No. II. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



171 



w i-ih every one of our fwenty ihoiifaiid renders woiilil 

 re 111 it, (inil wf lielicvf nine who do bo will rcgnt ihc 

 splice or uuie ii occup c i. 



liockesier, Monday morning, Oct. 18. 

 E. D. Smith, Escj.— Dear Sir : The undireignod 

 by a resoliuiiMi of tlii S.iuioty, were appointed n coni- 

 niiilee to re'iuesl o ci, y of your nddrcea, dchvfred be- 

 fore the Agrieuliuriil S •cioty on Saturcioy, for piibli- 

 cmion, ill obedienee to which we now respectfully 

 request the fav jr of ii copy thereof for the purpose 

 ■foresaid. L. BROOKS, 



iM. II BA TEIIAM. 

 UKNRY iM. W.iKD, 

 Commiltee. 



Rochester, Oct. 1.9, 1841. 



Mo.-ord. I,K\vis BitooKs, M. B. BATEU.tM, and Hkn- 

 BV M. Ward— 



Gjn'.s. — I have rcjcived your polite note rcquestiiii: 

 a copy of niy addross ftr publication. The reqiu^s: 

 implies a co:iipIiini"'nt to the address which 1 fear the 

 public will deem undeserved. The nddresa was has- 

 tily pre|~.ared. upi,n a eh )rl notice and in the midst ol 

 lirosding professional engagements, and 1 should great- 

 ly prefer not to have it publiijhed ; but upon reflection 

 1 have c in jliided that if it is supposed the address will 

 in any degree promote the imerests of agriculture, I 

 am hardly at liberty Vi withhold It. 1 beg leave to 

 ta> however, what is well known, gentlemen,, to yon, 

 but may nit be to oil who may read the address, thai 

 ibe opinions e-^prcesed in it have this con- 

 firmation .11 my practice : that I removed fror.i this 

 city s.une two or three years ago, on to a farm in an 

 adjiiniru; town where 1 now actually reside and culti- 

 vate such farm. 



I am vours &c., 



E DARWIN SMITH. 



A I> D K E S S 



Dititrered before the Monroe Co. Agricultural Society, 

 By E. Dakwi.s' Smith, Es^. 



Mr. Preaident,Bnd Gcn'.lemen of the Society; — The 

 first instinct of man is to piovide for his siil/sii-tcncc. 

 Toe first eli'jrt oi his reason will be to determine how 

 this can ies< be done. If man were like the bcasie 

 which peneh, and had id higher purpose — if sotitlied 

 with a suHi'.'ient provision lor his oniiilal wonts — he 

 had no ungrntiHed wishes — no lollier aspirations, the 

 neci63i;ie8 of his nature would require of him but 

 8fna!l physical e.\orlion, and the character of his em- 

 ploynent would be a matter of viacli indifference. — 

 BJt such IS not m:m : hj *• feels within himsell an 

 eiiergv diVine :" he is co;isciou8 that his existence 

 ht-T-j has a higher aim — he is tilled with longings for o 

 better state — ie believes there is in reserve ior him o 

 nobler destiny. 



When, therefore, man looks around him to carry 

 out the primary instinct of his natuie, as a rational 

 being possessed of an immortal spirit, he ii'iturallv 

 seeks tor such employment as will best enable him to 

 provide lor his physical wants, and at the same time 

 be most conducive to his iinppinese here, and most 

 aub^iCrvient t) the groat ei d of bis being. lie finds 

 ill the simple doom of I'rovidence — " by the sweat of 

 thy face sholt thou eat bread" — that he must dig hia 

 suDsistence from the earth. For the most of mankind 

 there is ni other alternative. The inquiry then nat- 

 urally arise?, Is the employment of the agriculturist 

 bsst adapted tj promote the true interest and happi- 

 ne-s of ma:i ? The allirmuive of this interrogate y, 

 it is my p in ose to illustrnte. All the enjovmenis of 

 m Tc sense centre in good health. To a diseased or 

 Hickly frame, what lu-Vury addrcesed to the palate can 

 minister grntilication ? To a pale, emaciated, heart- 

 stricken being, what is there in the magnibcence of o 

 palace, in the pride an.d pomp of wealth, in the graces 

 of beauiy, tbat can confer any thing more than a pain- 

 ful and trai'flient emotion of pleosure. Where, then, 

 do we find good health — the chiefest blessing in ex- 

 istence — to eo great a degree as among the cultivators 

 of the soil ? The laboring man knows nothing of the 

 dys.iepsy, the gout, and the numerous other ailments 

 tliat nfflict the sedentary and the inactive. 



Laboring in the open air strengthens and invigorates 

 bis constitution, gives a keener relish to his food, and 

 a sweetness to his sleep, i.t erly unknown to the lux. 

 utious idler. 



He may be without some of what the wealthy nnd 

 clleniinate of the cities tall luxuries ; but he has a 

 siin|iler taste and fewer niliticiiil wniils. 'I'liu wcal- 

 lliy inholiitant of the city may hvc in splendor, eur- 

 rounded by his retinue of servants, — the fanner, like 

 the patriarchs of old, lives in simplicity, a servant 

 unto himself. 



