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gaellum 6ttritson, Vrovritters.
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.ADDRESS
;Delivered before the Susquehanna County
Agricultural Society, Sept.!23d,'lBsl.
nr Y. OLIVER, ESQ.
- BROTHER FARMERS: —ll, is obviously need
'leas to dilate On the import:wee of agricul
ture, as a branch of human industry, before
en American audience; yet, have always
thought that, even here, the subject is not
sutficiet.tly regarded; altd,, that those engag
ed in it had not time titil advantages and
social distinttions they so eminently merit.
When we remember that agriculture - at.
fords employment to most of the laborers of
the Is-odd; that. by it comes nearly all the
wealth whic,h sustains modern. communities,
and a great proportion of the comforts and
luxuries of life, we have an inkling of its
magnitude. Should all the world's fanners
cease to SOW, to plant, to rear, and - to gather
in, an anarchy **l'M sprieg out of this horde
of idlers,' which no human power could con
trol; and starvation Would make a burial
more terrific than the delege.
Reflections like then) bring to mind the
stupendous interests involved in this voca
tion, and point clearly to the duty which all
owe it. But beside a feT . vigue and general
compliments, which' politrelitts oceasionally
bestow on' agriculture, what have govern
metals done to advance it t Comparatively
nothing; and unaided poor men have car
tied it forward to its present position, while
the superabundant wealth and extraordinary
exertions of natious bate been lavished upon
commerce and manufatures. This is both
shert-sighted and unjust. The first, because
rt nation can have no material wealth with.
• out agriculture, and to build it up is,thereforo,
a first and last duty; and the second be
cause it is not only a hindrance "to -general
prosperity, but absolutely unfair trivalse up
one set of laborers at the expense of another.
It is true 'that, of late years, wise men are
indicating to States the correct policy; yet,
excepting trifling donations,nothlng has been
done for the u - tuitions", who work
out nations' blessings through agriculture.—
Nor is it denied that the light - of science is
shooting its rays across the fanuer's path.—
Itandy implernmits,licep plowing, drainage,
concentrated fertiliiers, 'due., are all helping;
but these aid chiefly the fancy farmer. When
the practical farmer would use them, gener
ally he is not able to purchase; and when
the ability to buy has been brought about
by hard work, be is unable to use, and low,
interest in them. Besides, be is so often de
ceived by imperfectly made articles, and
highly lauded cheats, he fears to trust the
lights in the distance. They frequently pyre
a loss, and ate distrust. Hence, tee,
we have this sneering at Book-farming among
tillers of the soil, believing as they do, these
appliances to be only other contrivances of
labor-bating wits, to defraud them.
In order to illustrate more forcibly the po
sition I assume, namely, that the agricultur
alist is not properly appreciated, or suitably
rewarded, for the benefits be confers on
community, I will gite a- brief biography o
one of the early settlers of Bradford county,
personifying thereby the life of toil and bud
ships„. which thousands of her farmers, and
those of her sister Susquehanna, lave had
to endure.
At the age of one-and-twenty, John tins
coin left his parental fireside, to Commence
the warfare of-life, his principal capital con
sisting in his ability to work. To this be was
wed from childhood. Of book learning he
had but'irtile. 4 lie could read, arito, and fig
ure In the fundamental rules of Arithmetic
His father owned a small faint, north of
New London, Connecticut, and on it raised
&large family.. He could give
.his children
little save good advice. To John he rave du
ty dollars on leaving home. With this the
young man started to the Conneeticut river,
where he found employment fat a year ‘, but
bearing of cheap lands in Pennsylvania, he
could hardly wait till this year was_ up, so ea
ger was he to get a piece for himself stud,
with one hundred dollars in his pocket, we
soon find him on his way hither. lie stopped
on the Chemung rives, not far from the pres
ent site of Elmira, where he engaged, for
short term, with different farmers, meantime,
inquiring-digently for land. This was soon
found, in wha: is at present Wells townsblp i
Bradford County, Penn. The lot be pur
chased was fifteen miles froiri the river, and
covered with.a dense forest. After taking
every precaution : Abet suggested itself to his
mind, to be inure': that he was on his Own
land, he commenced chopping a clearing.—
When he hill gone Over five acres, be worked
a, month for the use of a pair of cattle and a
chain the same length of time. Then procur
ing the services of another young emigrant
from New England, he cut a road nine miles
in length, through the woods, totals clearing.
His
_rough sled was then loaded with a sack
of corn meal, a small iron pan, some newly
made bay, and drawing them to his fallow,
the work of clearing was commenced in good
earnest,
It would take too long to detail minutely
the trials on the first clearing. The timber
was heavy, aril the lifting, of come, severe.
