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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



acts, as Prime Minister of England, will be to offer 

 some assistance to the Chairman of the Labourers' 

 Dwellings Society, and in doing so to strike off the 

 Law of Settlement from the Books of England. With 

 this still to contend against, however good our inten- 

 tions, the selfish and short-sighted will soon relapse 

 into their old ways, and the working man be dug 

 out and hunted off like some hateful vermin. 



Then, again, Mr. Cooper feelingly protests against 

 one of the curses of the country, and one that the 

 discomfort of a man's house encourages. This is 

 drunkenness; and sound enough so far the argument ; 

 but the Statute Book encourages such vice quite as 

 much or more. The labouring man cannot get his drop 

 of beer without crossing the threshold of the public- 

 house, or by throwing his children in the way of that 

 temptation he himself may be cautious enough to avoid. 

 How many miserable homes— how much immorality 

 and crime is directly traceable to that legislative 

 wisdom which drives the working classes to the beer- 

 shop ! It is not the mere act of inciting the gentry to 

 build better houses for the labourers that will raise the 



tone and morals of the man. Let us rather at the 

 same time see how he stands from other points of view, 

 and what others may do for him. At this moment it 

 is by those most able to help him that he is the most 

 neglected : while without that assistance, all our indi- 

 vidual efforts must be deprived of much of their effect. 

 Every one but the Government would seem keenly 

 alive to the question. There was the meeting at 

 Romsey on one day. There was a far larger gathering, 

 with precisely the same object, at Edinburgh a day or 

 two previous. It is no longer a class topic with the 

 agricultural journals, but newspapers of all orders and 

 opinions have given their best support to the move- 

 ment. The public mind is fairly roused, and surely 

 the Government will be no longer asleep. The Law of 

 Settlement, as the first step, must be repealed. The 

 baneful action of the Malt-tax and the Beer-shop Bill 

 must be, at least, relieved. And then Lord Palmerston 

 and Mr. Cowper may speak alike with consistency and 

 thorough honesty of intention, either in the Town Hall 

 of Romsey or the Commons House of Parliament. 



HEXHAM FARMERS' CLUB 



The Annual Meeting of the Hexham Farmers' Club was 

 held at the White Hart Inn, Hexham, on Tuesday, Jan. 8 : 

 John Grey, Esq., of Dilston, in the chair. 



The Secretary (Mr. J. Lee) read the committee's report 

 for the past year, which showed the Society, after an exis 

 tence of 15 years, to be in a state of the most satisfactory 

 prosperity. The members numbered 179, and there was a 

 balance in the hands of the treasurer of £22 5s. (Jd._ The 

 library contained 200 volumes on agricultural subjects, be- 

 sides a number of magazinea and periodicals. A subscrip- 

 tion had been entered into for practically testing the steam 

 plough in the district, and £80 had alreadj' beea raised to- 

 wards this object. Messrs. Fattiuson and Co., of Hexham, 

 iron founders, were ready to place a steam engine at the 

 disposal of the society, whenever the time should be fixed 

 upon for the trial. 



TheTyneside Agricultural Society held its Annual Meet- 

 ing at the conclusion of the business of the Farmers' Club ; 

 and the report showed that after i'lOS had been expended 

 in premiums, upwards of £43 remained in the treasurer's 

 hand?. 



An Exhibition of Roots took place concurrently with the 

 above meetings ; and for mangold wurtzels Mr John Craw- 

 ford, of Beaufront, was awarded the first prize ; Mr. J. Lee, 

 of Dilston, the second. Swede turnips : Mr. Matthew 

 Wilkinson, of Bradley, first ; Mr. Robert Jewitt, Cor- 

 bridgp, second. Other varieties of turnips : Mr. A. Cow- 

 ing, Moralee, first; Mr. Wm. Charlton, Lenillo, Eecond. 



At the anniversary dinner of the societies, held at the 

 White Hart, there was a numerous assemblage of the princi- 

 pal gentry and clergy of the district, under the presidence 

 of John Grey, Esq.; and the Rev. Christopher Bird, of 

 ChoUerton, read a very interesting paper on the education 

 of farmers' sons. He said that the jouug agriculturist ought 

 to have a more enlarged and liberal education than that 

 which prevails at our ordinary schools — an education built 

 on a deeper and broader foundation, and with better mate- 

 rials than had hitherto been the case. Farmers did not oc- 

 cupy that relative social position, nor exercise that political 

 influaice, nor give to agriculture that dignity which, consi- 

 dering the capital they employed, the abilities they exercised, 

 and the supreme importance of their occupation, they ought 

 to. If it were the duty of the manufacturer to provide 

 clothing and furniture, of the merchant to distribute them, 



of the physician to take care of our health, of the lawyer 

 to guard our property and person, of the architect to build 

 our houses, and of the clergyman to guide our faith, all of 

 whom are looked upon as enlightened men, it was the office 

 of the farmer to provide wholesome food for the community ; 

 and to do this scientifically, it required that he also should 

 be educated. If the farmer failed" to perform his duty, the 

 whole fabric of society must fall to the ground. What 

 reason, then, could be given why the agriculturist should not 

 feel himself upon a level with any of these professions, ex- 

 cept that Ins education liad been neglected ? The capital 

 embarked — the labour and care exerted — the number of 

 bands employed, directly and indirectlj', by the plough, 

 were two-fold more than were put in motion by the loom ; 

 and yet the manufacturer and merchant exercised double 

 the political influence which the farmer did, as the latter 

 was often made to feel, by the distribution of taxes. He 

 could see no other cause for this than that the sons of 

 merchants and manufacturers and professional men had a 

 a more enlarged education, and more of that power which 

 general knowledge gives. They felt themselves more equal 

 to take a prominent part in political discussions, and were 

 better qualified to ^ain a hearing from the public by speak- 

 ing and writing. A fluent tongue, a loud voice, and a confi- 

 dent air would carry the day always against a silent adver- 

 sary. It was a saying, " truth is mighty and will prevail ;" 

 but he had found that those opinions which were most 

 strenuously and ably enforced generally gained the ascend- 

 ancy. Education was making rapid advauces amongst all 

 classes, under the encouragement and support of Govern- 

 ment; and great facilities were being afforded the labouring 

 classes f_r the education of their children. Few in the next 

 decennary period would be unable to read and write; and 

 unless some strong effort was made on behalf of the rising 

 generation in the agricultural world, they would find them- 

 selves distanced in the race, and left in the rear by a class of 

 persons whose occupation was much humbler than their own. 

 He then proceeded to show the kind of education they 

 should seek to acquire, instancing particularly, after having 

 gone through an elementary course of training, botany, 

 geology, chemistry, and mechanics. 



The discussion raised on this important topic was particu- 

 larly interesting. Several toasts of a local and general cha- 

 racter followed, the evening being spent apparently to the 

 gratification of all present. 