A luxurious dinner moy detain the genileninn of the 

 city two or three hours at the toble. More liiiyal of 

 his time, and more rational in his taste, n simpler 

 meol satisKes the farmer. The citizen may sip his 

 wine after dinner, and dissipate his evenings at the 

 theatre, or other places ol amusement. The pure cold 

 water of the bubbling spring is the lu.turious drink of 

 ibe farmer, and his evening amusenieiii is gathered 

 in the bosom of his family, impar'.in;; ins'-ruction to 

 Ins children, and receiving happiness in return from 

 their dudful attention, from the interesting develop- 

 menia of their budding intellects, and from the ninny 

 testimonials of gratitude and ullection which then 

 simple, pure, waim young hearts prompt them to 

 exhibit. 



So fur then, ns good health and mere uniiniil en 

 j:>t,!nriits are concei ned, the cultivators ot the soil have 

 gieatly the adviintiige over any other chits of men. 



Bat it is not chiefly in th so respects that 1 claim 

 superior adapledneee in the employment of Inc agr.- 

 cuiiurist to promote the true happiiie.-e of innn. 



Tlie greatest source of happiness among iiii n is far 

 above the n\erQ griitijiculiotts oj" sense: it lies in the 

 cultivation and developnieiit ot ihtiir vicntal and inor- 

 III jiuwers. 



So i'tiT aa mental power is concerned, it is a well 

 settled truth, tbot the increased physical stiengtb 

 which manual hibor confers, impoits also uddiiiunal 

 vigor to ibe mind. Hence the capacity for nientnl 

 improvement exists in a higher degree with those who 

 lob.ir than with those who do not. But it may be 

 said that the agriculturists have not the same time to 

 devote to the cultivation of tlieir mentnl poweis as 

 some other classes of men. This is not necessarily so, 

 so far as primary edueatinti is concern' d. There is no 

 reason why the farmers children in this country should 

 not be as well educated as those of any other class, 

 and so far ns mere common sohool education is con- 

 cerned, they generally are. When the farmer has a 

 good education at h.B setting ovt in life, he will nat- 

 urally bo constontly adding to hn- store of knowledge, 

 by reading and reflection. It is doubtless true, that a 

 farmer whose necessities require him to be constantly 

 employed, cannot make the same advances in the sci- 

 ences. 88 the man of wealth and leisure. Neither is 

 It essential to his happiness that he should do so. In 

 the present state of civilized society there iiiiist be a 

 diversity of pursuits — the exigencies of society require 

 it. 



It is not best or fit that every nion should oltempl 

 to be his own physicion, lawyer, tailor, cobbler, and 

 the like. Greater excellence is attained in thevuiions 

 departments by these divi-ions, and community is of 

 course much better served. 



Now I ask not for the farmer that he should spe- 

 cially excel in any department i«£ /«.? o«'7t ; it is not 

 to be expected; but I do ask that he have af'iir start 

 at the beginning — that be be as well edticoted ot adult 

 oge OS the rest of the community ; then I sny tluit his 

 emph'yment is most favorable to mental improve- 

 ment. 



The farmer lends n quiet and peaceful life. He has 

 more time for rending nnd reflection than the mcr- 

 i-hant, the meclinnic, or any class of business men, 

 except such reading as necessarily falls in the woy of 

 the professional man. The merchant, the anizan, or 

 other business man of the city is in a constant whiil of 

 activity and excitement. His store or his work-thop, 

 his ledger, hi? notes at the Bink, the protest-i he re- 

 ceives or fears, the fall or rise of stocks, the fluctua- 

 tions ol trade, the competitions, and strifes, nnd bus- 

 tle of business, the thirst and the plans tor great gain, 

 and the apprehensions of sudden loss from the bank- 

 ruptcy or fraud of others, occupy, unsettle, and fritter 

 ov.'.iy bis mind. This class ef men read much less 

 than the farmers of the country. They may take their 

 two or three daily newspapers and other periodicals ; 

 they glance hastily over their contents and then throw 

 them oside, no more to think of them. How differ 

 .;nt is ibe ease with the farmer. He tokes his weekly 

 or semi-weekly paper for general intelligence, nnd 

 his agricultural paper, and perhaps others. He reads 

 them carefully at morning, noon, nnd evening, ond 

 p'Uideie well their contents. Besides this, he has 

 much time for historical, scienlitic, and mieeeUnneous 

 reading. As he follows hi- plough, na he boeg his 

 corn, or milks his cow, his mind is bus?/ with v.hnt he 

 is reading. 



But if the farmer reads less than the business man 

 ol the city, it is not those tbat rejid. the must, that linuw 

 the most, but those that rrjiert the most. 