Sometimes be and his companion were al
most discouraged. They were several timer
dienched with rain, in their bekandshelter
of hemlock boughs, and ilseir meal soured
from exposure ; lAzt they struggled through,
and procuring with great difficulty, three
bushels of wheat, it was harrowed in with a
wooden drag. Our hero was now some in
debt. Retelied" however, on getting work
to help him out. This he sought atta found
with Lemuel triswold, who lived on a farm,
on the flats below Nett4own.. Now, this
'Squire Griswold, as he was called, bad also
removed from the. mit, but with a family of
three daughters and two sot% stitrd Wrens
years previous to john Lincoln's departure
from the place of his nativity. The 'Squint's
two oldest daughters ware married. Jane
was nineteen years old., and still at home
and a wiolting yon woman she was. Care
lessly reared amidst wort, and on simple
food, she grew up stroag and fail of animal,
life. Morning, noon and night., the surround
ing hills echoed back the shrill tones of her
song, as stye Vied her buy hands; and at the
gatherings of the young folks, in the neigh
borhood, she laughed the loudest, danced the
longest, and frolicked the most excessivaky,
This living, working woman, in less than a
year, became the wife of Jobe Lincoln.. She
helped him to gather the wheat on his fat:
low, the deer , and other wild animals had
not destroyed, Wad she daubed the mud on
their lonely In cabin, while he chinked it,.
She brought him too, along with her iedno•
trioes hand r, her eariteet eatute and Poring
heart, a cow, a:present from her parents ; and
two months after the removal of the pair to
their rude, wild home, this co* was killed
by the felling of a tree. I ratted tell yeu
how sorrowful Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln were at
this mishap. Time and hope, however, those
eurables for human maladies, assuaged their
grief; and that too, occasioned by the selling
of theif next year's crop iu the ground, on
the note given for a cow to replace the one
killed.
But a deeper trouble soon came on 'this
bumble, yet noble and courageous pair. In
logging - their fallow ,chopped at his new
home, John Lincoln bad his leg broken; two
days before his second child was born ; yet
his wife walked to Newtown, for a physician s
crying all the way. This new disaster, turned
out a sore alf fiction. That season no • crop
was put in, and the store of provisions on hand
was small. Cold weather, too, was on t u tod,
and for four months, that heroic woman car
ried through a forest, and by sti path s from a
mill, eight miles distant, all the corn meal,
the only food that was consumed in' their
lonely dwelling, during that winter of adver
sity. It was a dismal period. At night the
wolves hosrletrpiteously, and threatened her
sheep. Sometimes she bad to take these in
to the house to save them. So with her 'chick
ens. Then she had the little stock to feed,
and the wood to cut; but she worked .brave
ly on. And when John Lincoln was again
able to`go out, his only pair of three years
old steericand seven ebeep,the ,only stock he
had, save a cow, were driven oft to pay the
miller; leaving the Doctor's bill, and sundry
other bills Unsatisfied. It was a gloomy out
going to him, and his heart almost sank in
despair, when the prospect before him looked
him, full in the face, But hope again came
to his relief, lad time mellowed his sorrows.'
His wife, too, who had l wept more in the last
five months than she bad ever sang before,
in the same length of time, began to be hope
ful, when she saw lobo was able to go to
work. True, through bungling setting of the
limb, be was lame, and would be so for life;
but he was still with her, and that comforted
her. •
In good earnest they again commenced the
struggle; and in two years the evils of . this
disaster were nearly repaired. Clearing was
added to clearing, year by year, by that
resolute man and woman. He chopping all
day, and spending borne bights its going to
mill, and others in picking up and burning
on the fallow. By means such as these, in
a few years, they had corn and oxen / but hot
without severe losses. 'Ur. Lincoln had bo't
his land under a Canuenticut tide: This
turned out to be worthless,and be was otlig
ed to pay for it a second times Then be lost
a fourth of his cleared land, through mistake
in the bounding lines. Still John Lincoln
and his wife Oiled on. Sickness now pros
trated ber. From this she recovered, but was
blind for a year afterwards from Its effects.
Not yielding yet, nor yet despairing of final
succor, the battle with adversity was contin
ued until twenty-five years had elapsed.—
During this penod, many others bad made
beginnings in the woads around them, and
with various results. Some remained only a
year, not being able to stand it longer. nth-
ers remained tea, some three years, and then
gave Fp hope and their improvements to
gether ;, whilst a few like the Lincolns,would
not yield. On the farm of the latter, there
was seventy acres, under fence, some of it of
stone. A frame barn . and stsbstautlal frame
house occupied the place of those logs, of
other days. Within a few years Mr. Lincoln
had received from his father's estate, three
hundred dollars, and his wife had obtained,
in the same way, two hundred dollars.. With
this money they had built, involving them
selves, in the enterprise, in a debt of five bun
died dollars; but they bad a farm worth
three thousand. Yes, that drear wilderness,
which was valued at one dollar per acre,
twenty-five years before. was converted into
a farm. And howl 'Through sweat, that
vies little less than blood ; through tears that
tare furrowed into the cheek of,youth and
.heanty .; and anguish of heart that.drove two
mortals to an early grave. Yes, that faith
ful, glorious pair were not destined long to
enjoy their iniprovei,lornis. Espoeure,hard
work and scanty fare, . broke down early an
tvtberwise good physical frame, and lobo
Limon worked no more after his house was
/Wished. Dating five years be lingersd, and
Stitt Iron, Mrigititiaiiiiit tountg, tkursital Ctl'itr 24, 18:57.
