226 CHRONICLES OF A CLAY FARM. 



It is a mere question of Time. We travel slowly ; 

 and, like lazy wheelers, throw back our ears and bite 

 the pulling horse : but if ever the shadow of a coming 

 event Avas visible beforehand, even to the ?^imagi- 

 native eye, this of the true mechanism of Cultivation 

 is one that is beginning to be visible. Call the Seer 

 ' visionary,' if you please. Visionary ! of course he 

 is visionary ! it is his place and office, his duty and 

 profession to be so, and to bear the consequence ! 

 He sees in 'vision :' it is by far-sighted vision that 

 he catches sight of the * man's hand' in the horizon, 

 which others cannot see, and will not believe till it 

 touches their eyeballs. And then they will swear 

 they always saw it, and will have forgotten that they 

 ever didn't see it. The man was never yet found that 

 would head a deputation to carry the world's recanta- 

 tion and apology to the derided prophet whose derided 

 prophecy has come true. With the advent of the 

 Fact, dies out the prophet's only distinction, to be 

 ridiculed. Such was ever his fate ; and will be, to 

 the end of time ; varied only by the politer form and 

 phase that civilization gives to persecution. 



Yet, in the present active progress of invention, 

 the transition is so rapid between one phase of our 

 industrial condition and another, that the difficulty of 



