30 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



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the courage of the people who make up the town meetin 

 I may, perhaps, best illustrate the civic virtues by speak 

 ing of some of the dangers to which a government like ours 

 is exposed. 



Foremost among these is unbounded material prosperity. 



Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, 

 Where wealth accumulates and men decay. 



Unprecedented material prosperity like ours always, and 

 everywhere, softens the muscles and relaxes the moral ener- 

 gies ; it inaugurates an era in which comfort is worshipped ; 

 in which the enjoyment and the prosperity of the individ- 

 ual is put above the interests of the whole community ; in 

 which men seek shelter under what they are pleased to call 

 the domestic virtues and forget the civic, and the service of 

 the State becomes the service of the individual ; and in which 

 a tendency grows up to convert public trusts to private uses. 

 The old distinction between the things of Caesar and the 

 things of God disappears altogether, for Caesar has the 

 whole. The real confession of faith is one in which faith 

 and works are not likely to have any trouble, for it is a full 

 and complete surrender of the individual to Ciesar. As 

 Lowell states it in the " Pious Editor's Creed : " — 



I du believe thet I should give 



Wut's his'n unto Caesar, 

 Fer it's by him I move an 1 live, 



Frum him my bread an 1 cheese air ; 



I du believe thet all o' me 



Doth bear his superscription, 

 Will, conscience, honor, honesty, 



An 1 things o 1 thet discription. 



But be of good cheer. Let Mammon, whose looks and 



thoughts 



Were always downward bent, admiring more 

 The riches of Heaven's pavement, trodden gold, 

 Than aught divine or holy else enjoyed 

 In vision beatific, — 



let Mammon pile up his millions. It is well to remember 

 that some good men acquire wealth and add now lustre to 



