2gritnltutal.
ADDRESS OF HON. F. WATTS
=II
Pennsylvania Agricultural Fair,
Harrisburg, Sept. 28, 1855.
The last few
,years has given birth to a new
era. Our' attention has been arrested and on
minds suddenly called to contemplate the im
portance of agriculture. Cultivators of tl
earth have been invited, nye, pressed to Ws
their place in the race which is now being ru
in the world's progress. They have bee
startled by the sound that has been made I . (
them; and they begin to think that there
work to do beyond the precincts of the fain
They begin to feel, too, that the spirit of tl
enlightened mind ivLich nhne can give a rigl
direction to the operations of matter, has bees
at work for them.
To those who'" have put their hands at
hearts to the work of promoting this gre:
interest, there is a pleasing consolation, St
effective encoiragement. too, in the reflectiot
th at, they ore upon the flowing tide of public
favor; that those they benefit now look with
confidence and pleasure upon the efforts they
make; that whilst the fluctuations of business,
the casualities of commerce, the interruptions
of trade, the disturbances of society itself,
are but incidents of' the moment, only oc
curring to be as soon forgotten: that whilst
amidst all the other and conflicting elements
of busy life, the pleasing anticipations and
profltaMe speculations of one class are the
dreaded forebodings and dire calamities of an
other; all classes unite in the fervent prayer,
_lO kindly sympathy, the lively hope, that
. success may crown the efforts of the farmer.
His art now commands the study of the philo
sopher, the science of the scholar, the elo
quence of the statesman; the whole world,
with an unanimity which no other subject can
command, lifts up its sympathizing v,oice to
cry, 'God speed the plough.'
There is a reason for this to he found in the
fact, that the products of this art contribute
more largely than any other to human happi
ness, and that the art itself is better adapted
to human skill. How shall we best promote
this great object? is a question which addres
ses itself to all of us with a force which must
command our attention.
First, then, study to know the subject
which thus excites our common interests. Is
it enough to understand, that if the earth he
stirred, and the seeds be sown, that their
product and all else is a natural result of God's
,providence? Is it enough that we should be
told and believe that the plough is the best
implement with which to till the earth, and
thht seed sown and gathered by the hand of
man is all that is necessary to enable us to
drag through the natural period of our exist
ence, thus made toilsome and miserable? Is
it enough, as to ourselves, to know that we
live and move and have our being? Is that
largo portion of mankind who are engaged in
that great first work of the world, content
thus to grovel and crawl, only occasionally to
be startled into an attitude of amazement at
the products of the minds of men around
them; and again to relapse into the contempla
tion of their own inferior condition? We an
swer emphatically, no! With regard to your
own occupation you should rather look upon
this lovely earth ne the beautiful landscape of
God's creation, imbued with the powers of
life to breathe and feed, yielding its elements
and products to the delicate and nursing
operations of your hands.
Whilst you follow the plough, you should
perceive its use; you should see in it, how the
polished mind of man has infused mechanical
science into its structure. You should mark
well the work it has to do; and its adaptation
to the work. You should contemplate those
seeds you commit to the earth, and believe
that it is not the work of chance that they
grow—and that they too are embued with the
germinating powers of light and life, char
acterized in their existence by the qualities of
good and bal(2And you should know that
perfect analogy which characterizes the life at
its conception, the growth in its progress, the
.product of its results, and; the final death of
all animal and vegetable creation, But above
all and over all, yon should contemplate your
selves; that you are a part of the special work
of God's bona, placed here and 'employed to
direct and govern all these things. They are
no artificial objects on which you are to ex.
pend your happy thoughts and lives, they are
the delightful things of nature on which you
operate, and nature operates with you in all
you labors . and sweetens) them to your con
tented spirit. This is the grand secret of your
constant attachment to and enjoyment Of
agricultural pursuits. You work with nature
and only modulate and benefit by her funct ens,
as she takes up and quickens and completes
the work of your hands. There is a living.
moving, acting principle in all your labors
which distinguishes them fro:n 'other pursuits.
The earth yields its strength and increase to
the seed you cast upon it—the cattle that
walk upon it—the winds seem to blow, the
rains to tall, and the waters to run for you.—
The very frosts and snows of winter give
salutary check to the rankness of vegetation,
lighten the soil, and destroy what is noxious
for you—and every principle of animal and
vegetable organization and existence co-operate
to support and enrich you. There is a charm
in this which must last while the spirit of man
feels the stirrings of the spirit and power of
God around him.
