26 THE CULTIVATOR. Jan. 
MR. QUINCY’S ADDRESS. 
We invite a perusal of the following address deliver¬ 
ed at the annual exhibition of the N. Y. State Agricul¬ 
tural Society at Utica, in September last, by Hon. Jo- 
siah Quincy, Jr. It truly speaks “in thoughts that 
breathe and words that burn;” and we feel confident 
that no one will rise from its perusal without being 
made “wiser and better.” We esteem it a New Year’s 
Gift of great value, and which, unlike many new-year 
books, may be profitably read at all seasons of the 
year. . 
Mr. President and Gentlemen of the N. Y. S. A g. Society ; 
If there were any spot that would of itself inspire a 
man with eloquence on the subject of agriculture, it is 
the one we now occupy. We stand in the center of the 
agricultural district of the great state of the Union. In 
full view the lovely valley of the Mohawk, famous in 
history and celebrated in song, stretches away to the 
distance. Before us, by thousands and tens of thousands, 
stand the men who have felled its forests and caused it 
to blossom like the rose. Around us are the proofs of 
the skill and intelligence that have characterised their 
labors. Beneath us is the soil from whose maternal bo¬ 
som we draw our subsistence. Above us is the canopy 
of Heaven that stretches equally over all. 
We stand in the great temple dedicated to agricul¬ 
ture—a temple, at the raising of whose columns the 
“morning stars sang together and all the sons of God 
shouted for joy ”—a temple, not made with hands, eter¬ 
nal as the Heavens. 
But, alas! Mr. President, the age of inspiration is 
passed, and I never felt a stronger desire to ask the kind 
consideration of an audience, than when, under rather 
unusual circumstances, I now rise to address you. The 
exhibitions of agricultural skill and agricultural success, 
which we have witnessed on this occasion, have im¬ 
pressed the truth most deeply upon my mind that it was 
hardly worth while for the New-York State Agricultu¬ 
ral Society to send all the way to Boston, to get me to 
instruct the New-York farmers in the management of 
their farms. If I indulged any hopes that the agricul¬ 
tural knowledge conveyed in this address would cause 
two blades of grass to grow where but one grew before, 
those hopes are dissipated. And to prevent any disap¬ 
pointment, I would assure the audience, that as to flocks 
and dairies, the raising of cattle and the cultivation of 
corn, they must go on in the old fashioned way for any¬ 
thing I have to say to the contrary. But there are other 
subjects of interest connected with agriculture, and no 
one can look around upon this assembly without feeling 
that the Farmer is of more importance than his farm; 
and the results # of the occupation on his character, than 
any of its more material products. 
The relative position of the American farmer pos¬ 
sesses a deep interest to individuals and the community. 
To individuals, as it may decide the wavering as to the 
course they should pursue, or render them contented 
with the one they have adopted; to the public, for every¬ 
thing that tends to elevate the agricultural class, is of 
the first importance to the state. 
What then is the position of the American farmer 
when compared with that of the merchant, the politi¬ 
cian, the lawyer? Should he be content with his lot 
for himself and his children? Or should he leave his 
occupation and adopt some other? Like every other 
position, that of the farmer has its dark side as well as 
its bright one. And to decide on its comparative ad¬ 
vantages, we must inquire what is the object of man’s 
existence, and how shall he attain the end of his being? 
To these questions, history and revelation, the world 
around and the spirit within us, answer, that the object 
of man’s existence is happiness. Happiness here, and 
happiness forever. And the condition of that happiness 
is the diligent and proper exercise of his affections and 
his faculties. If this be the case, does the situation of 
an American farmer offer a fair opportunity of insuring 
this happiness? 
To be happy is the object of life., and all that the 
world can give towards it, is health and competence. 
“ Health of body is above all riches, and a strong body 
above infinite wealth.” And where is health to be 
found? There is no need of an audible answer. Look 
around. Bright eyes and blooming cheeks, as well as 
strong arms and untiring strength, tell us that earth’s 
first blessing is bestowed upon those who labor upon 
her bosom. 
But health is often undervalued by its possessor, or 
only appreciated when lost. Wealth, the more obvious 
and immediate reward of labor, is the chief pursuit of 
the active. And here the farmer thinks he has a right 
to complain. The merchant will sometimes make more 
in a year than he can in a lifetime; and it is not won¬ 
derful that he sometimes asks, would it not be better to 
leave small rewards, though regular and certain, for 
the chance of obtaining greater? To decide this ques¬ 
tion, we must ask—What is the price he pays? What 
is the reward he obtains? 
What is the price he pays? To say nothing of his 
moral exposures, in the great majority of cases, health 
of body and serenity of mind. Follow such a one into 
the crowded streets, or the close workshop. His strength 
for a time sustains him, but confinement and bad air 
soon deprive him of his healthful energy, and disease 
and premature decay become too often his portion. But 
supposing health can be preserved, where is his serenity 
of mind? 
The risks attendant on rapid accumulation are always 
in proportion to the chances of success. The farmer 
sows his seed, and has no doubt but that the harvest 
will repay him. But he who embarks in speculations 
that promise sudden and great wealth, knows that he 
may be “sowing the wind, to reap the whirlwind.” 
And the constant fear of such a result, embitters his 
days and renders his nights restless. And if attained, 
success gives but little satisfaction. The higher the rise, 
the wider the horizon; the greater the accumulation, 
the more exorbitant the desire. And this is not the 
extent of the evil. A total want of independence is too 
often the result. Few men in our community have 
those resources that will enable them to carry on ex¬ 
tensive operations on their own means. Almost all de¬ 
pend upon borrowing, and “ the borrower is a servant 
unto the lender.” But even if success should be the 
portion of the aspirant for riches, when is he to attain 
to it? Does it come forward to meet him? Years of 
anxiety may be repaid by wealth; but how seldom is 
this the case. More than ninety in every hundred, even 
in regular mercantile pursuits, fail. There are but few 
capital prizes in this lottery. The name of the fortu¬ 
nate holder may be seen at every corner, but where are 
the ninety and nine who draw blanks? And if attained, 
how uncertain is its possession! Wealth “ gotten by 
vanity,” (by which, I suppose, Solomon meant specula¬ 
tion,) “ shall be diminished, but he that gathereth by 
labor shall increase,” is a doctrine as true now as when 
first delivered; and is one which the experience of ev¬ 
ery age tends to corroborate. 
And after all, what is the advantage of great wealth, 
or, what is great wealth itself? It exists only in com¬ 
parison. “A man is as well off,” said the great capi¬ 
talist of the United States, “ who is worth half a mill¬ 
ion of dollars, as he would be if he were rich.” And 
one of the satirical papers of the day^ells us, that when 
Baron Rothschild, the Jewish banker, read that the in¬ 
come of Louis Phillippe, was only fifty dollars a min¬ 
ute, his eyes filled with tears; for he was not aware of 
the existence of such destitution. After the comforts 
of life are supplied, wealth becomes merely an imagi¬ 
nary advantage, and its possession does not confer any 
material for happiness, which an industrious and fore¬ 
handed farmer does not possess. “We will conquer all 
Italy,” said Pyrrhus, to his prime minister, “and then 
we will pass into Asia; we will overrun her kingdoms, 
and then we will wage war upon Africa; and when we 
have conquered all, we will sit down quietly and enjoy 
ourselves.” « And why,” replied his minister, « should 
we not sit down and enjoy ourselves without taking all 
I this trouble?” And why may not you, it may be said 
