MR. king's address. 19 



senses besides those of seeing and hearing — senses too which 

 have more imperious derp.ands ; and there is danger that the 

 wife or the mother who is not prepared to answer these con- 

 stant demands, beautiful and elegantly accomplished though 

 she may be, will not long appear graceful or lovely in the 

 eyes of her husband. Some circumstances of fortune or sta- 

 tion or delicacy of health may make it unnecessary or im- 

 proper that a woman should perform active labor with her 

 ov/n hands, but there is no rank or station in which a lady 

 can be placed where it is not desirable that she should know 

 how the affairs of her household ought to be managed. I 

 know that I give but cold and feeble utterance to the feel- 

 ings of this Society in bidding a welcome, -a cordial welcome, 

 to that portion of the fairer and gentler sex who have hon- 

 ored this farmer's holiday with their presence — without their 

 encouraging smiles and cheerful assistance, even farming would 

 be dull business. I cannot offer for their consideration a bet- 

 ter sentiment than that contained in the words of a learned, 

 elegant, and distinguished foreign lady, who says, " the only 

 celebrity that can increase a woman's happiness, is that which 

 results from the esteem excited by her domestic virtues" — 

 and I will add, there is no praise, no applause, no glory in 

 the wide world more w^orthy a woman's ambition than the 

 fame of a well regulated household. 



But pleasant, healthful and indispensable as the labors of 

 the field and of the kitchen and the dairy may be, and ex- 

 cellent as is the course of discipline both for the body and 

 the mind, there is danger that too many young men and 

 women will prefer what they consider a more fashionable em- 

 ployment and a more elegant education. And you, as a So- 

 ciety, perhaps cannot do much to expose the mistake or to 

 remedy the evil. It has however occurred to me that it would 

 be no perversion of your funds if you were to offer suitable 

 premiums to such faithful, diligent, temperate and skilful man 

 or woman as had remained for one or more years in the em- 

 ployment of any member of the Society ; besides, as an ad- 

 ditional encouragement and reward for their faithfulness, they 