Farmers do not reason thus: but they feel
it, and it is this mysterious and self-acting
charm which has infused its sweetness into
the lienr4s of rural people, in all ages of the
•
world.
That farmers are not as intelligent and well
informed ns a parallel grade of society in
towns, we mean to assert—that they are not
truly aware of nud united to defend their real
interests, we mean to proclaim. Their scat
tered and isolated mode of life weighs against
them on these points—but that they have
more sincere hearts, and a sounder morality,
is as indisputable. They have a pureness of
purpose, a simplicity of mind as well as man
ners, that is more than an equivalent for the
polish and conventional customs of society:
and with it a cordiality which is only to I,e
found in the good homely, hearty hospitality
of a country house.
We have thus endeavored to impress upon
you that, whilst you have much yet to learn,
yours is a happy condition in life; and that
your pursuit is so essential, and its improve
ment so important to yourelves and the world
at large, as to claim for it a high place in the
estimation of mankind. And it is for you to
make this claim: for the world never respects
the man who does not respect himself.
You are to take your place, then, in that
race of honorable competition into which all
the trades and occupations of life have enter
ed, and whose goal is the honor and glory of
exalting their. own rofession, and adding so
much to the sum of human happiness. Who
possesses advantages superior to yours? 11 it h
every quality of, soil, and with a climate
which breathes into all the essential vegeta
tiles the breath of life, and into man the at
mosphere of health, what do you want but to
call into action the native strength of your
own mind and the energies of your own hands?
And in this connection let me disabuse
your minds of the hackneyed and thoughtless
expression, that farmers and their societies
should have tothing to do with politics. It
has been quaintly and w.sely said, that "poli
tics is the science of government;" and in the
operations of that government you are the
operatives, and you are in duty bound to take
an active and energetic.part. We mean, not
that miserable conspiracy among men, which
has no other object than the pursuit of that
power which gives to one party and takes
from another—whose only principle is centered
in the "loaves and fishes." But we do mean
that system of etlii6 which regards the honor
of the State, and the welfare, the prosperity
and interests of its people. To this you are
bound to look, or failing, to be abused and
your interests trampled on.
have you ever given yourselves the trouble
to inquire whether the existing laws give suf•
flcient protection to your rights and property?
Has it been the subjeci of reflection with you,
that the value of all your possessions is de
pendent upon the protection which the law
affords them? Do you know, and• if you do,
have you inquired into the reason why, that
to steal a shilling from a merchant's desk is a
crime, whilst to steal your fruit or your grow
ing corn, or tear down and carry away your
fences, is no criminal offence at all? That
whilst the merchant's shilling is Protected by
the fear of solitary confinement and labor,
you aro referred to. the tardy and fruitless
process of a civil remedy to recover damages
from the worthless thief. Has it never oc
curred to you that you have not been sufficient
ly felt in the Legislature of your own State to
demand• a redress of' such evils; for these are
but some of them. Have you been taught by
the history of the age in which you five, that
whilst, at the bidding of politidal power, light
houses, buoys,and breakwaters are springing
into existence to enrich the merchant, tariffs
ure enacted to protect the mechanic and the
manufacturer—that whilst military tactics and
engineering aro taught at the expense of, the
government, ships and men are employed in
the science of meteorology—and rights and
inventions protected by public, laws, there is
no care for you? That when a contract of
commerce and navigation, clothed under spe
cious disguise of a "reciprocal treaty," is to
be formed, and by which you are to be'lnet by
foreign competition in the gates of' your own
doniestio market, your interests are uo where?
Amidst all the discussions which you have
Irt - l.i.ktoil& *-rxril.o),
heard or read of these departments a the
government who so admirably manage the
education of the army and navy; and who
carefully protect the interest of commerce and
navigation, have you ever heard of a depart
ment of agriculture? In there even a bureau
or a clerk, except that excrescence which ille
gitimately hangs on We skirts of the Patent
Office, which throws any protection over your
interests, that are three fold greater than the
aggregate of all the rest?
We put these questions that your attention
may be drawn to the fact, that neither the
numbers you count, nor the great impqrtance
of thp business in, which you nre engaged, has
ever given you that rank in society which se
cures for you ak r the blessings of a well man
aged governmeny Our, object, too, is to ask
of you to !Dos Seriously at this subject, to as
sert Coldly and fearlessly your rights and your
wants and to stand together and by your num
bers commend respect.
