40 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



greater power in his special employment, and also, a better 

 position and more influence in society. Agriculture should be 

 regarded more as an intellectual employment. Man makes a 

 given force accomplish a greater piece of work in proportion as 

 he is intelligent. Skill takes the place of muscle. A better 

 product is obtained with less labor. Make men intelligent, 

 and they will find a shorter process for obtaining results. They 

 will become inventive. Make labor intelligent and you will 

 enhance its value, inasmuch as mind is superior to matter. We 

 yield to superiority of intellect, but not to brute force. 



In society, men should not be known as farmers, as doctors, 

 as lawyers, &c., but should be known as men. These are only 

 the avenues by which they seek to promote their comfort and 

 prosperity and gratify personal wants. To judge of a man, it 

 is not necessary to inquire what he does, but how he does it. 

 It is the man that determines the dignity of his occupation, and 

 not the oocupation that measures the dignity of the man. 

 Knowledge exalts; ignorance degrades. It is man's intellect 

 that raises him above the brute. Knowledge gives position. 

 We like to associate with our equals or superiors in knowledge. 

 We must not be slow to make superior skill and knowledge 

 take the place of hard labor. Many of our substantial farmers 

 work too hard. We sometimes find men who can do an 

 immense amount of hard work, and also of continued and close 

 thinking ; but they are " like angels' visits, few and far 

 between." Farming will be esteemed honorable just in propor- 

 tion as it is associated with refinement and intelligence. There 

 is no reason why the farmer should not be an aifable and polite 

 man. To be so, he must practise a continued effort in that 

 direction. 



Let the farmer strive to make others pleased with themselves 

 while they are in his presence. True politeness consists in the 

 kindness of the heart, kindly expressed. The isolation of the 

 farmer and his toilsome life render him liable to become coarse 

 and awkward in manners and speech. The ability to converse 

 with force and clearness, with grace and propriety, should be, 

 therefore, a part of his study. It is not enough that we merely 

 have knowledge. We must be able to impart that knowledge 

 to others. Many farmers have native good sense without the 

 power of using good language, and consequently they do not 



