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with her from childhood — I speak of farmers' daughters. If 

 there are any other young women wliose habits as to strangers 

 and the liome people are such that they could not be made use 

 of in this comparison, I have myself no knowledge of them. 



The farmer's life, with all its variety, dependent upon the 

 changes in the natural things with which he has to do, brings 

 him thus into sympathy with nature herself, which is pleasing 

 and refreshing. It may be true that many farmers do not take 

 much notice of this. But there are those that do. And there 

 is an influence from this source upon many even of those that 

 have no care or thought of it. 



I understand very well that a farmer's life is not altogether 

 or mainly made up of poetry or any other kind of sentiment. 

 But there are no lives that are. There is plain and hard work 

 everywhere. But this I afl&rm, that the farmer has his work 

 with more of interruption and variety in it than most men. 

 And moreover that living upon the open face of nature and in 

 the midst of all those scenes and appliances designed to refresh 

 the sense and quicken the imagination, he may and does gain 

 thus a benefit of this sort, for which, whether he always knows 

 it or not, he owes thanks to his calling. 



But further, the farm gives the farmer a fair opportunity for 

 mental culture. 



In the first place, the business of agriculture has its own 

 requirements in intelligence, and they are not small. It offers 

 opportunity to study in many ways in its own special line, and 

 demands it in order to the highest success. You are familiar 

 with the subject at this point, to which your attention is often 

 directed, and I need not dwell upon it. Only I will observe 

 that in so far as knowledge, of whatever sort, is in fact needed 

 for the most successful prosecution of your work, in so far at 

 least you have opportunity to gain it, since your business pays 

 you for it. 



Besides, agriculture has its special connections, somewhat 

 outside of itself, that invite to thoughtf illness and knowledge. 

 Some of these are legal in their nature. And there may be 

 mentioned, as a specimen, the question often agitated in other 



