166 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



NOV. 33, 184 S. 



AM) HORTICULTURAL RF.GISTEB. 



BosTou, Wednesday, November 23, 1842. 



TH.\NKSGIV1NG. 



" Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forncl' not all His 



benefits, who crowneth llieu with loving kindness 



and tender mercies." 



The return of our pilgrim fathers' peculiar festival, has 

 come — a diiy for giving thanks to the God of the Har- 

 vest — to tlie bestower of every one's " daily bread." 

 Never had man more reason than now to bow with a 

 grateful hi'art before the God of the Seasons. The gar- 

 nered fruits of the earth are singularly abundant. Hap- 

 py those tillers of the soil who have not merely well 

 tilled barns, and granaries and cellars, but who have al- 

 BO those more gladdening possessions — hearts from which 

 flow out in constant streams, thanks to God and charity 

 to man. Such waters make verdant and cheerful, not 

 merely the banks of the channels along which they run, 

 but also, and eminently, the springs from which they 

 bubb/e up — tbe hearts from which they flow. 



Piety and charity— love towards God and good will to 

 man, are the fruits which every wise cultivator will es- 

 teem the richest and most precious. Such they surely 

 are — moth and rust never corrupt, and thieves never 

 steal them. With these, though he have nothing more, 

 with these, the man — the imcard man — the undyin;; spi- 

 rit — is rich, and will not want. Without these, the gold 

 of all the nations, and the luxuries of every soil and 

 clime, cannot save from poverty or from an insatiable 

 hankering for something more — for something better. 

 The fruits of onr natural fields and gardens bring us true 

 wealth only when they nourish in us the growth of spi- 

 ritual fruits — only when they bind us by stronger cords 

 rtf love to God and to our fellow men — only when the 

 fitrength that they nourish in us is expended in acts of 

 piety and beneficence. The stream of (r«e enjoyment as 

 it flows onward, waters the roots oi henfficeni action. 



" Kind deeds of peace and love betray 

 Wliere e'r the stream has found its way; 

 IJul where these spring not, rich and fair, 

 The stream has necer wandered there.'' 



Happy is that farmer, whose spiritual vision sees the 

 hand that brings up the sun each morning from his 

 ocean bfd, lo scalier light along the paths of man's daily 

 toils, and the hand that draws over us the curtains of 

 night, when fatigue seeks for stillness and repose. Bless- 

 ed is he if he can daily and hourly see the Maker and 

 Giver of the light and heat which give verdure and 

 growth to his plants, — if lie can see tbe hand that takes 

 up in vapor from ocean and sea, from lake and river, 

 and pond and brook the clouds that pour down in genial 

 rain, and give moisture to the thirsting fields. Constant- 

 ly mav one see — and may be made better by beholding — 

 constantly may the farmer see, a hand, more skillful 

 than man's unfolding the leaves that lie wrapt up in the 

 geed that he plants, giving growth lo each bla'^e of grain 

 and grass, and to all the varied fruits upon his trees. He 

 may call all that he sees t!ie work of J^nture — he may 

 gay that nature's laws produce the changes and results 

 that he beholds — be it so : we care not for the terms he 

 uses, if ho will but think of Him who enforces the laws, 

 and without whom the laws are inoperative. Every 

 month and day and hour of the season God has been at 

 work in every field, there enforcing his own laws — the 

 laws by which he produces the growth and mrturity of 

 eveiy thing that nourishes tho life of man and his do- 

 mesticated animals. 

 To trace the agency of God through all the thousand 



minute links in the chain of vegetable growth— to see 

 him there working from day lo day, from hour to hour, 

 from minute lo minute — to see Him in the opening of 

 spring's buds, in the expansion of summer's growth, and 

 in the ripening of autumn's liarvests — to do this, will 

 most surely disclose to the husbandman the agency of 

 an untiring and bountiful benefactor — it will call forth 

 from his soul, if he will let it, the accents of praise and 

 thanksgiving And why not let it .' Aye, why not en- 

 courage it to do thus? A gratefiil heart is its own bene- 

 factor. It brings man's best treasures — God's best 

 blessings. Be thankful for all God's kind agency in 

 your fields. 



The annual Thanksgiving is embalmed with happy 

 remembrances in the minds and hearts of all who were 

 blessed with a happy homo in Iheir youthful days. The 

 feast upon good things at the supper table ; the game of 

 blindman's-bufr and other innocent frolics in the even- 

 ing; the calling home of the scattered members of the 

 family ; the giving and receiving visits with relatives, 

 neighbors and friends— all these, pleasant while passing, 

 and pleasant in remembrance, throw around the day as 

 it was in times gone, more that is cheerful and gladden- 

 in", than clusters around almost an;/ other thai memory 

 can find in the long past. We prize the day peculiarly 

 because it is a time for social festivities and of frolicsome 

 merriment : it is none the less, but much the more, for 

 that, a day of devout thanksgiving. The austere, wheth- 

 er from temperament, from disease, from their creed, or 

 whatever cause, may think of God's mercies enly with 

 sad faces and sadder meditations. In gloomy moods 

 they may fnd the religious feelings most active; — let 

 them wear the long face, and from beneath that make 

 vows and oflTer Iheir gifts to heaven ; — but also let the 

 young and gladsome have their frolic and their laugh^ 

 and teach them while they laugh and frolic, to do that 

 in gratitude and thanksgiving to Him who gives the 

 power to be gleesome and merry. There may be as 

 much devotion in the joyous laugh and the mirthful 

 game, as in the most sobered tones and the most rigid 

 abstinence from sport. '• There is a lime for every thing 

 — a time to laugh-" 



While the Giver is remembered, forget no\. lo give 

 The poor and the unfortunate are around you and need 

 a share of the good tilings that heaven has put in your 

 possession. The thankful heart will' ba liberal and kind. 

