642 SELECTIONS FROM ADDRESSES. 



the last and sure hope of civilized man. But let agriculture 

 die out, and civilized society must cease, and manufactures 

 and commerce must wither like Jonah's gourd. We some- 

 times amuse ourselves by imagining how the world would get 

 on if the art of printing, or all knowledge of that wonderful 

 power, steam, should be lost ; but let me ask you to amuse 

 yourselves for a moment by imagining how the world would 

 get on if it should lose all knowledge of the plough and its 

 kindred implements ? 



In speaking of agriculture as the most important art, the 

 source and foundation of all other arts, I desire not to be mis- 

 understood. Agriculture, commerce, and manufactures, of 

 course including the mechanic arts, are each and all important 

 to the well being of civilized society. I would not be thought 

 to say a word in disparagement of either. He does an ill office 

 who attempts to elevate one branch of honest and useful in- 

 dustry at the expense of another, or to create a jealousy between 

 those who pursue different employments. 



Agriculture, manufactures, commerce ; all essential to the 

 good of all ; each promotive of the good of the other: manu- 

 factures creating for the farmer the best of all markets, — a 

 home market, — and commerce carrying his surplus products 

 to those who need them, and bringing to his door, in exchange, 

 the products of other lands. 



But still, agriculture, manufactures, commerce : agriculture, 

 the august mother, — manufactures and commerce her two 

 beautiful daughters. The mother may survive the daughters, 

 — the daughters cannot survive the mother, and they must die 

 when they cease to draw nurture from the maternal breast. 



If, then, farmers of Plymouth, the importance of a calling to 

 mankind, the amount of capital and the numbers employed, 

 and the amount of good produced by it, can give it respect- 

 ability and dignity, your profession has all these elements in 

 the highest degree. 



While Providence has clearly designed that so large a 

 majority of men should devote themselves to the cultivation of 

 the soil, care has been taken to surround it by favorable and 

 attractive circumstances. 



Physical, intellectual and moral education ; — these are re- 

 garded as essential to the true development of the human 



