SOLON ROBINSON, 1841 291 



plished by public spirited individuals traveling as I have 

 done through the country, stirring up and awakening 

 the lethargic feeling of the farmers, and urging them to 

 arouse themselves to take the stand in the first rank of 

 society, that their occupation entitles them to hold. The 

 prejudice against "book farming" is fast giving way to 

 a growing anxiety after scientific knowledge, as appli- 

 cable to the cultivating the soil. 



I have been astonished at the interest manifested to 

 become acquainted with one who had no claims to notice 

 except as an agricultural writer; and proud as I may 

 justly feel of the honors heaped upon me wherever I 

 went, I am only proud on account of the convincing 

 proof it gives me of the noble disposition of my country- 

 men to honor those who are devoted to the object, and 

 who ardently desire to see improvement in the bulwarks 

 of society, rapidly increasing. 



Rapid increase of wealth, in speculation or stock job- 

 bing, does not always indicate the best state of morals 

 in society. But show me a community rapidly increasing 

 in wealth by improvement in agricultural pursuits, and 

 I will insure you that the morals of that community are 

 in a healthy state. 



But I forget that my moralizing does not continue my 

 journey, and that there are sundry small items in my 

 note book, that may be more interesting to your readers 

 than my present writing. 



My letters which you have published have been dated 

 at various points on the road, but as I have progressed 

 more rapidly in my traveling than in my writing, I 

 must now make up lost time at home. As I passed 

 along, I saw so much to interest me, that my letters un- 

 avoidably run into particulars, perhaps tediously lengthy. 



My last, I believe, was from Baltimore. From thence 

 I took the Philadelphia rail road, which passes over a 

 great deal of poor, level country, and an uncommon num- 

 ber of long bridges. At Wilmington, I visited Dr. Lock- 

 wood and Dr. J. W. Thompson, two prominent friends of 



