have gotten from the sale of our own forty, to go farther west and
purchase a large farm of virgin soil. He realized, my Son, that even that
part of his father's farm that was first put under cultivation was
becoming distinctly reduced in productiveness. He remembered, too,
the stories often repeated by your grandfather of the run-down
condition of the once exceedingly fertile soils of the Mohawk Valley
and other parts of New York State.
"And you know, Percy, there were many Dutch farmers settled in New
York. They were probably the best farmers among all who came to
America from the Old World. I have heard your grandfather explain
their use of crop rotation, and they understood well the value of clover
and farm fertilizers. But with all of their skill and knowledge, the land
grew poor, and now the very farm upon which Grandpa was born is not
worth as much as the actual cost of the farm buildings. I hope you will
consider all of this. The farm life is so unpromising for you, and there
are such great opportunities for success in other lines. Still I feel that
you must decide this question for yourself my Son, but tell me why you
would choose the life and work of a farmer?"
CHAPTER III
LINCOLN S VIEW OF AGRICULTURE
PERCY had listened without interrupting, grieved at her
disappointment, and open to any reasoning that might change his mind.
"Mother dearest," he said, "it was a year ago that you said I would have
only till this fail to decide upon my college course and that it should be
a special preparation for my life work. I have given much thought to it.
You said that I should choose for myself, and I have not consulted
much with others, but I have tried to consider the matter from different
points of view.
"You know the Christmas present you gave me of the Lincoln books?"
"Yes, I know, and you have read them so much. I could not get you
many books, but I knew there could be nothing better for my boy to
read than the thoughts of that noble man. But, Percy dear, Lincoln was
a lawyer, and he rose from the lowest walk in life to the highest
position in the country, and with much less preparation than my own
boy will have. Suppose he had remained a farmer! Surely no such
success could ever have been reached. I am not so foolish as to have
any such high hopes for you. Percy; but if you can only put yourself in
the way of opportunity; and make such preparation as you can to fill
with credit some position of responsibility that may be offered you! I
had truly hoped that your study of Lincoln's life would influence yours.
To me Lincoln was the noblest of all the noble men of our history, and
I doubt not of all history, save Him who came to redeem the world."
Percy stepped to his little homemade bookcase and took a volume from
the Lincoln set.
"May I read you some words of Lincoln?" he asked.
"Oh yes," she answered wonderingly.
"On September 30th, 1859," said Percy, "Lincoln gave an address at
Milwaukee, before the State Agricultural Society of Wisconsin, and of
all the addresses of Lincoln it seems to me that this is the greatest,
because it deals with the greatest material problem of the United States.
I think I have scarcely heard a public address in which the speaker has
not dwelt upon the fact that the farmer must feed and clothe the world;
and it seems to me that the missionaries always speak of the famines
and starvation of so many people in India and other old countries. Do
you remember the lecture by the medical missionary? Well, would it
not he better to send agricultural missionaries to India and China to
teach those people how to raise crops?
"I have read and reread this address more than any other in the Lincoln
set. Let me read you some of the paragraphs I have marked.
"After making some introductory remarks about the value of
agricultural fairs, Lincoln began his address as follows:
"'I presume I am not expected to employ the time assigned me in the
mere flattery of the farmers as a class. My opinion of them is that, in
proportion to numbers, they are neither better nor worse than other
people. In the nature of things they are more numerous than any other
class; and I believe there are really more attempts at flattering them
than any other, the reason of which I cannot perceive, unless it be that
they can cast more votes than any other. On reflection, I am not quite
sure
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