then died; and his trustful, loving_ wife to
the last, irtee.bitdened with • care, and her
spirit tottered beyond eftdemince, ity the
darkness of
. the road she had traveled through
life, became eielanctroiy. Yes, that wildly
joyous giil, whose youthful song end merry
laugh made glad the rude habitations around
her early home, saddened to despondency
with life's conflictc and, as if Tearful that her
John woe%d . go Weise before her, her sorroir
pressed ittt6 the grave, three months before
hater:lnd life, end trothte together. At tire
time of her demise, ?Ir. Lincoln was too weak
to attend the funeral ; but gathering strength
in a few days, be, required his children to
make him a bed on a sleigh, and take him
to the grave. There, alone, and in feeble
strains be sang to the spirit of hisiiithful
companion
Ye living men, come view the ground,
Where jou must shortly lin."
And a requium it was, worthy the living atol
the dead, and more sublime dish the grand
est composition ever tend into harmony, in
honor of great ones of tatth%
Thus lived end thus died. oho palr of the
pioneers of the now nourishing coUuty of
Bradford. Often has - my heart siddened
when itteetioty called up the scenes thsrough
which ;bey passed, tlfeit lovA;t ) each ettosr,
and their fidelity to life.` Ob, they deserved
butter than they had 1 and who has heard of
their hardshipN or cares - for their.sufferings
Ah, teho conies back ernpty, , like tier first
'ova sent from the ark. li - or Is the story of
their sufferings" ended. John Lincoln's long
sickness and additional reverses, increased his
indebtedness to seventeen hundred dollars, at
the time of his death. This finally took his
hard.eamed property from, his chiidrien. So
they had nothing left but the example of their
parents' live% and, for its results,was it worth
following I iEach child of the seven, of those
worthy but unfortunate workers, bad to com
mence in the woods, and rehearse the , drama
of life, I have only faintly sketched. That of
Jesse, the oldest, appears yet more terrible in
the beginning. For three times his log eabin
and itsilittle improved surroundings were
swept *way% Yet be faltered not,' nor yet
ceasing to battle, he triumphed at last, te
claiming the burial place of his unfortunate
father and broken hearted mother, and -is now
quietly l and as happily as mortal well can,
passing away in vigorous old age, the even
ing of that life which had such a dark morn
ing.
Now brother farmers, you ask, why this
episode I This, 1 trust, will become manifest
as I proeeed. And first, I claim . that the
narrative I have given, is not an isolated oc
currence t for everrfe'rtile bill mid bloating
tale in tradford, Ciakcobtected with its early
history, a tale of woe equal to the one just
e'en I and the broad, beauteous fields of
Susquehanna could, if able tti speak, tell of
hardships Clamed, ptirations suffered, con
tumely and poverty patiently Zorn with, and
by hearts as hopeful of better things, as lov
ing, as faithful, and minds as sensitive as
those who surround me in.this assembly, the
-recital of which would make you weep i as
hope none of yen bare wept ' for a long
time. Yes, fellow citizens, it is the common
ness of these untold and indescribable lives
of grief, whiel► .so immensely aggratrites the
evil. Terrible* misfortunes overtake men and
women in all pursuits and stations in life.—
these are lonked fur l and because of rare oc
urrencefas well as because they At Certain to
come, we pity the sufferers and pals them. But
when a whole class of men and women be:
come a sacrifice to the public weal, it-be
comes a *national calamity ; and deserver not
only our sympathy, but our earnest efforts to
alleviate. It is to this end, I labor to-day.
Who enjoys the fruit of the patient.toil of
John Lincoln and his %lett:lEBd *Hie d and their
hardy co-patriots l The fields they cleared
brought no balm to their braised bodies; no
cordial to their embittered minds, in declin
ing years,' yet they produced abundantly.—
Hundreds and thousands live eff the pro
dncts of the farms which these heroic work
ers prepared, slid / *ill continue to " - supply
food for ages to come. In addition, govern
ment derives a heavy revenue from them.,—
Why s it is said, "be is a benefactor, who
makes two blades of grass grow where 'hut
one grew before ;" and what shall be said of
those who tore from these maiming hind
valleys their primeval forest.% and nature's
ruggedness, and made them " run with fat:
nessr doing this, tau, in winter's bitter blast
with little clothing, and still less food ; and
in summer's sun no comforts, no relaxation
from necessitous pressure d bearing the galling
yoke until the coffin bid it, (rota view. Are
such as these not benefactors ! Aye, a thou
sand times more so than many who have
fame. We refer with just pride to the won
derful fortitude which carried the soldiers of
our flevoludonaty war, through the horrid
winter at Valley-Forge, •and other trying
scenes, but they were of short duration. Nor
were they any more severe than those
whiCh the pioneer had to contend with du
ring a life time, Panegyric has been ex
hausted on the noble persoerance of the
one, while the other has no honor Ift''the land;
yet deserves it no leas.
