1883.] ADDRESS OF MR. Z. A. GILBERT. 303 



they have been educated to the special work in which they are 

 about to engage ? Does not society accoi'd to them those higher 

 positions, and do we not say, when here and. there one of them 

 breaks down and comes to the level of common life, that he has 

 fallen ? If he has fallen, it was because he was placed in a higher 

 position, and had room to fall to the common level. Now, as 

 these young men whom I have met here go out into the farm life 

 of Connecticut, are you, fathers, are you, mothers, in this Board 

 of Agriculture, prepared to accord to them higher positions in 

 this life on the farm, in this social standing, from the fact of their 

 having been educated in these speciaf directions, and for this 

 special work ? It is a duty that devolves upon ev^ery individual 

 in Connecticut to honor with the highest commendations, with the 

 most earnest encouragement within his power, every one of these 

 young men who is ready to set up his standard for the farm. Are 

 you prepared to do it ? I trust you are. If you are, you have 

 got a step in advance of the State of Maine. Young men gradu- 

 ating from our common schools, who are prepared, through their 

 better and higher intelligence, by reading the public press and 

 agricultural literature, to take these better and higher positionsi, — 

 shall we not accord to them these positions which they are qualified 

 to fill ? If we would elevate the standard of fai'm life amongst 

 us, we must encourage our young men to fit themselves for any 

 position in these directions. "We must give to them our support, 

 we must give them every aid to start them out in these efforts for 

 a hfe among us. Will our young men then be looking to other 

 States for what is here within their reach ? Shall we not find 

 them in these rural towns, and at work on these lands here, and 

 among us ? And will they not find then, when this social atmos- 

 phere is so pervaded with a willingness and desire on our part to 

 help them, to elevate them, — will they not find sufficient induce- 

 ment to remain here ? "Will they not then realize that we want 

 them, that we are willing to use them, that we propose to use 

 them ? That when they become fitted by contact with the world, 

 we are going to'take them and put them into still higher positions, 

 and thus, while we honor them, honor the farm. It is within our 

 power to change the whole aspect of social life on our farms, 

 when we put forth our efforts to do it. And, Mr. President, just 

 such meetings as you have been holding here are a work in that 

 direction; and the influence of these meetings does help im- 



