1848 . 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
27 
to many an aspirant after wealth, enjoy in reality all 
you seek, in your present condition? 
“ Give me neither poverty nor - riches,” was the 
prayer of one of the sages of antiquity. And Lord Ba¬ 
con, the wisest man of modern times, Says, “ seek not 
proud riches, but rather such as thou mayest get justly, 
use soberly, distribute cheerfully and leave contentedly.” 
And can there be a truer description of a farmer’s for¬ 
tune ? There is no greater independence than that 
possessed by a contented fore-handed farmer. “ Tell 
your master,” said a Roman general, to the ambassador 
of the king of Persia, who came to bribe him with 
great wealth, and found him washing* the vegetables 
that were to constitute his dinner with his own hands, 
“ tell your master that all the gold in Persia, can never 
bribe the man who can contentedly live upon turneps.” 
And the answer was as true in philosophy, as it was 
elevated in patriotism. To be happy, man must limit 
his desires. And when he has sufficient for his needs, 
should remember that the temptations and perplexities 
incident to overgrown wealth, more than counterba¬ 
lance its seeming advantages. Health of body and com¬ 
petence of estate are all the requisites for organic hap¬ 
piness tlret the world can bestow. And to say that 
agricultural pursuits are eminently calculated to insure 
these, is only to reiterate the language of past ages, and 
to repeat the testimony of our own. If you leave such 
pursuits, the hazard increases as the profit augments. 
The amount of the premium is always proportioned to 
the greatness of the risk. 
But health and the conveniences of life are not all 
that a man requires to make him happy. He desires to 
be useful, he wishes to be esteemed. And what pro¬ 
fession can boast of a higher claim to utility than that 
of the farmer,? The greater part of mankind must be 
agriculturists, and on their character the well-being of 
every state must depend. Our free institutions are val¬ 
ued, but how shall they be preserved? By the virtue 
of the people. History gives no other answer. No 
truth is more clearly emblazoned on her pages than 
that if a nation would be free, they must be intelligent¬ 
ly virtuous. And here the agricultural class become of 
the first importance to the state. The influence of a 
virtuous yeomanry on her character, like that of the 
air on the individual, are seen in the strength of those 
W'ho are unconscious of its presence. 
But they have still a further power. If, “when the 
righteous are in authority, the people rejoice,” they 
who by their numbers hold the gift of office, have an 
influence second to none in the republic. 
The political influence of the agricultural class, is an 
important but a dangerous topic before an audience like 
the present, as particular applications may be made of 
general observations. To prevent such a consequence, 
I would illustrate my meaning by reference to the old¬ 
est political disquisition in existence, which is remark¬ 
able as showing the similarity of political aspirants in 
all ages; and which, as it was written two thousand 
years before the discovery of this continent, can hardly 
be supposed to refer either to the advocates of Texas or 
the tariff. 
It is more than three thousand years since Jotham 
called to the men of Shechem, to listen to a parable *. 
“ The trees of the forest went out to choose a king over 
them; and they said unto the olive tree, f reign thou 
over us . 5 ” The answer shows who was meant by the 
olive. “Should I leave my fatness wherewith by me 
they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over 
the trees?” It was the answer of a religious and con¬ 
scientious man, who feared that public station would 
not be favorable to the virtues which were the objects 
of his life. 
“ And the trees said to the fig tree, come thou and 
reign over us; and the fig tree answered, should I for¬ 
sake my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to be pro¬ 
moted over the trees?” Could a better personification 
have been found of a close, calculating man, who 
looked out for the main chance, and took special care 
of number one? It was his own sweetness and good 
fruit that influenced his decision. The emoluments of 
office such a one knew were small and precarious; and 
as for honors he would not give a fig for the whole of 
them. 
“ Then said the trees to the vine, come thou and 
reign ovei us . 55 The vine was one of your popular fel¬ 
lows who can take hold of any thing to help himself 
up; who is always on the fence, when nothing higher 
offers, and who, too pliant to stand alone, will run well 
if properly supported. But his vocation was “ to cheer 
the hearts of gods and men,” and as office-holding and 
popularity did not agree very well together, he de¬ 
clined the honor. 
“ Then said all the trees to the bramble, come thou 
and reign over us . 55 There were two reasons why this 
call alone was unanimous. He had nothing particular¬ 
ly to do, and he kept himself perpetually before the 
public. He had nothing particularly to do, he had nei¬ 
ther wine nor oil, beauty nor sweets to recommend 
him. He was a fit representative of a class who then 
existed. Nobody could tell what they were made for, 
and nobody could divine what they followed for a liv¬ 
ing. But yet the bramble was not one to be forgotten. 
He was always before the public. He planted himself 
by the wayside, and caught hold of everybody that 
passed; there was no getting along for the bramble; 
and it may be that they made him king, on the same 
principle that young ladies sometimes marry an impor¬ 
tunate lover—-to get rid of him. And how did the 
bramble receive his nomination? Did he distrust his 
powers or decline the office? Oh no! He was up for 
everything, and up to anything. He could not boast 
much of himself, so he strove to magnify his office. 
“ And the bramble said, if, in truth, ye anoint me 
king over you, then come and put your trust in my 
shadow; if not, then let a fire come out of the bramble 
and devour the cedars of Lebanon . 55 
Such was the opinion of Jotham, three thousand 
years ago, on the probable feelings and conduct of 
rulers who were placed in authority without the requi¬ 
sites for office. He believed that a fire would go out 
of the bramble to destroy the noblest and most elevated 
in the land. By the bramble he meant Abimeleeh, 
who was elected king of Shechem, because his mother 
was a native of the city. His course was as Jotham 
had foretold; a fire did go out of the bramble. He 
slew three score and ten men of his brethren on one 
stone. And as for Shechem, he took occasion of their 
revolt, and put every man, woman and child to the 
sword, burned the city with fire, sowed it with salt, 
and left a warning to future ages, of the danger of put¬ 
ting, through folly or affection, improper men into office. 
If now, as formerly, the prosperity of the state is so 
intimately connected with the character of the rulers, 
how great is the power, and how evident the duty of 
a class of men, who removed from the immediate strug¬ 
gle, hold, by their numbers, the gift of office. If, 
they are faithful, our republic will have a stability that 
no one before it has possessed. If, doubting their im¬ 
portance, they neglect the trust committed to them, 
they may learn, too late, that they have sold their 
country’s birthright; and when they would recall the 
blessing of their fathers, they may find there is no 
place for repentance, though they seek it diligently 
and with tears. 
But perhaps it will be said that the agricultural class, 
though collectively powerful, are individually of small 
comparative importance. Together they maybe liken¬ 
ed to the ocean that supports a nation’s navy and tosses 
it from its bosom, with as much ease as it wafts a 
feather. Still the individual is but a drop, resembling 
others so nearly as to attract neither notice nor admira 
tion. But this is not peculiar to this class. It applies 
equally to all. Few, from the very definition, can be 
distinguished. 
But of all the professions, it appears to me that the 
farmers are the last who ought to complain that, as a 
class, they do not receive a full proportion of the hon¬ 
ors of the* republic. Our chief magistrates have dif¬ 
fered in many points, but they have generally agreed in 
this; that before, and in many cases after the election 
they have been farmers. There was the farmer oi 
Mount-Vernon, and the farmer of Monticello; the far 