And compare the lives of most a oar pol
iticians with that of John Lincoln, and how
tbey- sink into insignificance! In youth, go
fog to school,thenCe to coflege,tbe law-odloe,
Congress. and urea the Presidency of the
Republic. As lawyers, getting rich
. ms the
hard earnings at the poor ; and as politicians
Sling thew Coffers to overflowing out of the
taxes collected from the tillent of the soil.--
Yet; lurch wen partisan editors frequently
call 00-at, and What a misnomer it is I But
few of have 'created any. benefactions
for their species, or accomplished any good
for their country. Their firm are the livecof
politicians, and aro niostly faith pof vet
tahness and arrogance. Tell bike not that thoy
tzars seperior intellect, for it is not trim. I
know a dozen ilea working nninowit firth=
ems, istio, it they had the - eat% opportunities;
could display as much of all that is itibbh, ih
the bead and heart, as charatterite) %Mt et
the parties referred to. 11 ut 'a& why is this
not known? for in out day, teretit genertd
ly foiled vet, in the tit islatts-the interrog
atory maLbeiattl tteet by tskibg *lty tbie
ep
pressed settler stoceired, no benefit 'of all the
good he iriOtight. tlatty of these had merits
as mai, abtt their work deaerved ' great in
ward; yet the one is unnoticed, and the oth
er denied. One Is, that the farmer tloivi hot
use the press, to publish to the *orld colutec
after column of fulsome laudations of his
personal acts ; and a good deal of the nolo
tiety statesmen beve l comes 'in this way.--
they Vety frectuehtly writing it themselves.—
So while the farmer silently cleats, plows,
sows; plan"ts, and gathers-i 4 that men may
lire, the wily politician
_writes, in blaiing
letters in tLesky,that he made a famous speech
for bunkum, or played Machairal in some
other way, to cheat ae people iiith the be
lief that he only is great. Hence 'it comes
that the meritorious tiller of the soil, and his
petiected Manhooci, reniaio unkny*n i 'mid go
unrewarded, and the drafty . arts of the un
prlhelpled acbemer , stem him riches and
honor.
There is, howetti, still aisisther solution,
more commanding in its application, and
more general in its influenoo, than any yet
named and which, More than - All 'lsthens, I
desire to pr es ent to, and impress upon, the at
tention of this intelligent assembly.
The one is educated--the other is notA and
hence lies the wonderful disparity , that pre
vails in social life, between men of equal
parts; and which, above all, and beyond - all,
is the most potent in hindering the farmer
from enjoying all.the benefits - ( f civilized life.
Yes, it is education the farmer needs, and
has needed ever since organized communities
existed. It Is estimated that nearly seven
eighths of the enlightened portion of mankind,
are engaged in tilling the earth; and that the
remaining eighth does all the goveving,inakes
most of the public sentiment, and enjoys
most of the luxuries, mental and physical ;
and this; only because, it has the greater
share of education. There is proportionally
as much bright brains, in its inherent form,
in the seven-eighths, as in the one-eighth ; but
It is hot cultivated. Science Is power, be
cause it is certain' and tt tnaiesia is posses
sor st!periOr and confidettt. It is for this rea
son that the professional Man 'is as pisotei
hially presumptuous, as the yeoman Is mod
est: The former has assumed the cohtSol
naturally I and the latter has ; AS spotitatteons
ty, submitted. As a matter of coUtse; as well
as of necessity, the one provides for himself,
at the expense of the other. If the farmer
sotild crly read, as he works; this would not
be r. His delving is ifite the
should peer into books ; and just in the ratio,
that he does bet, is' he short-sighted. Work
he does—work glcnioUsly,f;fikithout which
the said edifice mast crumble; but he keeps
too remote the mental and physical it:lentos.,
for his personal, and the world's interest. Let
us look, only fat a Moment, at what he has
lost:
Through medicine and law, the one mysti
fied by . empireeism, -and the other befogged
by petifogging chicanery, the laboring dish
has lost, and is losing annually, millions up
on millions of money, besides 'destroying
health and life, ihd fomenting strife, hurtful
to individuals, and vowing the seeds of an
antagonism, which threatens ruin. These
things need not be, atld etist only because
We do , not read enough. For the laws of
health, are few and simple, and easily com=
prehended; and jurisprudence means nothing
More than reciprocal rights and duties. Evo
ry min should know these, and to ittio* them,
is money and power. But, in consequence of
the absence of education, as an associate,
farttt labOr has been disgnided.. This, too, is
wrong, and does great injury, coming, as it
does; from perverted taste and gross igno
rance. For how much mote healthful, dig
nified and conscience-approving is it, to in
hale the ethalatious of the new-mown hay,
gathering the precious laden sheaves of grain,
and the golden fruit, than dressing the foul
ulcers of the debanchce i or defending the
villanous desperado; from the just vengeance
of the law.
