Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 69, No. 427, May, 1851Various
General
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 69, No. 427, May, 1851
Various
England -- Periodicals; Scotland -- Periodicals
receive the same wages as formerly, when the value of the produce of
his labour is reduced one-third? It is certainly a grievous trial of
the patience to listen to Sir J. Graham lending his talents to the
support of a delusion so very cruel, and so very palpable.
But a truce to this strain. A very pleasant book has most innocently
led us into very unpleasant themes. Believing that the reign of
delusion is drawing to a close, and that a spirit of juster legislation
will soon prevail in the councils of the nation, and that the time
draws nigh when the occupants and owners of the soil may prosecute
their affairs with better hopes than they at present have, of enjoying
a fair reward for their toil and enterprise, we again earnestly
commend to their attentive perusal _The Book of the Farm_. To the
landed proprietors it ought to be invaluable, if they wish to be
qualified to discharge those duties which Providence has laid on
them, and which they owe to their tenantry, to the agricultural poor,
and to the nation. While the rights of every petty interest are pled
in Parliament by parties who prove their intimate acquaintance with
the disadvantages--fictitious or real--under which it labours, the
ignorance prevailing, in the present House of Commons, on the subject
of agriculture, and on its various bearings in reference to national
prosperity, is so flagrant as to have excited universal remark. A large
body, however, of that august assembly are country gentlemen, and the
charge might imply a reflection on their education and attainments.
But it would be base ingratitude to forget that patriotic band of
country gentlemen in Parliament, as well as out of it, who, in the
face of discouragements more disheartening than a great party were
ever subjected to before, have fought the battle of just legislation
so gallantly, patiently, and prudently--who have identified themselves
with the suffering tenantry--and are now contending, with brighter
hopes and revived energies, for a fair protection to native and
colonial industry, as the only mode in which the labouring poor of the
land can _permanently_ enjoy the just reward of their industry, as that
system of policy by which alone the taxes can be paid, the national
honour kept untarnished, and the constitution and the monarchy saved
from dilapidation. There are many others for whose return to their
right mind we have waited patiently. We believe that in their case an
ignorance of agricultural affairs may be the source of their present
apathy. To all gentlemen, however, living in the country, although
they may have no stake in its soil, we recommend Mr Stephens' work, as
containing most agreeable reading. We do not say that, from such, a
continuous perusal is required. They may intercalate an agricultural
season from _The Book of the Farm_, now with the corresponding season
from the "Bard of the Seasons," and now with an eclogue from Virgil.
The pleasures of a country life will thus be infinitely multiplied;
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account