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the flaming sword of cherubim barred him forever " from the tree of life," 

 and "in the sweat of his brow" he was commanded and compelled to 

 "eat his bread," two pitying angels followed his footsteps and cheered 

 his fallen estate. The one was Religion, and the other Art ; the one 

 pointed his eye to a better world ; the other taught him how to improve 

 and enjoy this. Aided by art, and by mental and physical exertion, man 

 has "taken possession of the earth and subdued it ;" he has cleared away 

 the thorns and briars and made "the wilderness bud and blossom as the 

 rose." 



Among the ten thousand means which art has devised, for improving 

 the condition of the human family, the enlightened pursuits of Agricul- 

 ture slill remain the most inviting, the most productive, the most noble. 

 The cultivation of the soil still continues the employment of the great 

 mass of mankind ; and whatever lightens its burdens or elevates its vota- 

 ries, must command the ready attention of all right-minded persons. 



Invited by the occasion, I shall venture a few remarks, not upon the 

 practical details of agricultural employment, but upon the qualities and 

 acquirements which should characterize the enlightened American Farmer. 



And, in the first place, allow me to say : The xVmerican Farmer should 

 honor and love his calling. It was the occupation of primeval innocence. 

 The purest and greatest of men have turned to it, when the world's 

 wealth and honors and stations palled upon their cloyed senses. 



Health, strength, competence, and peace attend upon the fai-mer's toils. 

 The sun and the sky smile directly upon his head. The fruits and the 

 flowers of earth spring beneath his feet, obedient to his call. The free 

 breezes fill his lungs and fan his manly brow. His condition is one of 

 practical independence. He sits beneath his own vine and fig tree. He 

 eats the fruits of his own labor. His wealth and his honors depend not 

 upon the smiles of princes or the favor of the populace, but upon his own 

 right arm, and the blessing of that God who has set his bow in the 

 Heavens, as a witness that svimmer and winter, seed-time and har^■est 

 shall not fail. No man prospers long who is ashamed of his occupation. 

 His intellect flags, his hand refuses to do his bidding. Lost to self 

 respect, he feels that the scorn of the world is upon him. Poverty waits 

 at his door, and despondency .sits upon his brow. If such a man be dig- 

 nified by the name of farmer, what can you expect from him ? Though 

 he put his hand to the plow, his own shadow will cause him to faint in 

 the furrow. Pride, emulation, conscious rectitude, honorable ambition, 



