev-
ably in love with her. Come veal or woe
! he was determined to win her, and as
there was no prospective motber-in- law
to fear or to consult, he proposed and
was accepted on the spot. Then when
| the honey moon was over and the house
hold put in order, Eve, his wife, took
| walk into the garden where she encoun-
tered serpent which, strange to say
spoke the human language grammaticallY
and iiuently, and who after a somewhat
tough tussle succeeded in having her eat
of the forbidden fruit. The bible says
that it tasted good to the woman, and she
being but newly married and not at all
selfish, determined to give some to her
''duck of a husband" He, wellknow-
! inc that it was the fruit that was barred
/ from their taste, at first refused to par
take; but beautiful and bewitching
woman then had the same control over
man that she has now, and he finally
yielded to her wishes and pitched into
the fruit. That settled it. Their eyes
were opened and it Immediately occurred
| to Adam that his wife wanted a new
dress. Like q loving husband he left the
selection of the material to herself. After
deep and solemn pondering she chose
something of the texture and pattern Of
figleaves which she neatly sewed togeth-
er and thereafter wore in lieu of her
wedding costume. Adam too, got suit
of the same material, and strange as it
may seem to the young men and maidens
of to day, Is was made up exactly like
that of his wife.


But now a storm bursts upon them, q
storm of wrath and sorrow. The Lord
approaches them and after a few preEm-
mary remarks he says to Adam:


because thou hast hardened to the
voice Of thy wife, and hast eaten of the
tree whereof | commanded thee that thou
shouldst not eat. cursed is the earth in
thy work; with labor and toll shalt thou
eat thereof al the days of thy life.
Thorns and Canada thistles shall it bring
forth to thee. In the sweat OF thy face
shalt thou cat bread till thou return to
the earth out Of which thou vast taken !;
for dust thou art and into dust thou shalt
return"


Ladies aud gentlemen, l have taken
all this trouble to conclusively show that
farming is very ancient profession.
Undoubtedly Adam was the first human
being upon the earth. an excellent tiller
of the soil and good, honest granger.
Without doubt he raised great crops, as
the soil was new in bis days, and had not
been worn ont by excessive tillage. His
cabbages, pumpkins, crooked necked
| squashes and other yankee notions would
probably have taken the premium at the
county fair, had there been such an in
stituuon In existence. But such sn or
ganization did not exist and all that he
raised was grown for home consum ption.
He liked the business tip top. He fol-


lowed no new gods bnt kept on in the
even tenor of his way tilling the virgin
soil that he secured far below govern
ment prices. Adam never was baby.


He was fall grown when he was placed
upon the earth and able TO do good,
square days work. He was neither lazy
nor sickly. Had he been, he would have
never raised his large family ror lived
$50 years. Yes he was $50 years OF age