But to elect this there must he mind, there
must be cultivated mind; for we should never
cease to remember that intellect is that 'talent'
which the goodness of God bestowed upon the
creature of his own image, not that it should
be buried in the earth, and restored upon the
return of its Lord and Master, in its original
simplicity, but that it should be cultivated,
enlarged and appropriated to His great design.
It is demanded of us all, then, that we should
put our hand to the noble work' of education;
and, especially, that we should direct that
education by a course of study which will tit
the adaptnonthe energies of the body
to that expansive, interesting and delightful
sui , ject in which you ire engnged, and for
which the world hna yet done au
Your attention niay lie profitably employed
by exhibiting this subject to you more in de
tail. I trust you are already impressed with
theiden, that there is no reason why knowl
edL:e ie not turned to the profitable account
“f the farmer,. as well as the lawyer, the mer
chant, or the statesman ; and when we speak
of profitable account, we mean that gain which
not only increases our worldly possessions,
but fits us for the gratifying appreciation of
the work oteour own hands; for teaching
whilst we are yet being taught, end for the
intelligent understanding of all those elements
and rules, too, of God's creation, with which
we habitually dent.
The education which is diffused by the lit
erary institutions of the present day, is un
profitable for you. And whilst we would not
detract by thought, much less by expression.
from the value of their temliings, preparatory
to the pursuit of professional life, yet we can
not hut look upon that sedentary process of a
buy's study, and the brilliant result of his
academic honors, as the attainment of a state
of total unfitness for the practical art which
you pursue. his body is without that muscu
lar strength which gives energy and activity;
his hands too soft and delicate to grapple
with the implements of agriculture. But es
pecially has his mind received those impress
ions of the pursuits of after life, and that view
of the smooth and easy path by which ho is
to follow some one of them, as to make him
turn with fear, if not disgust, from the fireside
of his own father. In his youthful estimation
he has so far outstripped his brothers and sis
ters, and even his parents, in the delicate
conventionalities of life, as to make his associ
ation as disagreeable to him as it is irksome
and formal to them.
It is a serious reflection, that in all the
progress which the art of teaching has made;
that all the advantages which the learned
institutions offer for the instruction of youth,
our country yet affords no school where the
combined sciences of art and agriculture are
taught. It is permitted to grovel along with.
out the aid of other than the common mind,
educated in the more common school.
Looking, then, at the mass of mankind who
pursue the occupation of the farmer; at the
immense amount of capital in their hands and
under their guidance, a spirit of philanthropy
should be excited, principles of political econ
omy awakened, and that virtuous ambition
which always stirs the hearts of men to deed&
of noble action, should prompt you to devise
some plan by which the hands and hearts and
minds of youth should be made to work to
gether in the acquisition of that kind of knowl
edge which will give to a farmer and his
pursuits, that interest which will command
the energies of his mind, as well as the labor
of his body, and induce him to take that
elevated rank in his intercourse with men
which that knowledge will give him.
Regarding the personal comfort., contented
spirit and daily happiness of the farmer, this
subject commends itself to your consideration.
The boy whose uneducated mind has never
been elevated to the capacity of reason,
whose ideas have never been enlightened to
contemplate the light and life which exists in
every atom of God's- creation with which he
habitually works, goes to his daily labor as a
meqsured task, having in it foe other interest
than the lapse of time for which he must toil.
But ho wiir enlightened intellect grasps the
subject of h)is work ; who can see the beautiful
workings Providence in imbedding germin-.
sting life In the bosom of a seed; who onn
understandihipoivers and chemical combi
nations of the earth, which cause that germ
to spring into existence and life, 'to bear
fruit after its own kind ;' who can appreciate
the beauty and mechanicism of that plant,
providentially, and therefore, wisely con
structed to meet the exigencies of heat and
cold, drought and wet ; who can look upon the
mysterious wo,rkings of the mouths and lungs
of the earth itself, whilst they gather food and
light but to disseminate them through the or
gans of plants ; who can examine with the eye
of it mechanic, the implement of his art, and
measure its fitness for the object of its em
ployment—h% it is who has elevated himself
to the standard of a man ; who has softened
down the toil of labor to a pleasant occupation;
who has afforded the example to the world,
that the pursdit of agriculture is the pursuit
'of learning and happiness, as well as wealth.
slow is this, so desirable an end, to be ac
complished ? In a word, by the: adoption of
a system of education which will combine the
appropriate teaching of the mental and physi
cal powers of men, and to give it practical
effect, that such teaching be condulled upon
the principle arid in the spirit of enlarged
economy. That whilst its advantages, are
brought within reach of those certain yet
moderate gains of a farmer, those generous
and noble impulses of the human heart which
an enlarged intellect should always develops,
may not be trammelled in their natural ten
dency to expand.
