406 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



drove out the man." Since then, man has been seeking good 

 from himself, and has been reaping the reward of his hands, has 

 continued to labor among thorns and thistles, and to eat his bread 

 by the sweat of his brow, of which man cannot live alone. He 

 was not driven from this Garden by any arbitrary decree of the 

 Creator, his own selfishness drove him out. Good and evil could 

 not dwell together. He saw no utility in the beauties of God's 

 creations. To him there was no enjoyment in the cultivation of 

 fruit and flowers. There was nothing in them that satisfied his 

 greedy thirst for gain. Riches being his God, at its shrine he 

 worshipped, and devoted his time to raising flocks and herds and 

 to the cultivation of cereals and roots. Feeding upon these alone 



* 



his nature grew cold and sterile, the earth yielded to his influence 

 and instead of producing fruits and flowers it brought forth thorns 

 and thistles. 



To bring man back to his original goodness and the earth to its 

 pristine state should command our best efforts. We should 

 learn that whatever God created was for a good purpose, thftt all 

 tht bad results are caused by the acts of man, that there is utility 

 in fruit and flowers as well as in flocks and herds, cereals and 

 roots, that while the production of the latter alone, hardens man's 

 nature and makes him cold and indifferent to the wants of others, 

 combined with the former his nature becomes softened, he is 

 made generous and ' benevolent, and mindful of others' needs. 

 Fruit and flowers exert a marvelous influence. Some ancient 

 writer has said, " No man can live among- music and flowers with- 

 out being made better." He might well have added fruit. While 

 music charms the ear, and flowers delight the eye, fruit satisfies 

 the taste ; and man cannot help being made better by the coin-, 

 bined enjoyment of them all. What felicitous enjoyment there is 

 in partaking of a delicious fruit supper, among friends, in the 

 midst of flowers, listening to sweet music. After suctua gratifica- 

 tion of the senses one might well in retirement dream of living in 

 Elysiau Gardens and awake in a state of cheerfulness and christian 

 benevolence, yet how few will give proper attention to their 

 cultivation. We are informed that it was through the influence 

 of woman that man ate of the forbidden fruit and that by his 

 eating a great curse has fallen upon all mankind ; and she as well 

 as man often complains very seriously because father Adam was 

 so weak-minded as to be tempted by woman ; forgetting that 

 woman is now every day tempting man as did mother Eve, to eat 



