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industry is so steadily remunerating as that connected with the soil 

 a fact now practically disbelieved ; or why would such amounts of 

 nionied capital be continually drawn from the agricultural districts to 

 your commercial^ cities, to be embarked in hazardous enterprises, or 

 doubtful investments'? The merchant, or the speculator may fall and 

 fail he does, very often and in his downfall. is often buried the toils of 

 a long life of patient industry. But who ever knew a good farmer, 

 of prudent habits to fail? Nay, who did not, with an exemption from 

 extraordinary ills in life, ultimately grow rich, and discharge mean- 

 time, all the duties of a good citizen? I concede to you the many 

 prominent cases which exist, of wealth rapidly accumulated by bold 

 and successful speculation; of fortunate, perhaps accidental adven- 

 ture; of hoards heaped up by a long course of perseverance in trade, 

 directed by that intuitive sagacity of which but few among us all are 

 endowed, and which so dazzlingly invite our imitation. Yet these 

 are but a few glaring instances, standing out in bold relief among the 

 many who have sunk in the same career, perhaps with a ruined peace; 

 happy afterwards to retire, were it in their power, upon the limited 

 possession which they had thrown away, to commence their wasting 

 strife upon the broad sea of adventure. 



A second advantage would be, that it would invite, annually, a large 

 class of educated men of capital from our cities, to invest a portion of 

 their wealth in our farms, convinced by the knowledge acquired in a 

 course of agricultural education, that Husbandry was a good business, 

 and intending to pursue it as the occupation of their lives, it would 

 cause a reflux of that capital and population which had been drawn 

 away from agriculture. Nor would such associations among us de- 

 tract from the industrious habits of our farmers by their example. 

 They, by the possession of larger estates than we enjoy, might give 

 more of their time to leisure than we are accustomed to spend; but 