That the active, energetic exertions of the
body should be brought into requisition to af
ford the means to educate the mind. That each
should contribute thus to the aid of the other
and the perfection of both, is a beautiful and
striking system for the accomplishment of a
great and philanthropic -purpose. Whilst a
boy feels that he is working out his own posi
tion in after life, ho is embued with that no
ble spirit of self dependence, which enables
him in lifter time, and amidst the exigencies
and troubles of life, and, indeed in any emer
gency, to take a firm hold and give a right
direction.
What, and how much should we do to give
practical operation to these views
To farmers, permit us to say. you have nn
amount of interest in this subject which in
volves not only the more sordid consideration
of property and its value, but the high toned
character, the temporal happiness, and, we
almost said, the eternal welfare of your chil
dren. And to this let me add, that which
you should never cease to , remember, that
numl erg may command respect ; and then re
our to that admirable, practical and commen•
dable feature of the, government under which
we live, that the policy is wise which produces
the greatest good to the greatest number.
It is for you, then, at all times, and on all
proper occasions, to demand that in the prac
tical workings of society your interests must
be cared for ; that whilst schools, academics
and colleges receive the fostering care and
bountiful endowments of the government, the
farmers' school demands the like support. We
would have you, too, constantly to summon
yourself to the bar of your own conscience, to
contemplate the duty you owe to your own
*children ; to compare the life of ignorance ns
it gropes along its difficult path, which seems
to have no other object than that it may
breathe and live and dio—with the brightened
intellect of the intelligent man, who acts be
cause ho thinks—who moves in a . sphere of
usefulness and good, and whose steps mark
the path he treads through life.
To the merchant and mechanic, the active
and energetic motive powers of busy life, we
address our claims, and ask of you, to look
with favor upon any project which shall have
for its object the education of the farmer.—
The busy marts of men are filled with the pro_
ductsof his labor; his successand profits con'
tribute largely to the trade and commerce
which is the production of your enterprise.—
Whilst the abundant yield to the husbandma u
enriches him, the result is felt in every depart.
moot of the mechanic's shop. As, then, you
move and make your impress on the minds of
men, let it be tempered with the idea, that all
business, whether in the merchant's store, the
mechanic's shop, or the mariner's ship upon
the ocean, is dependent for its working ele
ments upon the products of the farm.
To the professor and the student—to you
who already posses the lights of reason, and
enjoy the fruits of knowledge, we appeal with
confidence, that your influence may be thrown
into the scale of agricultural progress—that
whilst you have in your own hands that helm
of power which gives direction to the elements
of government, you will always have in mind,
that to prfinote the true and efficient princi
ples of political economy, to expand and in
crease the influence or that virtue, whereby
alone we may hepe to maintain our own free
government and laws, is to educate the farmer.
We ask of the statesman whilst he advocates
the interest of his constituents at the bar of
the Senate, of the lawyer who advocates tho
cause of his client at the bar of justice, and
of that sacred omen which advocates the cause
of mon at the bar of Heaven, that they may
ever remember the magnitude of your tempor
al as well as eternal welfare.
Let us not forget to exhort those whose in.
fiance is, always and so strongly marked upon
he characters of men from the cratte to the
grave, to think of these things. The mother
4
whose affections root so deeply in ;the eiia
of her own offspring, whose anticipations are
oft stimulated to most painful anxiety for the
wellfare of her own child, who watches its
progress in life with an eye to doubt and dan
ger, whose hopes may be elevated to thank
fulness to the Giver of all good, that. he has
smiled gi aciously upon the career of her own
dear child ; or whose fearful forbodings may
be realized in the spectacle that he is despised
iti the society of men, and frowned upon by
the attributes of !leaven. We beg leave to re
mind you, that the influence of your power
should always be felt in the impress of your
continued influence.
