DURING THE LAST HALF CENTURY. 131 



the second story window of some house at which he may 

 called for a drink of water after a dusty walk, being mis- 

 taken for a marauding tramp. 



There is, however, no doubt that the general informa- 

 tion of the people of Essex County, on the subject of 

 botany, has vastly increased. The importance of the 

 relations of certain insects to flowers is now so generally 

 known that it would hardly be possible to find a com- 

 munity so stupidly ignorant as to be jealous of a neigh- 

 bor's honey bees and almost drive him from the town in 

 consequence, and this did actually happen in Essex 

 County thirty years ago. 



The distribution of useful scientific information through 

 the county, and agricultural papers, is now so widely 

 felt, and scientific lectures are so numerous, even in the 

 smaller towns, that notions and superstitions, born of 

 isolation and seclusion, are vanishing as mists before 

 the morning sun. No longer do the former utterances of 

 the lecturer or the writings of the essayist satisfy the 

 growing demand. Mere accounts of habits and classifi- 

 cation are still satisfactory to a juvenile audience, but for 

 the maturer mind a deeper and more philosophical theme 

 is required. Scientific books are more read and hence are 

 more extensively purchased by the libraries. The bene- 

 fits are twofold. Superstition is banished, and obser- 

 vation and rational thought encouraged. 



This institution cannot, of course, be credited with all 

 this change and improvement. Other forces have been 

 steadily at work. The labors of our ancient and most 

 excellent Essex Agricultural Society and its farmers' in- 

 stitutes, are an important factor not to be overlooked. 

 The press and the pulpit have grown and developed 

 immeasurably also, and have had their powerful influ- 

 ences brought to boar in the right direction, and natural 



