AGRICULTURAL DECAY, 33 



the Lord Jesus for pardon and for acceptance 

 and for healing for his name's sake. 



* 

 Surely in this simple yet comprehensive 



covenant there was nothing that savored of 



intolerance. 



It is quite true that this region is " not phy- 

 sically the best part of the State." Indeed, 

 there is not much of Connecticut that is physi- 

 cally good, if by that term is understood 

 adaptation to agriculture, especially agriculture 

 which comes into competition with that of the 

 great West. Tobacco and onion culture in the 

 river bottoms is about all that yields a profit. 



It is not easy to understand by what process 

 the farmers of these inland districts manage 

 not only to support life, but to clothe them- 

 selves and their families with decency, to pay 

 their taxes, and to maintain their churches. 

 Old men tell sad stories of decadence since the 

 railroads destroyed their industry of supplying 

 the city markets. Farms, they say, are not 

 worth one-half of what was tlieir value fifty 

 years ago. What a commentary is this on the 

 claim of the protectionists, that manufactories 

 encourage the farming in their neighborhood ! 

 Certainly the manufacturing interest is centred 

 3 



