10 



culture of mother earth, but the culture of mind and heart. The 

 school and the church were planted. First a building which answered 

 three purposes — a church, a school, and a fort. It was made of logs, 

 and a cannon bristled through port-holes on the top, while instruc- 

 tion and worship went on in the room below. Now this was a hard 

 beginning ; but in it brain, and will, and muscle were wrought out : 

 intelligence, culture and character that rules men ; power that com- 

 mands the situation, whatever it may be. It is that power that 

 bearded the lion in his island lair. It is that power that emptied the 

 tea into Boston harbor, taking the Atlantic ocean for a tea pot. It 

 is that power that declared for freedom and independence in the face 

 of the whole world, with only a handful of men to fight out proposi- 

 tions making the figures with bayonets traced in blood. It is that 

 power that triumphed at Yorktown. It is that power which has 

 spread over the West and stretched New England to the Pacific. It 

 is that power which has swelled out wheat productions to five hun- 

 dred million bushels and made ours the foremost wheat growing 

 country in the world. It is that power which, when the first rebel 

 missile struck Fort Sumpter, organized a regiment instanter, and 

 then enabled that regiment to double quick it from Boston to New 

 York, from New York to Baltimore, double quicking it still, through 

 brick bats, paving stones, and cracking revolvers, on to Washington, 

 stacking arms in the capital, waitin orders, ready for the charge. 



All this is the power that slumbers in New England's yeoman's 

 arm. The stalward sons and defenders of libertj^ have always hailed 

 "from the hill country;" and liberty waves her banner more proudly 

 and defiantly midst mountain fastnesses ; and stands for Fatherland 

 midst shot and shell more firmly. Thus the farmers of New England 

 have given to the country some of her grandest defenders. 



And not only her defenders in the use of material weapons, but 

 grand defenders of the right and the truth ; leaders in opinions, 

 The most of these have come from the farm house ; from swinging 

 the scythe, from pitching the hay and oats, from following the plow, 

 from wielding the axe. It is here that physical manhood is wrought 

 out and fitted for legislative struggle, to grasp the questions of state, 

 making men strong enough for railroad kings, merchant princes, 

 grand orators, military commanders and commercial leaders. The 

 farm is giving the most of these men to the country. The farm is 

 thus a most important training-school for responsible and trying posi- 

 tions in life. And I verily believe that a country without farmers 

 would be a country without defence. 