NoW, look in another direction: The man ,
uf*ctdring and commercial interests of our
country, early invoked aid and protection
against disasters at sea, and competition from'
abroad. 'And millions of the dearly earned
many of the farmer, collected throug h im:
posts, h , been expended in building up these
classes, until merchants have become princes
in wealth, and the wholsale worker in the
raw material ; revels Itt riChes, This *as well
enough. I object not to it; Ircrt to the neg
lect extended to the tiller of the wit:
Now the piotieet i the John and Jesse Lin
coins, who prepared the surrounding glossy
meadows for our enjoyment, did more, ten
thousaud times more, for the prosperity of
our almost illimitable, and inimitable cottn
try, than all the iran furnaces sad spinning
jennies ever created. Yet who has thought
°ladling on the goyerausent to help the set
tler, by giving him a bounty on his work.?
No one; nor WSW this aid withheld, because
it was not sorely needed. Int any Ans
ilre
tabd that the merchant . OA thaitinricterer,
ptruggled through as Minypervelie
cies as dn . : the pioneer, No otee of ratio
mind win. *by, &Vitt fetid light-houses,
were created to proteCt Ate ropurty of those
alma, rich; h was ttpittit the government
lAA: cm to hAis the Rai kicheh the
Attlee ifits to means, except in his strong will
tad MOW/kr power; and by these, neren
tenet labors have been performed, trot foi him-.
!elf, but for us for the government; asad cot
int irtitticons. fie brought light and civ-
iliiation into the dark•forests of lantriew,
at eidst reriis and thorium posertienough
to daunt, the stoutest heart, but he tobld
hare no bounty for hireisterpriete, Rio one
to plead - fora Mitigation of his, Wet to say
hardships only, bur. positive suffering. Was
this politic., so far as the general prosplhrity of
the toittitry ViatcobEeriled I Surely not.=-
Then, is it right, in a governarent predPotted
on the doctrine that all are equal, to lay bur
dens ott the many, for the benefit of a few 1—
No one will have , the hardihood / . to Claim
this.
Only a few years 110, the whole ebuiltry
was disturbed by the clamor raised for a Pro
tective among the manufacturing and
•
commercial ranks, when thousands of poor
farmers, who were making beginnings on the
unbroken praiiies of the west, had to haul
their wheat sixty and seventy Hiles; and then
sell it at forty cents per bushel, and tape fa
ding calicoes at twenty-five bents per yard,-
in pa) ! And to help it along, government
sold away the farms of these settlers, improve
ments aid all, fiee.atisiti thtiy could not, at this
rate, pay the dollar and twenty-five cents
per acre, which it unjustly exacted, for the
land he lad taken Up l TIIt whole being still
further aggravated by taking the money
titbit% this land brought; to it!d in the ship
ment of wheat from abroad, for bread and
starch for the New England ittanutddttlrer
I become excited, and my blood starts with
quivering veloti ty,whineter I thlnkof this enor
mouA outrage, perpetrated yearly, as it is, by
the settled policy of the country.
Farmers and laborers, these wrongs are im
posed upon you, chiefly because you have
not read and learned ; And capital will con
tinue to swindle you, so long as you discard
books. If the John and Jesse Lincoln; of
wood chooping, and fallow-burning memo
ries bad been our rulers and lawmakers, as
they should have been, would these robberies
of then, and their succ es sor_, haprod, as
they have happened, and are happening!
Never. And why were they not, our
rulers and law-makers! Solely because
they did not, and will not edudate as they
;hould.
Pahiatrs; I hate not time to paint oat a
tithe of. thd ldsse:s pod sustain by yout
ie
diference to truthful education. Would
that daft! arouse you to your true interests
tI . this matter! You u*e It tto yoursolres,
to coat thikireti; Mitt tti !fttilt foetal . ; to ed
ucate more thoroughly. Heed thy toffee, for
I sin one of your number: I too have chop.
ped, and burred (allows, and logged for days
and weeks abd it does my very soul good,
to, shake the brainy liand of the stioty-faced
man who piles up the blackened timber. I
khow his toils, and sympathise most deeply
with him. Then heed my 'era; farmers:
Take counsel .together over them. when I
repeat, educate, educate, educate. I''
And by education ! I do not mean the , bung:
ling readifig and cyphering 'Muds 'your
Children get in the dingy hovels hung by
the road's side. They afford no' ' more light
to ,the mind, than to the high-*ay, in which
they stand, in mid-night darkness. They are
wily distorted speetrift, forbidding approach.
