554 



THE SOUTIIEKN PLANTER. 



He instances the once world-renowned 

 "wheat producing Genesee Valley. It is 

 well known that its fame as a wheat coun- 

 try does not belong to the present. And 

 yet how many of the Western farmers, 

 or Eastern either, can tell to-day what 

 phosphoric acid is, or that such matter 

 exists? They have as little idea of it, its 

 iinportance to the soil, its character, and 

 how it is found, as they have of the size 

 of brain of the inhabitants of the planet 

 Saturn ; and how willing to let their chil- 

 dren grow up in the same indifference to 

 what grows, and what causes it to grow ! 

 They want them to read, write, and ci- 

 pher — it was the schooling they had, and 

 they get along ! 



fellow farmer, insist upon that boy 

 and girl of yours knowing something of 

 this earth, beside its shape, diameter, and 

 circumference, and who circumnavigated 

 it. Require that the teacher should at 

 least know something of plants this sum- 

 mer; be capable of teaching your child 

 the beauties, peculiarities, and office of 

 plants and flowers — in short, insist he 

 must know something of botany. But we 

 have left the acid, though w^e may have 

 exhibited some acidity ; if so, we cannot 

 help it, for we feel very much like scold- 

 ing at the indifference manifest to these 

 important departments of education. 



Phosphoric acid is indispensable then ; 

 it must exist in some form in the land. If 

 you want intelligent animals, they must 

 be fed with plants containing phosphoiic 

 acid, for phosphorus is contained in and is 

 necessary to the health of the brain. We 

 have said enough perhaps to set you think- 

 ing, to prove the importance of this acid 

 in agriculture. In combination with al- 

 kalies we shall have more to say of it 

 hereafter. 



The Lives of Eminent Men. 

 In lately reading the life of the French 

 mechanician Jacquard, whose name has 

 been immortalized by his inventive genius, 

 we were forcibly struck with a conviction 

 of the important lessons conveyed in (he 

 simple narrative of his every-day transac- 

 tions, and of the benefits that would ac- 

 crue to the youth of our country if the 

 lives of such eminent men, whether dis- 

 tinguished in the world of arts, letters, 

 or other useful avocations in life, could be 

 displayed before them in the same familiar 



and instructive form. Knowing full well 

 the passion we are sometimes apt to con- 

 tract for the most insignificant appendages 

 to the favorite objects of our attention and 

 regard, we do not wonder that the historian 

 who properly comprehends his task does 

 not hesitate to descend into what at first 

 sight might be thought unimportant details. 

 We think it is much to be desired, and 

 should always be an object of attention to 

 those who are employed in writing the 

 lives of eminent persons, or in compiling 

 materials from the works of others, to 

 select such of their actions as are most 

 characteristic of their genius and disposi- 

 tion. A trifling and seemingly inconsider- 

 able action, an expression or word in a 

 man's unguarded moments at home or at 

 ^ ease among his most intimate friends, often 

 j conveys a perfect idea of his genius and 

 i character, and serves as a key to most of 

 i the greatest and important actions of his 

 jlife. And if these inferior indications of 

 a man's life ought not to be omitted, much 

 less should the greater and more important 

 elements of his ability and character. 



It must be acknowledged in favor of 

 those who undertake to instruct us in the 

 transactions of past ages, who faithfully 

 draw from life, and accurately delineate 

 the actions and characters of mankind, 

 that they open before us a noble fund of 

 rational enjoyment, and are, at the same 

 time, of the most important service in di- 

 recting the minds of men to virtue, and 

 exciting them to an honorable and^worthy 

 conduct. Whilst they are calling forth 

 into exercise the most generous principles 

 of the human heart, in instructing us in 

 the nature and obligations of private and 

 social virtue, it must be allowed that they 

 increase our general knowledge. The ac- 

 tions and characters of men it is alike their 

 province to describe, with this principal 

 difference, that the former represent them 

 in the public and more active scenes of 

 life, and as they affect the general course 

 of human affairs, whereas the latter, with- 

 out omitting the public, leads us into the 

 more jorivate and domestic situations, 

 makes us acquainted with the whole circle 

 of a man's friends, lays open his connec- 

 tions, and correspondence, the plan of his 

 education, the method of his studies, his 

 leading views in life, and the manner in 

 which he employed his time, and introdu- 

 ces us to the knowledge of a variety of 