In cont fusion, we have, a word to say with
regard to these our annually occurring exhibi
bilious. It is one of the characteristics of
your occupation, and, as it has been already
remarked, yours is necessarily an isolated
mode of life, you have not the advahtage of
constant intercourse in the busy marts of men,
where circulates the knowledge of the ever
changing progress of things. Improvements in
your own art, so Ur as your are coneerulrlie
buried in the Mechanic's shop. The discus
sions which your journals communicate, are
often the unintelligible foreshadowing of some
thing new ; the marvellous accounts of the
products of the field but serve to excite your
incredulty. But here all is reality. You meet
your friends who are embarked in the same 69-
terprise \ of life, and whose thoughts and hearts
are congenial with your own. You see many
of whom you bad before but heard. And here,
you learn to realize the force of numbers, of
inteiligenee, of strength, of which you are com
posed, and that power which may be wielded
by your will. You carry hence to your homes,
in your mind's eye, the beautiful models of
-your nit, the judgement-of them-use,-.lha_cab _
eulut ion of their value. And you see those
marvellous productions of the soil, which serve
to expand your own views of the extent of the
workings of .your own skill. These are the de
lightful points in your life, to which the mem
ory recurs with pleasure, and therefore we
_would have •you to remember that these exhi
bitions arc yours. That whilst you are their au
thors and finishers, no one of you should ever
fail to tic thew - friend and their patron.
WOMAN.—A pretty women is ono of the
"institutions of this country—au angel in dry
goods and glory. She makes sunshity, fourth
of July and happiness wherever E o goes.—
Iler prth is ono of delicious roses, perfume
and beauty. She is a aweet poem written In
rare curls, choice calico and good principles.
men stand up before her like so ninny admira
tion points, to melt into cream and then but
tr. Her words float around the ear like mu
sic, or the chimes of Sabbath bolls. Without
her, society would lose its truest attraction,
the church its firmest reliance, and young men
the very best of comforts and company. Her
influence and generosity restrain the vicious,
strengthen the weak, raise the lowly, flannel
shirt the heathen, and strengthen the faint
hearted. Wherever you find the virtuous wo
man, you also find pleasant firesides, boquets,
clean clothes, order, good living, gentle hearts,
piety, music, li 6 ht, and model institutions
generally. She is the flower of btimanity, a
a very Venus in dimity, and her inspiration is
the breath of heaven.
JUVENILE ATROCITY.—"Aunty, I saw a gen
tleman in the hotel reading room, busy with
two volumes at once."
"Why Charley—how was that ?"
"Aunty--he hal a volume of Dickens in one
hand, and a volume of smoke a cumin' out of
his mouth."
"Naughty, naughty Charley l"
iParTho finest idea of a thunder storm ex
tant is when Wiggins came home tight. Now
Wiggins is a teacher, and had been to a tem
perance meeting and drank too much lemon
ade, or, something. lie came into the room
among his wife and daughters ; and just then
he tumbled over the cradle and fell whop on
the floor. After a while he rose and said :
'Wife, aro you hurt!' 'No."Girls, are
you hurt I"No.'
IrTerrible clap,:wasn't it r
ORPHANS COURT SALE.
On SATURDAY, the 20th of October,
By virtue of nu order of the Orphans Court of Cumber
land County, to me directed, 1 will expose to public
sale on the premises, in Dickinson township, at 10 ec
clock, A. M. a certain
HOUSE and LOT OF GROUND
. situate in said township, bounded by
, • lands of Christopher Johnsoa's heirs,
.
• - •- Dr. Wm. Meteor and others, containing
TWO ACRES neat measure late the property of Eliza
both'Shenk, doc'd. This property is delighthally situ
ated as a residence and the title is indisputable.
Terms—Five per cent of the purchase money to be
paid on the confirmation of the sale. Ono half the bal
ance on the Ist of April. 1860, and the ether Milton the
let of April, 1857, without interest. The two latter
payments to too secured by recoguitance lu the Orphans
Court. • HENRY 511EN11,
aug 20 Administrator.
VitENOIT CORSETS.--Just TOCOIV
J. ed, a further supply of French Corsets of extra
fl
tem. Also uarsow Lintel Fringes for trvnining IRsco. es
june2o .
Aga OKO. W.. ITITNER.
Pitney Printing well excented.