Nor doll mean the tinselled flummery of board:
kLig schools ! or galvanized Latin lessons of the
three months rural academies. These do not
educate. Education is experience, slid the
properly educated young man of twenty-one,
has the practical knowledge of the Mae of
sixty and can your young Unlettered boys
of seventeen ; and listless girls of fifteen years,
impart this! About as much as they can
teach strines to talk. Pio, farmers. Discard
all these. Build school houses equal to your
meeting housesoted employ better men, if they
can be found, to fill them, trot ectaslonally
either, but constantly, to instruct your chil
dren in book-learning, and the yr:iv:tidal cin
ties and courtesies of wets! life._ tfo this; if
it takes half of your farms. Do this, and joy
will come to your hearts, and our nation will
be covered with glory: '
. Cieternttletit should establish an agricul
tural school and experimental farm in every
county of the Union, where the farMet l s sons
could be made familial *Nth the, chemist's
laboratory, the botanist's class-books, and the
laws of mechanism. This is the farmer's right !
and the well being of the tuition demands it.
If this were done, a tide of prosperity, wealth,
and national _glory would come, that would
cast into the shade all experience. And when
will this I When the farmer edutates,
and Wills the rule into his own handt, 4 •Not
before. Grasping capital slid selfish politi:
clam hate so much to look after, occupy and
divert so much of the time of our legislation
in their schemes of persorial aggrandisement,
that the opepiallitry 'fbc.ski stproptilltions, tin
hardly be carried through that immense
bloOghi the Congress of the United Bates.
Little, therefore, can he
,eipected until the
Winer, the worker, the, hewer of wood and
drawer of water," rises from his lie* of ages,
reigns oier the land, that peace, plenty, and
h*lcyon summer may come to the.nations of
the earth.. Aid that he will is just as certain
that to-in'orrow% 'din will rim, Alresidy
light is radiatrni , „oli, horikon
.Of hit heretofore
darkened sty. Partners an d workers, have,
and
.4ye; to iome etteq,"edric.atipg; and iii
tellige'rg, liberal-rninded rabn, i? other 'Call
ings, arc striving with iliese, to avratei pdb-
lie attetitidii Vo the yenta d this long.
neglrted Interest. through_ ,peir Ants,
Ale gii!dertltient is distributing, among ferm
i
Wm. s "gnat:instal:v.' • bespise riot little
'Alois. _ is it ellegibliint it die right i:li-
Yeetion, , ;its, lota. appiokimatidt noon-aay
, •
itoty. 'thew Intl haVe agricilitaitljoullutls,
lila Voiteire..., alici itiov'e iili, it faithers" high
ich 00l throwing light kipoli oUr path., and
tending tb lighten Or task and lhatitity our
trde, the haty ilickerings a these
distant lights;
,disturb, the objects before us,
and cease ds fails bnlisesl but the icy
ineinstatich tb long manacled our
minds down to the eaith we worted, is giving
way befdiellie 4 -coming 'sdn, and the early
shoots of a. beauteous green, eVe al
*lily Manifesting themselves. •
in order still flirtlier to iiiipres'h . uirtin my
tiudience the disadvantagiii to the
ahtl.the dillicultiel which staild in the WAylof
the progress or the farlifir, allow me to
trate by giving the etrerielice of another ac
tual beginner,
in farming, in our country, but
or Very diikm nt Ehartltter fratn that of John
tificoin. •
tiftetii ytail hp, a yang, couple, whom I
shall call William and Mary tietcher, left
e Of our eastern cities, and removed to
Bradftrd county; with the view of farming.--:.
Thi.lady and gentleiniin bad been reared
and autatedin the city, and, bad imbibc.,
all the peEtiliar fa.stidiousness about dress, a
the foible bfetititiette cofiiiiion to late towns.,
They were tharried yang, and Mr. kletithei
started ib blisStre4s its a meithiint. in fiye
years he failed, but Managed to save a few
tboUsand dollars out of the wreck. Being
now out of ernploytheitt, and Baying n poetic
idea bt agrialture, LE bought a. farm in the
wildest and poorest locality of our county.—,
This property bad beet under ciativation
guild it huititier of Years, and the buildings
were respectable. On ail, tides; lithielier;lt
was surroundel with dense hemlock forests,
which new' settlers were just beginning to
break into; at . the dme of the purchase allud
ed tb.- Mr...V. had read accounts of extraor
dinary crops, and the intprovtit iheibtods of
raising them, whieb occasionally appeared in
newspapers at that tithe ; 'but beyond this,
very little ; and, as to pi-art/tat failuing; he
had not the. rernotest conception. Ile had
not planted a seed of any kind ; and,
all, was about as green, a subject, fur a 4r
tiier, as can Well be iiiiagintd: Both he and
his lady h . ad exalted ideas Of the base, great
profits; and beiuty of this balling ; and, of
course, teeth lutist sanguine of success and.
