*26 THE FARMER'S MANUAL. 



This may now be easily acquired by the assistance 

 of the small school Geographies, with their Atlasses, 

 which cost about 75 cents ; and thys your winter 

 evenings may be converted to the pleasure and im- 

 portance of acquiring the valuable science of Geogra- 

 phy, so that when you read in your news-papers the 

 events, occurrences and transactions of foreign na- 

 tions, you may, by the assistance of these school 

 maps, bring those countries before you, and thus 

 render them as familiar to your minds as the towns, 

 or societies, in which you live. In this way, this 

 news-paper foreign intelligence will be both interesting 

 and useful. In this way, the general instruction of 

 your families will be greatly improved, and a free and 

 pleasant social intercourse heighten the enjoyments 

 of a winter's fire-side. The study of Astronomy and 

 Natural Philosophy, should also make up a part of 

 these useful and social enjoyments. Philip's Lec- 

 tures on Astronomy, and Blair's Grammar of Philoso- 

 phy, are cheap and valuable books adapted to the 

 rapacities of children as well as men, and will im- 

 part all the knowledge upon these important subjects, 

 useful or necessary in common life. This system of 

 instruction your children cannot obtain in your com- 

 mon schools ; but with your encouragement and as- 

 sistance, they may become ambitious to obtain it, and 

 by a proper spirit of emulation, they may be made to 

 excel in these sciences ; this will not only render 

 them familiar to your own minds, and thus become 

 a source of enjoyment to you, but they will afford 

 you the lasting satisfaction of witnessing the improve- 

 ments of your families. In this way, a laudable emu- 

 lation amongst children of the same family, and of the 

 same neighbourhoods, may be excited, and thus the 

 most valuable improvements of the mind become the 

 medium of the most social and familiar intercourse. 

 It must be understood, that the farmers of all coun- 

 tries are the pillars of the State, and that the wealth, 

 support and well-being of all communities, depend on 



