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threshed, to the head of a hollovr, to use his own language, that when the 

 water rose, it would wash the straw away. 



This man never once thought that his rich land would wear out, or that he 

 should have any use for manure. My remark to him was, if he lived in 

 Yankee land, upon the poor hills of New Hampshire or Vermont, he would 

 find at the next term of the Probate Court after his conduct was known, the 

 town authorities had appointed a guardian to take charge of his interest 

 But the tide is turned, the age of practical education is dawning upon the 

 country. We shall soon have taught, from the common schools to the highest 

 institutions of the land, a practical knowledge of agriculture, mechanics, 

 arts, chemistry, botany, geology, and all those sciences that are so intimately 

 connected with the improvement of the soil, the animal and vegetable king- 

 doms. 



We must teach our children to know the character of the soil, and its adap- 

 tation to the production of each article raised for man or beast — teach them 

 to know the proper place for each article on the farm — how to build a com- 

 fortable house, with all the conveniences of life, as well as to teach him how 

 to enjoy himself when he is thus situated. Teach him something of the 

 beauty of nature, as it is exhibited, and the wonderful process that is going 

 on every moment around him, and above all teach him the obligations that he 

 owes to his creator, his fellow men, and to himself. 



The greatest good that is to follow these exhibitions of the skill and labor 

 of the country, will be that of making labor more attractive; we shall thus 

 be able to change this thirst for professional life, that seizes so many of our 

 young men— this aversion to manual labor. It has been justly said, that the 

 two great leading objects of human pursuit, are agriculture and mechanism. 

 In those are comprehended the wealth of the whole country. Each cultivator 

 of the soil must be made thoroughly acquainted with the character and capa- 

 bilities of his fields, and all classes familiar with the natural wealth with 

 which the country is blessed. 



We have too long regarded the representative alone, as the wise man, who 

 devises the best system of finance to carry forward great enterprises, by bor- 

 rowing millions. Suppose we change these stimulants of legislation, from 

 that of capital to that of labor, and regard him as the wise man who devises 

 a system that will make labor more attractive. 



Let us say by our conduct, that he who will present, at your county and 

 State Agricultural Fairs, the best model farm in Indiana, is as much entitled 

 to oflBce as the commander of a regiment in battle. He who will ascertain 

 the cause of the potato rot, and provide the remedy, is as much entitled to 

 the respect of his fellow men, as he who manages the finances of a bank suc- 

 cessfully — that he, at least, does as much for his race and country. 



The country will not be retrograding, when the highest oifice shall be given 

 to the mechanic and manufacturer who shall make the best model mechanism» 

 or the finest piece of cloth. Let the plough, the loom and the anvil, have their 

 associations, conventions, shows and fairs. When they meet, you will have 

 essays, discussions and experiments. In this way you will not only make 