happiness in iti the road td theil new hotee
wis rough, eitpecially : the last three fillies,
which stirpassed• anything they ,Itad ever
dreamed of before. At first, the ever Chang
ing landstape . Clith Mountain and valley,
hill and dale,conling afid reEeditt nnw-pass
ing along the water's edge, hofdaed with
craggy rocks; and wild, gnarled trees and
then oft high liertka ri *heft distitnpt fends en
chantment to the view and, more than all,
the male . stic . grandeur and velvety green of
the hemlock and tab, as they approached the,
north, brought freqUent exclamations of admi,
ration from the travelers but towards the
last, the roots of the lattelarrully plEnty
and unyielding—otewhich they bad to pass,
brought grOnns of othlntius Ithport ; and the
!hie city vehicle, with spokes no bigget than
your finger, talked of -disastet. 'this came
but too soon, and the journey was finished in
a rude cart, drawn ET a pair of half starved
steers. ",e romance with which they start
td; in. 'lob hid Vegniled thettl dil the way
'etas by this time nearly crushed.
, Mr. and
Mins. tiletcher's bruises soot of well. and as
they healed, theft spititts tilvivel. '
They brought with thetii a goodly supply
of broil:Mott*, silts, cambrick, handkerchiet's,
Rsitered-boots, kid-gloves, silk ho!se ‘ frilled
garments; cologne, musk ; and household fur
nittire to Coft&pond. Light plows, harrows,
and harness; *ere also brought in. The dwel
ling house was also remodeled, and well filled
*lilt Closets; all of which had eiceitent locys
placed on that - 3
The new comers, with their finety; Created.
a stir among the settlers ; and their singular' 1
manners were the general theme of conversa
.iion. Curiosity prompted a felyVlitit inhab•
heats to make excuses to come and'-.see for
themselves. At)itst Mts. fletcher was fiighti•
coed at the plainness of these pelople, but
when Abe found they were harml&, ate *o'd
allow thud to come on the veranda; and af
ter a while, she would eten play on thipiano
for them. then help must be had, and these ,
neighbors being willing to work, the likeliest
looking among them were selected to Assist;
or rather, to do the work i a the house, and
and on the farm, for neither Mr. or Mrs. F
had Cant dune any heavy work, nor was it
their intention to do se ticiw.
gorses, oxen, cows;sheep,hogs and poultry,
were procured, and provender tot all, and it
i
was no small trouble an expense to- get. all
diesel things together.
The people thought lit 4. Fletcher very rich;
and money was extremely*m l, ts among tb • s. ..
and though wanting to sell, WI! asked euot-
Moils prices for every article.
*hen thew matters were attended to the
garden was assailed with fresh hands, and
_•.,-
" oe:r iy i ..c. m t p t ie tte in c it t i g ta. th ' es. - Tir tnt,of.,4l. — ..p .. r i l oo:g iii t ,
04) 11 -3- 34401:;:
hinted as much. Mr. Fletiter'ileeived'aus: .
admonitions kindly, and belietring he
.could
~., , , i : ;.- ,
world
contrite softie way to obigratif 'the nolC atut . ,
* ft* oh `e
, itilY 'plains, the tvor tin continued; '.,,:
his mind tintnd deeply slit on Ofinaiii t „ When the :,. 1 ,- .
15 4 6fitois Were ready, tkir k nbiideived be. bad
discovered, in in the few hours it took t0..,-pre=
pare them, yi sluefernedy agaitiet r frest. . 7- Puli
~.„
of this idea, and ra t inio, what A wonOei ~;:
he woutiatart among his men, - if
: nut brer,;, ,
thecountry—for he intended to publish Mr :''-..'.*
discovery—he had k dee Made, one nicit id;.
4 - ! ,-
liameter,ltha eigh t eigh t facies deepOber iiie,gar---;-
den beds. if Is cucnniber,.redistii bestri; - : )pe.4 4 „..:
lettuce and - cabbage aeeds, were - then
. c.iirefillit ' 2 ,,,, - , - --,
tilaied it tile kottoin of \ these l!ioelf - i iiii2oly-: ; ?' 4
holes,. and the whole as carefUlit enveiai = "4 -, :ii'
assure you, the frost did7riat kiirt , any of tbi_
plants that opting from that Bengt 444-1004 - !.. ,
needless to say that none otit came uft:::. ,"
'f'.7,
His garden finished, Mr. Fletcher preplied -,-.),-,
for planting. 'For the reason that the soil , ::it''
was. black, he selected a - low,t wet -- piece of :--'''?-
ground for his, corn. This he bad ,plderlid
- and prepared with great eia'atnills. Having ---,:
heard that-rmwe and groimd-squirrels taii-- -
Up yiiiing C:orii,'and having read - that- if thlirc:
seed was tarred, they would not, he had bt
well coated with this resinous taateriall But
he had to'replant, for not I silear tante .