Who ever, among profis.-ioiiol or literary inen, has 

 had occosion to mingle with the farmers of this coun- 

 try, ot least in WeElcrn New York, nnd spend n night 

 now nnd then at a farniei's house, cannot fail to have 

 been delighted, perhaps surprised, nt the extent and 

 variety ol the farmer's informnlion, nt the strength 

 and vigor of his thoughis, at the aculeness and fnreo 

 of his understanding. Such bus heen the epeoker'a 

 experience on more than one occosion, nnd be is proud 

 to pay ihis tribute of respect where ho thii'iks it is so 

 justly due. 



lint if the farmer equals, if not surpasses, most other 

 clnsses of men in inltlligcnce, he fads not behind ony 

 in riitiic. His employment is peculinrly favornble to 

 piety. "For hiin ihe spring distils its dews." Ho 

 notes each declining sun — he niniks each rising cloud. 

 When he ecutters hie seed be puts bis trust in Provi- 

 dence for its germination. He watches it as it spring- 

 eili up, knowing that his piinv arm cuniioi make even 

 a blade of grass to grow. If the earth is dry and 

 imrched, he looks to Him who hnih sei bie bow in the 

 eloud, nnd hnth proinieed the curly nnd the Utter rain. 

 M.ire than to other nien each day's labor suggests to 

 the farmer his dependence upon a Supreme Being. — 

 To most other classes of men it iiiolters not, whether 

 the sun shines, or the tempest lowers, or the rain de- 

 scends in torrents, their doily avocations ore the same. 

 Not so with the iormer. 



Like tne mariner tossed upon the billows of the 

 trniibled ocean, ho is constantly ut the mercy of the 

 eK inon'.s. His fields tif ginin, one uiipiopiti-jus show- 

 er, one storm of hail, one untimely lioct, may desiioy. 



When, then, autumn comes, nnd " tinges cvciy fer- 

 tile branch with blooming gold," nnd be gathers in 

 ihe corn fully ripe, inuot not his heart oveitlow with 

 grntitude loHim '-whorideth upon the whirlwind and 

 directs the storm" ? 



The farmer must be a good citizen. He 'etoo busy 

 to be vicious; he hns no time for ploiting mischief 

 an I wrong ; he is removed from the temptations to 

 crime ; he is the centre of a social, moral intiui m . ; 

 his every action is known to his family end l;,e.,o= ; 

 bis ambition will lead him to be useful ; Lu position 

 ninkes him independent, high m.nded, and patriotic. 



The occupation of the agriculturist is supposed by 

 many to be unfavorable to tlie cultivation of taste and 

 refinement of manners. This is not so in any just 

 and legitimate sense. If attention to the foppery of 

 dress and the frivolities of fashion — "if sacribcing 

 subttunce to siiuw, nnd Eubetiluiing the artificial for 

 the natural" — if a passion for vain nnd Irivolous a- 

 musement-", if a contempt for all industrious employ- 

 msnl, if a paltry afiectat on oi cxclusivenessav\A caste, 

 ifa taste for trif! ng and eensejess conversation, onil 

 an exclusive regard to the accidental ciicumstances ol 

 birth, or wealth, or position, constitute superior re- 

 finement of manneis or of mind, then I confess the 

 farmer, nnd the fanner's sons, and t' e farmer's daugh- 

 ters, are destitute of taste and refinement. 



But if good sense, elevation of thought, respect for 

 mental and moral v. -rib, and a cnpnbility of discern- 

 ing it, ifa sensibility to all the beauties of nature and 

 of art, if an ndmiinlion of wbot is grand and sublime 

 in the works of the Creator, or niognilicent, or great, 

 or noble in the workji of genius, or in the develop- 

 ments of mind, constitnte or indicate good taste nnd 

 refinement, these belong to the culiiiators of the soil : 

 nnd one well educated Inrnier's family possesses more 

 genuine good taste, refinement, nnd peliiei ess, than 

 all ihe gentlemen and ladies which the Fnrisinn tuil- 

 ors nnd milliners linve ever made. 



If ihe views I have presented are just nnd coorrect how 

 intrinsically respectable is the employir.ent of the 

 farmer 1 — and yet it is quitj obvious that these views 

 are not generally entertained or practicolly regarded — 

 and why is it so t Certainly the greatest department 

 of human indiietry — that which Providence hns allot- 

 ted for the most of mankind ought not to be die-, 

 esteemed. That it is to nnv extent diseeteemed nnd 

 undervalued is the result of opinions and prejudices 

 that ought long since to have been exploded. It is 

 one of the errors tbat have comedown to us from a 

 feudal age — and monarchical governmenis — that to la- 

 bor l8 not respectable. Because in the countries of tho 

 old world the farmer is a tenant or n serf — subject to 

 the capricioiisnets of some arrogant nobleman — the 

 opini-in seems to be entertained by many who aflect 

 to give a tone to society in ibis country, that to labor 

 with the hands is disreputable or alien to true gentil- 

 ity. 



Hence, the age is clinrnctcrized by a general strug- 

 gle to escape from labor — the notions of the age seem 

 I proclicslly to regard idlmess ns the only state oi haii. 



