16 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



this country town to those that are enjoyed by many of our 

 larger towns and cities. We rejoice also in our churches 

 and in the pleasant church buildings, where with our fami- 

 lies and friends we mingle our worship and our gratitude 

 to the Giver of all good. We are grateful also for the privi- 

 leges that come to us from our free public library, and also 

 for the building in which we are gathered at this time. 

 All of this we know is the fruit of honest toil and industry, 

 and the gift to us from willing and generous hearts. We 

 must not, however, rest on the record of the past, for we 

 know that the grand work that Almighty God has given us 

 to do is to reach out our hand on every side to our fellow- 

 man, and to encourage him in every honorable occupation 

 to make the greatest improvement in his work and to use 

 every opportunity to advance in all the departments of life. 

 In the close competition that enters into all our business 

 life to-day we must ever keep before our minds that edu- 

 cated industry is one of the first and most important ele- 

 ments of success, and, as has been so well said before, that 

 educated industry is the protection of our youth. It is the 

 glory of manhood ; it is the base of our national wealth and 

 prosperity. 



And so we are very glad to welcome the State Board of 

 Agriculture here to-day in the interests of our farmers. 

 We know that you have come to us full of the enthusiasm of 

 your special work, with all the best thought and experience 

 of the year. 



We are very glad also to welcome the representatives of 

 our State Agricultural College and Experiment Station. 

 We are grateful for the advantages that come to our farmers' 

 boys from the Agricultural College, in vino; to them the 

 opportunity to secure an education in accordance with the 

 means of the farmers, — a college not only fitting them to 

 be farmers but fitting them to be men in every department 

 of life and useful in the community wherever they may be 

 placed ; fitting them to understand the business of their 

 town, and enabling them to so educate themselves that they 

 can well assist in the halls of legislation and to understand 

 what we desire to carry forward in the interest of the agri- 