He then trent to the city for glaii6. Of tbit
as a fertilizer, he Bad heard rodtb, but hal
no idea.of its appearance. , When it catigiri''',i2
its strong quiet l ind died Mr. Fletcher td' think
it was s, fled ; and he. war very itngq!" - foi:
time at t.e supposed "cheat. A. gentlernim •
from a !stance, hOwevor suggested as
_it.Wiit
it etiuhr not hive ari aim:natio
.1 or; and that ithad not, was
against' tbe quality of thiartiele, so it *as
concluded to use it; 'Withal, Mr. F. wit i
humane, rtnd an ingenious man, aid fearing : ,
that the smell of the grains would sicken "his
ruen, be cut pieces of gixmge 13'eculiat
ghape,lllled them ItAlfitologne, and had them
fattened over the mouth and nose of James-
and Philip. Thni fort fled. theFe men went
to work thwgußb..,, piaci* it °it the
tender corn but it di iii3t make. It ertriki
and Mr. F bad tti bdy lilt the'nora he Conan
cued that cese, boiWitbstkiiding his care and
expeThist. Besidot, James and' Philips' &eel;
were worse for the cologne. . butiled and
produced a_ tickling f ens'ation; which caused
then to rub with their Unwashed band&—
which poisdneci; and nearly proved .the end
of ttlei tmrci;
Mr. F.'s kindness to his men, in striving to
mitigate the effects of labor cn their poisons.
indneed them to impose upbn him. Thos;---,
Janie-4 ilainght, tltat 9 sti§ding and nutting
sod in the garden was Ward on shooe, lie ahciV.
be' supplied - ri . th that article in addition .to
his ivagesiwhich wt re already pristiy hell ttp,
and in picking stone, Buckskin 'nimbi bad
to he eupvlied, to save the 'Ands.
The miler and athtii i3striblishe3 t3ii tbli
farm under Mr. F's regime, was' yerrinricable.
Everything was constantly under lock 41i key.
Every-thing produced or 02n:timed
was weighed: Tho,grain; bay and gists tire
animals ate; the brad and their, the rattily
and help at all was weigh
,oiit to Cobh,
and separately, as consumed: The eggs, be.
cause it Wits discovered .the were of different
ies, were weighs 1 as betng a more psi
methodof determining their =ad value: .
But I hare not time, nor would
,yotir pati
encO bear Willi a nilatite recital of `ant to
singuls' r
processes and their results, of Mr, F's
farmin ottfintions. You can lien iniagine,
that Lb <ineon&rutty of MMus ter4e end
frequently prodrined failures:
Audi, the settlers around, as Well as tke
hired help construed the watchfniness about
the fru m i nto suspicions of their honesty," thef
sought ways tti pity beet - thus, Biddy
thought the wood suit water consumed abed .
'the &ruse should also be weighed and locked
up, tirougkAheY were profusely abundant;
and Jarnes and Philip would spend I t `good
deal of time in going for the granary . key,'
and carrying it bucic; often Braking two jour
neys
..
titer% one would have seried Jett is
well, At - one time the smoite house was -
chained and locked to the glirrien fence. At
another, tha-wagon-house was chained and
locked to an apple. tree. ';,;•i '
Then Mr. F. and his lady (tressed too much
.for the place they were in. This was made '
, sport of. A re* of the youtig filen hihl lont
1 ruffles made of flashy' calico, did placed on
their check shirts; and some of the:girls
placed the same kind. - Of article, enormousfy -
large On pantalets, prepared for the purpose:
Tbusdiesssd they t.attte Id the stleetfttp. end' -
Sunday Schools. For, with the deeptlon of
little foibles, the mutt of early training; he '
was a goo citizen, and highly :useful ,in his
present foe; lily.; 40inft, his tittricut While there
to break up Sunday work, establish schools,
and improve he woods. • : :
lie and I.ti porripanion felt: sensibly-them
reproofS: If.rrais not theirsfertholgst iUtentiOn
to offend, or' o injustice to the people airbuud
them.: It was, however, but, too evident that
they had done the one, and pethaPs, the Oth
er. Ozer this they .ipievid. - . • - '
Then the iimencii ofeitity thitg)iiiieetts'ilttil
began to press heavily 'upon them. • The ',la
den transition - kart I densely pcitanted 43 4;
to a dense forest,- was fore-shaditiAbi blyere
fruit; and it Was becoming ttilli . o dielikill"
pable to Mr. tietcher that - he was Out of his
, element.. In vain be. strove to suit himself to
, e position he was in. In vain : he Jiiineit
his body, and mortared his pride . .ts appeatii
his angry neighbors. He liras litierning Bai r d
',sone about. this time:.
- - ---
• -