114 Hymn of the City, — Philadelphia Agricultural Society. Vol. XII. 



Hymn of the City. 



BY \Vl LIAM C. BRYANT. 



Not in the solitude 

 Alone may man commune with heaven, or see 



Only in savage wood 

 And sunny vale the present Deity; 



Or only hear his voice 

 Where the winds whisper and the waves rejoice. 



Even here do I behold 

 The steps, Almighiy !— here, amidst the crowd 



Through the great city rolled, 

 With everlasting murmur deep and loud — 



Choking the ways that wind 

 'Mongst the proud piles, the work of human kind. 



Thy golden sunshine comes 

 From the round heaven, and on their dwellings lies, 



And lights their inner homes — 

 For them thou fillest with air the unbounded skies 



And givesl them the stores 

 Of ocean, and the harvest of its shores. 



Thy Spirit is around. 

 Quickening the restless mass that sweeps along; 



And this eternal sound- 

 Voices and footfalls of the numberless throng — 



Like the resounding sea, 

 Or like the rainy tempests, speaks of thee. 



And when the hours of rest 

 Come, like a calm, upon the mid sea brine, 



Hushing its billowy breast— 

 The quiet of the moment, too, is thine; 



It breathes of Ilim who keeps 

 The vast and helpless city v\hile it sleeps. 



Report of the Comniittee of Arrange- 

 ment of the Philadelphia Society for 

 Promoting Agriculture. 



The committee of arrangement appointed 

 to prepare for and attend the annual e.xliibi- 

 tion of this Society, submit the following 

 Report : 



The exhibition was held at the Lamb 

 Tavern on the Lancaster turnpike, one mile 

 from the Schuylkill permanent bridge, on 

 the 14th and 15th of October. 



The committee had previously made an 

 agreement with Mr. Gheen, the proprietor 

 of the premises, to have the ground — about 

 two acres — enclosed with a substantial board 

 fence of nine feet in height. As the Society 

 for several years back had expended large 

 sums in payment of premiums and other 

 matters connected with agricultural im- 

 provements — and the committee being anx- 

 ious to extend its sphere of usefulness, re- 

 solved to adopt the plan, so successfully 

 adopted in sofiie of the neighbouring States 

 on the like occasions, that of charging a 



small sum for the admission of visitors, not 

 exempting their own members. The result 

 proved to be quite satisfactory— but little ob- 

 jection was made to the payment of the 

 small amount demanded, by any, whilst 

 nearly all of the large concourse of persons 

 who visited the ground, were gratified by 

 giving their aid in that way to the cause of 

 agriculture. 



In place of stalls for cattle, strong posts 

 were placed in the ground at the distance 

 of eight feet from each other, along three 

 sides of the lot, to which a wide board was 

 nailed, leaving an avenue of ten feet in 

 width between the range of posts and the 

 outside fence, forming a secure and pleasant 

 promenade for visitors, and affording a fine 

 view of the animals exhibited. 



On the west side numerous pens were 

 erected for sheep and swine ; a shed for 

 the protection of the agricultural products, 

 places for the exhibition of poultry, &.e. 

 The gate by which visitors entered the show 

 ground was about midway on the west side, 

 on the left of which was erected a tempo- 

 rary building for the accommodation of the 

 committee of arrangement and the officers 

 of the Society. 



The implements of husbandry were placed 

 on an elevated part of the lot a little north 

 of the centre, leaving a convenient portion 

 of the ground for the exhibition of horses. 



The gateway for the admission of the va- 

 rious animals and implements, &c., was on 

 the north, bordering the turnpike leading to 

 the wire bridge. 



Before nine o'clock, A. M., the committee 

 were busily engaged on the ground, direct- 

 ing the movements of the animals and as- 

 signing places for each, and arranging the 

 implements and produce; whilst cards were 

 being furnished by the Secretary with the 

 nan)es and description of the animals and 

 implements, which were properly afiixed to 

 each. By eleven o'clock all was completed, 

 and the judges appointed to examine the 

 various animals and articles headed by their 

 chairman, commenced the performance of 

 their duties. 



By twelve o'clock the horses were to be 

 seen in motion on that part of the ground 

 assigned to them, attracting the attention of 

 a large number of persons; they numbered 

 about twenty in all of the different breeds 

 of that noble animal. The thorough bred 

 horse and roadster, the sturdy and active 

 Canadian, and the Norman horse were most 

 conspicuous. 



The ^low of cattle was good, consisting 

 of near one hundred head. The stately and 

 high bred Durham, the beautiful Devon, and 

 their crosses attracted great attention. Also 



