14 



them 3"oiii"s ; " and they will thus open a fountain in that man's 

 heart that has been closed to its own interests by the ice of 

 envy and jealousy. 



The ciy of these agitators is, "We must elevate labor." 

 Yes ;]vbut you must elevate the lal)orer first. You cannot 

 raise the stream al)Ove the fountain. The thermometer of 

 manhood will indicate every degree of excellence ; and when 

 the mercury has risen above the freezing point of the lower 

 passions into the genial warmth of a higher manhood, then, 

 and not till then, will his virtues bud and blossom. To ele- 

 vate the laborer you must first create a desire in him to bet- 

 ter his condition ; then show him a plausil)le way to do it. 

 Desire is the mainspriug to all endeavor, both good and evil ; 

 and when the desire of a man goes no further than to work 

 that he may eat and drink, there is not much chance to dig- 

 nify labor. Inspire the laborer with new incentives, awaken 

 a laudable self-esteem, and he will work with a will. As- 

 sure him he may have a comfortable homstead for his family, 

 and the motive to exertion will put the eight and ten hour 

 system out of his mind. The allurements of home will absorb 

 all inclination to roam from place to place. He will discover 

 that he has something to live for, and thus become a satis- 

 fied, loyal citizen, a sustainer of the laws that before seemed 

 enacted for his oppression. To place before men reasonable 

 objects of am])ition, and exalt their aims, is praiseworthy in 

 the sight of all men. There are but few natures so lost to 

 the dignity of manhood that they will betray the confidence 

 reposed in them. 



The interest of agriculture is the interest of humanity. 

 Seven eighths of the population of the most civilized nations 

 are engaged in it, and it mainly feeds the inhabitants of the 

 globe, estimated at more than one thousand millions. Nev- 

 ertheless there exists a prejudice against farming. This is 

 not all from the outside. There is a lack of confidence 

 among the farmers themselves. They think that other in- 

 terests and professions make a greater show in the world ; 



