15 



tra force, and thus secured his crops by the expenditure of 

 much labor in a short time. These are but simple illustrations 

 of what energy "will accomplish in individual instances ; but 

 this trait of character carried into the daily business of life 

 shews its results almost as conspiciously as in the cases above 

 related. To men possessed of energy and courage, circumstan- 

 ces are compelled to yield ; without them, circumstances govern, 

 and control. 



Courage, which commands the admiration of the masses, is 

 considered merely that quality of the mind which looks upon 

 physical danger with unblanched cheek and unshaken nerve ; 

 although necessary to the soldier and those exposed to great 

 personal risk, has not been thought essential to the more quiet 

 labors -of the farm, and those civil pursuits where a well or- 

 dered life has been supposed to be under the protection of law, 

 and safe from violence or encroachment. Yet courage is as 

 needful to the farmer, as to the soldier or sailor. To be sure, 

 in his avocations he is not exposed to the danger of carrying 

 batteries or storming forts ; no climbing masts and reefing sails 

 in a hurricane. And still of this quality our farming yoeman- 

 ry are not deficient, and they will be false to their past history 

 and their parentage when they show any lack of this element. 

 But for all that they need a courage which I fear but few of 

 them possess, — a courage less brilliant, perhaps, than that 

 which has won fame for the heroes of those desperate battles 

 which have drenched our soil with fraternal blood, and filled 

 the land with the wail of thousands of widows and the cry of 

 hundreds of thousands of orphans. They need a courage 

 which will face and overcome all difficulties in acquiring know- 

 ledge ; which will pay its price and test the value of the appli- 

 cation of science to labor; which is not afraid of large expen- 

 ditures in permanent improvements. A courage that will put 

 into operation labor saving machines; that will lay draining- 

 pipes ; that will not be afraid of inovation upon farm ideas and 

 practice. A courage that will stock their farms with the best 

 herds of cattle ; a courage that will resolutely keep pace with 



