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tee, that their predictions were right. The opponents of the Commit- 

 tee were wrong. They are not here, they fell in the battle of the 

 "Cow-pens." Old Fogyism is past. Young America now holds the 

 reins. He thanked those friends who had so kindly sustained the 

 Committee in their dark day, and in the severest trial had come to the 

 rescue and furnished them with the means to erect the hall. Had 

 they not done so, the Society would have been without a place of 

 meeting. Thanks to them, and to Mr. Haskins the enterprising 

 builder of the hall for his successful completion of his contract under 

 great difficulties. In conclusion the President said there were many 

 distinguished men present from abroad, whom he wanted to call upon 

 for a speech, but he must remind them that brevity was the soul of 

 wit, and he would therefore limit them to five minutes. Following 

 a scriptural injunction he would begin at Jerusalem, and introduce to 

 the audience, Rev. C. L. Woodworth of East Street. 



Mr. Woodworth inquired if he had not made a mistake ; it was 

 commonly reported that he lived in Sodom ! He was glad to say that 

 he approved of the hall. He liked it all. But it was unnecessary to 

 praise it. It spoke for itself. It reminded him of a country clergy- 

 man who received at the Commencement of some college the honor- 

 ary degree of D. D. He quietly returned to his home and said noth- 

 ing about it. Some fifteen days after, his wife discovered the an- 

 nouncement in a paper. Rushing to the study of her husband, she 

 inquired wildly, " Husband, did you know they had made a D. D. of 

 you ? " " Yes," says the minister quietly. " But why did you not tell 

 me." " Oh," replies the husband, " I thought I would let it speak for 

 itself." He rejoiced in the prosperity of the Society. He would say to 

 them, go on. There was no use in trying to go back to the old plan. 

 A certain minister went to a blacksmith to get his horse shod. He in- 

 quired of the smith, whether if he furnished the iron, it would make 

 any difference in the price. " Yes," says the blacksmith. So the 

 minister takes his horse home and the next day comes again with his 

 horse and a piece of iron carefully enveloped in a paper. Unrolling it 

 he hands it to the blacksmith, who looks at it and says, " why this is 

 cast iron." " Yes," says the minister, " it is a piece of an old skillet 

 handle and I thought it would make a couple of excellent horse shoes." 

 Now you may just as well undertake to make a horse-shoe of a skillet 

 handle as to have an agricultural society without these appliances. He 

 bid them go on. Some of his people had said, " Why you don't mean 

 to encourage horse-racing ?" " No ! not in the ordinary sense," but he 

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