80 
MORAL INFLUENCE OF VINEYARDS, ETC. 
When one looks at the innumerable herds of 
children, turned, as it were, adrift in a great city, 
not merely tempted, but actually instructed, stimu- 
lated and encouraged, in crime, and observes them 
gradually gathering in and borne onwards on the 
swift current with increasing rapidity to the preci- 
pice of destruction, until escape becomes almost 
impossible, how can we enough admire the com- 
bined courage, generosity, and disinterestedness, 
which plunges in that it may rescue some of these 
wretched victims from that frightful fate which 
seems all but inevitable 1 I do not know a more 
beautiful, and scarcely a more touching passage in 
the Holy Scriptures than that which represents the 
angels in heaven as rejoicing over a repenting and 
rescued sinner. It is, indeed, a ministry worthy of 
the highest and holiest spirits, to which the Su- 
preme Source of all goodness and benevolence has 
imparted any portion of his Divine nature. 
S If we look at this institution even in a more 
humble and practical view, as affording a good edu- 
cation in the mechanical and agricultural arts, its 
great utility cannot be doubted ; and much good 
seed will be sown here, which, under the blessing 
of God, is sure to return excellent and enduring 
fruits. 
I should have said before, that there is connected 
with the institution a hospital which is a model of 
cleanliness, good ventilation, and careful atten- 
dance ; all the services of which were rendered by 
those indefatigable doers of good, the Sisters of 
Charity. — Caiman's European Agriculture. 
MORAL INFLUENCE OF VINEYARDS. 
In a moral view, one would at first be inclined 
to dread the effects of such a production, (wine,) 
upon the habits of the people. It would not be 
true to say there is no drunkenness in France ; but, 
account for it as we will, temperance is pre-emi- 
nently the characteristic of the French people, and 
I believe them to be, without question, the most 
sober of all civilized countries. In the rural dis- 
tricts, wine is the ordinary drink ; but this is not 
in itself a strong wine, and is almost invariably 
diluted with water. 
Much complaint has been made that such im- 
mense tracts of land are devoted to the production 
of wine instead of bread ; but, in many of the 
bread-growing countries, a far larger proportion in 
value of the product has been devoted to the man- 
ufacture of a drink far more intoxicating, and 
much more fatal to peace, public order, domestic 
happiness, and all good morals, than the mild and 
ordinary wines of France ; which, when unadulter- 
ated, are the pure juice of the grape, and have not 
the strength of common cider. I was in the vine- 
growing countries in the season of the vintage, when 
wine in the greatest abundance was free to all, but 
there was no more excess than at any other season. 
We could hardly expect these laborious people, 
whose chief solid subsistence is "bread, to limit 
themselves to water, and we could not but feel 
grateful that God had given them so innocent and 
delicious a beverage to cheer and sustain them un- 
der their toil. It is not the use but the abuse of 
these precious gifts of heaven, which constitutes 
the criminality, and converts them into a fatal 
poison. — lb. 
NEW- YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The Annual Meeting of this Society convened 
at the Assembly Chamber, in Albany, on Wednes- 
day, January 17th, and continued in session two 
days. 
The Annual Reports of the Treasurer and Exec- 
utive Committee were read and accepted. 
The following are the names of the officers of 
the society for the ensuing year : — 
For President, John A. King, of Queen's. 
For Vice Presidents, 1st District, James Monroe, 
of New York. 
2d District, Saxton Smith, of Putnam. 
3d " E. P. Prentice, of Albany. 
4th " Le Roy Mowry, of Washington. 
5th " William Fuller, of Onondaga. 
6th " David Maine, of Madison. 
7th " John Delafield, of Seneca. 
8th " Henry W. Rogers, of Erie. 
Corresponding Secretary, Benjamin P. Johnson, 
of Albany. 
Recording Secretary, John Mc D. Mc Intyre, of 
Albany. 
Treasurer, Luther Tucker, of Albany. 
Executive Committee, J. B. Burnett, of Onondaga ; 
P. N. Rust, of Onondaga; Henry Wager, of' 
Oneida; J. J. Viele, of Rensselaer; Samuel Chee- 
ver, of Saratoga. 
The Hon. J. P. Beekman, from the committee 
appointed from each judicial district, under the reso- 
lution of Mr. Peters, made the following report, 
which was adopted : — 
Resolved, That the committee do recommend to 
the Executive Committee, the city of Syracuse as 
the location of the next Fair, provided security be 
given to the satisfaction of the Executive Com- 
mittee, that the local expenses of the fair be dis- 
charged by the citizens of Syracuse, the sum not 
exceeding $3,500. 
The secretary announced that he had received 
from Mr. Hovey, of Boston, a splendid volume of 
" Hovey's Fruits of America," as a present to the 
society. 
On motion of Mr. Marks, of Greene, it was 
Resolved, unanimously, That the thanks of the 
New- York State Agricultural Society, be presented 
to C. M. Hovey, of Boston, for the gift to the so- 
ciety of his superb work on the "Fruits of Amer- 
ica." 
The secretary laid before the society a copy of 
the second volume of Professor Emmons' work 
on Agriculture, being part of the series of the 
Natural History of the state, whereupon on his mo- 
tion, it was, 
Resolved, That the work of Professor Emmons 
on Agriculture be recommended to the examination 
of the Executive Committee, and that if by them 
approved, that an abridgement of it be recommended 
for publication and diffusion through the schools of 
the state. 
The President having alluded to the splendid 
collection of valuable fruits, which had been 
brought together on the tables of the society, 
offered the following resolution: — 
Resolved, That Messrs. Wendell, Howard, and 
Johnson be a committee to prepare samples of our 
best winter fruits, and forward a box to the Lon- 
don, Paris, and Belgium Horticultural Societies, 
