ADDRESS. 



BY PKOFESSOR JULIUS H. SEELYE. 



SUBJECT—'' MONEY." 



Some months ago, the excellent Secretary of the Society came 

 to me, in behalf of the executive committee, and requested that I 

 should give the address upon this occasion. I w.as very much in- 

 terested in the reason which he gave. He said that the Society 

 was short of funds, and therefore would like to avail itself of home 

 talent, because a speaker from abroad would be likely to cost 

 something, but if they got a speaker from home it was likely to 

 cost nothing. I was charmed with the appreciation of home tal- 

 ent, and as it is never my way to set any price upon my services, 

 I had nothing to complain of the remuneration ii: prospect. But 

 it occurred to me, in connection with this question of want of 

 funds, that this subject was really a pretty important matter to 

 any agricultural society, or, in fact, to anybody else. 



And, as money seemed to be the great motive in asking home 

 talent to exercise itself on this occasion, I thought money might 

 be as appropriate a theme for remark as anything I could use. 

 And I was led to this also because not only of so wide a misun- 

 derstanding — so great ignorance, I might say, in high places — on 

 this topic, but also because it so happens that for some time my 

 attention has Lad to be directed more or less to the study of this 

 theme, and therefore I thought I could speak things that might 

 not be in the apprehensions of many of those who had not made 

 it a matter of study. So, instead of discoursing of agricultural 

 topics — mowing machines, tilling the soil, etc. — matters in which 

 I should sit at your feet, rather than ask you to receive instruction 

 from me, I ask your attention to this matter of money, that comes 

 home so close to the interests of every one. 



And, first, we may ask the question. What is money ? There 

 have been, I dare say, a great many different answers to this ques- 



