No. 11. 



JJsricnItural Address. 



355 



but where are the sons and daughters of our 

 farmers ! Will they be content to bring up 

 the rear in the march of improvement] 



Our colleges too are filled with young 

 men obtaining all the acquirements thnt are 

 supposed to be necessary for the popular 

 professions — doctors, lawyers, and theologi- 

 ans, are increasing almost without number 

 in all parts of our country. And a passion 

 for professional and mercantile pursuits has 

 found its way into the quiet home of the 

 husbandman; and his sons, by the time they 

 enter their " teens," are ready to go forth in 

 pursuit of knowledge, honour, and wealth, 

 which they conceive can not be obtained in 

 the more unobtrusive walks of agricultural 

 life. And why is it so? Why should the 

 cultivation of the soil be considered a me- 

 nial employment? — Because the machinery 

 of the human mind has not been sufficiently 

 exercised in the operations of the farmer — 

 because agriculture has been followed as a 

 mere manual art, which has fed and clothed 

 the body, but which has not aimed to satisfy 

 the mind. In short, it has not been pursued 

 as a science. It is not a matter of surprise 

 that so many should engage in what are 

 called the learned professions, when we con- 

 sider the constitution of the human intellect, 

 its attributes, and its aspirations, and that 

 it is constantly pressing forward in the voy- 

 age ofdicovery; but if we elevate tlie stand- 

 ard of that profession which is the basis of 

 all others, we offer inducements to the aspi- 

 rant after knowledge to enter the field, and 

 become acquainted with the sublime truths 

 which are now so little appreciated and un- 

 derstood. For certainly agriculture is the 

 foundation of our social, political, and com- 

 mercial existence. Every land is enriched 

 by its treasures — every sail that flaps upon 

 the ocean, wafts its products — every anvil 

 sounds praises to its mother earth ; and as 

 agriculture is the first among the sciences, 

 in alphabetical order, so is it first in import- 

 ance to the community of mankind: and yet 

 it is left to find its own auxiliaries, and to 

 seek its own security — and its security con- 

 sists in great measure in the formation and 

 efficient discipline of agricultural associa- 

 tions — in the study of natural science, which 

 brings man into a closer communion with 

 Supreme Intelligence, elevates his mind to 

 purer thoughts, revives and strengtjiens the 

 virtues of his heart; and thus increases the 

 safety of society and the stability of govern- 

 ment. 



In carrying on this work of elevating the 

 character of the labouring class, by calling 

 out their dormant powers of mind, we must 

 encounter difficulty; and the most formida 

 ble obstacles in the way, are a blind and ob 



stinate adherence to old practices, on the 

 one hand, and an equally sightless and sense- 

 less attachment to mischievous novelties on 

 the other. With the one class, every thing 

 that is written on the subject is received 

 with doubt and prejudice, and whatever 

 treats of agricultural improvement on scien- 

 tific principles, is set down to the credit of 

 theory and book learning ; and none are sup- 

 posed to possess a knowledge of husbandry 

 but those who hold the handles of the plough. 

 These forget that the hands of man were 

 made as well to direct a pen as to dig the 

 earth ; and the mind, to think as well of the 

 connexion between causes and their results, 

 as of buying, selling, and getting gain. 

 With the other class, fanciful speculations 

 are allowed too often to throw the mind from 

 its proper balance, and to impair its judg- 

 ment ; yet even these are useful, as nearly 

 all the arts and sciences are indebted for 

 some of their most important principles and 

 valuable discoveries, to the experiments of 

 the ingenious and visionary. The most ef- 

 fectual way of guarding against the recep- 

 tion of mere speculative opinions, is to study 

 the laws of vegetable life, the chemical con- 

 stituents of plants, and their relation with 

 the chemical properties of the soils upon 

 which they grow. The most certain auxili- 

 ary that agriculture has within its reach to 

 secure its own progress and prosperity, is 

 the proper training of the rising generation. 

 Let every farmer who has a son, teach him 

 to admire nature, and inspire him with a 

 love for the study of her works. Show him 

 that the formation of our globe, with all its 

 marvellous varieties, with every thing that 

 moves and grows upon its surface, and the 

 deep rocks and eternal fires that lie shel- 

 tered in its bosom, are evidences of the most 

 sublime and profound science. Teach him 

 that the earth, which he divides with his 

 plough, is not a mere accumulation of inert 

 matter, but that it possesses properties which 

 it is the duty of all who cultivate it to study 

 — that the sun sheds not its rays merely to 

 give light and warmth to man, but to invite 

 the plants of the soil to burst through its 

 crust, and beautify the footstool of Deity. 

 Trained under such influences, think you 

 that your young men would be so desirous 

 to exchange the substantial realities of hus- 

 bandry for the uncertain chances of com- 

 merce ! or for the doubts and anxieties of 

 professional life? 



Educate them as you ought, and as they 

 deserve, and when they mingle in society 

 they will not feel themselves deficient in 

 intelligence, and shrink from association 

 with good and wise men — they will stand 

 where they ought to stand, among the first 