 Forget not the poor. 



ed that he was in his right mind and knew perfectly 

 well what he was about. He camn all the way from 

 Lee, 70 mile.s, f .r the express purpose of making the 

 confession, and having made it, letuiiied peaceably home. 

 fie is known lo be a person ot resjiectabiliiy and intel- 

 ligence — and (luring the rncital of tiie circumstances con- 

 nected with the case, was frequently overcome with 

 grief and tears." 



" Poiper of Conscience,'' was it .•' The voice of con- 

 science spoke, no doubt, and in terrific tones. That 

 voice often speaks in tones thunder-loud, and in tbe spi. 

 nt of severest condemnation — so at least we must sup- 

 pose. The thm;sand perjured ones — the perpetrators of 

 villainous deed» — the destroyers of life and reputation, 

 must hear the voice of the faithful monitor within, and 

 cower befiire it, in cases without number. That God, 

 whose vicegerent conscience. is, will not let the ears of 

 the wicked bo di'af: they hear — they tremble — they 

 would fly — aye fly from existence even, would that but 

 put them where the knell of their truth and honesty and 

 integrity would cease to send its awful lonei through the 

 very heart fibres — but that may not be : the voice must 

 go where they go — be it on earth, or be it beyond tbia 

 life. The voice i* Acar(i — but most hearers of the stem 

 mandate lack the moral courage to stand up before their 

 fellows and do what may be done to atone for the wrong 

 committed. In the c.ise above stated, there seems to ut 

 something more than conscience. There is a lofty mar- 

 tyr spirit — there is hf roism ; — there is more ihan this, 

 even : there is thai heavenly Christian penitence which 

 places the soul up where it fears not them that kill the 

 body, but fi-ars Him and Him only, who is above all. 



If the case be rightly told, we would take the word ol 

 that penitent perjurer to the very letter — we would tru»i 

 him with our all — we would hold him up to the worit 

 as one worthy of sincere respect and admiration. Sina 

 angels 80 rejoice over a penitent sinner, why shall no 

 man Ho so too ? The ninety and nine witnesses wh< 

 have told the truth in that witness box in Bangor, hav 

 not shown the moral jmwer, ilie Christian greatnen 

 hich shine out in sun-liUe splendor, from the peniter 

 acts of this offender. The crime — great as it was — w 

 can forget, as who can not, where penitence has washt 

 t in her scalding tearsi' 



POWER OF CONSCIENCE. 



The following is copied from the Bangor Whig, of the 

 4lh instant : 



" On Thursday forenoon, during the session of the 

 Court in this city, a person by the name of Flint, of Lee, 

 came into the court house and very deliberately walked 

 up to the witness box and sealed himself in it, placing 

 his head on the front rail. After sitting in that posture 

 for a few minutes, he raised himself in his seat and com- 

 menced praying fbr forgiveness for having committed 

 perjury on that stand. The Court here interposed and 

 (he ofjicer took the man out of tbe room. As, however, 

 lie seemed impressed with the duty of making confes- 

 sion for his crime in the place where he committed it, 

 the sherifl' kindly offered liim an opportunity of iloing so 

 during the recess of the Court after its adjournment for 

 dinner. At the lime appointed he took the stand, and 

 there made a full confession of the crime, and detailed 

 all the circumstances attending it. The false testimony 

 was rendered in an action tried at the May term, 1840, 

 in which his father was defendant, and Isaac Hacker, 

 plaintifl" His testimony though labe, did not alter the 

 result of tho case, a default having been suffered, not- 

 wiihstandin" the evidence. Since that time it seems the 

 witness has undergone an infinite deal of remorse and 

 trouble on account of the act, and he felt that he could 

 not be forgiven or at ease till the crime was confessed 

 in as public a place as it was committed. The witness 

 bore no marks of being otherwise insane, and he protcst- 



SEEDLING POTATOES. " 



We have received specimens of two varieties of see* 

 ling potatoes from Fitzwilliam S. Worster, of Bridgw 

 One he calls Brown Harvest and the other Whi 

 Harvest. Of the Brown Harvest he says thai, planti 

 by the side of the Long Red, they equalled that varie 

 in produce ; are about as early as the Chenango. Wi 

 the appearance of this we are very much pleased: sot 

 we shall comply with his request, and test their quail 

 for the table. In appearance they resemble in some.l 

 epecls the late or winter Kidney, and in other respet , 

 the Chenango. If Mr W. had both of those kinds i 

 his place, we should conjecture that they mixed inil 

 blossom. If so, we should expect the result to be a ve 

 favorable one, fiir each of those varieties has been vel 

 able both for its quality and its yield. The cross woi 

 probably be more productive than either variety out 

 which it was formed. It is yet loo early to decide up 

 the value of this variety to the public, but it promise? 

 be great. 



The White Harvest resemblis the Brown, but v 

 be, and probably is, distinct from is. Tbe Brown i- 

 more oval shaped and of darker color. Tbe W'i 

 the longer and flatter of the two — has a very A-Ai 

 skin. It looks well, and may prove to be a good varu 



It is easier lo pretend lo be what you are not, tli:ir 

 hide what you really are. He that can accomplish /" 

 has litllc lo learn in hypociisy. — Lacon. 



