THE 



ADDRESS 



OF 



ISAIAH IFESTON, ESQ,. 



vice-president of the society. 



Gentlemen — 



WHEN agriculture and domestic manufactures arc 

 our theme, we interest the feelings of all, because they 

 are the stay and staff of human life, and the Jachin and 

 Boaz of our National Independence. We read the sub- 

 limity of our subject in the great volume of nature ; we 

 measure our views of it in the extent of our country ; 

 and the conformation of it is the type of its grandeur.' 

 When the Hero of the Revolution " beat his sword into 

 a ploughshare, and his spear into a pruning-hook," the 

 " spirit of the Redeemer" entered the temple, " drove 

 out the buyers and sellers, and overset the tables of the 

 money-changers. " 



It is now no profanation of the sacred place, rescued 

 from the " sacrilegious spirits of horsemanship," to make 

 it a place for the free and noble heart to receive the civic 

 crown, the reward most grateful to genius and industry. 

 A little attention to the progress of civilization Vv'ill shew 

 us, that the manufacturer is nature'' s ma?!, and the true 

 Ainerican, without whom we have no food, raiment, hab- 

 itation, or implement of defence. 



It has been said, " that manufactures should be left t» 

 themselves ;" but guided by the best interest of our coun- 

 try, if manufactures are the best means of ensuring our 

 independence, we think this is not the language of v/is- 

 dom or patriotism, 



