to the mind of his family. For this purpose it should be his object, in the first place, to acquire himself, and to impart to his offspring at least a common education.This is a good foundation for mental improvement, but nothing more. It should be regarded in every man's hands, merely as the instrument of rearing and establishing that intellectual superstructure, which is to give him character, consequence, capacity and happiness in the various stations he may be called to sustain in society.

There is no greater mistake, than in imagining, that because a scholar has mastered his spelling, reading, writing, grammar and arithmetic, he is then entitled to dismiss his books, take up his farming tools, and bend a single eye to his agricultural avocations. Such a course

is inexcusable. A wide and unbounded field of knowledge lies before him, inviting his culture, of which he as yet possesses no more than the utensils for improve

ment.

Nothing but absolute poverty can excuse a man from the purchase of books, and attention to study. But the farmer in the middle walks of life, who with his brethren constitutes the great body of our population, no matter how numerous his family, if bred as they should be to habits of strict economy and industry-he has leisure to pass without employment in business, many of his long winter evenings, and much of the day time during the same period, in the improvement of his mind. He has the means of purchasing a small collection of books for purposes of the most immediate utility, to serve as a manual for himself and family, and to fill up those little interstices of leisure continually occuring, which the poet calls Catching the transient hour, and improving each moment as it flies." While his more enlarged researches are cheaply and liberally supplied by the well selected public library of the neighbourhood. Books, newspapers, &c. principally devoted to agricultural subjects, should occupy an important share of his attention.

If the farmer is advanced in life, he most probably has children who will mould their future lives by his example; and he already fills a station which gives ample play for all the knowledge he can place in store. He is the member of a great and rising republic, whose con

stitution and general policy invite his scrutiny; in the selection of whose functionaries he is annually called to assist; upon whose conduct he sits in judgment. In the exercise of so important a duty, what speed can he make, without the aid of that cool monitor, a well instructed understanding?

To form the character of the mere elector, he should study his national and state constitution with its ablest commentators. He should examine the history of nations, their rise, their progress, their decay, and final extinction. He should understand the resources, the geography, and the religious and moral habits of his own country. He should investigate the spirit of her laws, and search out her commercial relations. Until he does so, he cannot appreciate the conduct of his rulers. Difficulties, disasters, and inevitable misfortunes are confounded with faults and crimes; or even the most upright, beneficial and prosperous efforts are metamorphosed into state villany, by those who are interested to hoodwink the master in his search to determine the merit of the servant. His ignorance and credulity are thus made the mere sport of the artful and designing knave, whom he gratifies perhaps at the expense of an able fathful delegate.

Again--By a judicious course of reading and reflection he disperses the darkness and terror which will ever attend superstition and ignorance. He forms a

more correct estimate of the duties, flowing from the relation to his family, to society, and to his God !--Becomes better contented with the world, smooths the asperities and removes the peevishness and puerilities of age. He of all others is best qualified to attain and enjoy that enviable state of human happiness, so elegantly described by the Poet of the Seasons:

Rural quiet, friendship, books,

Ease, and alternate labor, useful life,
Progressive virtue, and approving heaven..

CONCLUDING REMARKS.

In the compilation of the foregoing sheets, much more time and labor have been required than was at first anticipated. The publication of the work has in consequence been delayed several months longer, than the time calculated upon, when the proposals were issued.

Owing to the numerous sources, whence we have gleaned materials for almost every article, (not less than 80 volumes having been examined in making the compilation,) it has not been thought necessary to refer to every publication from which extracts have been made. But we think it proper to observe, that we have generally used the language of others, whose opinions coincided with our own.

25

ERRATA.

Page 13, line 2 from bottom, for whenever, read when even; p17, 12 from bottom, for good, t yard; p 18, 1 7 from bottom, for conceived, r concerned; p 22, 18 from top, for simple, r single; p 26, 114 from bottom, for must, read most; p 51, 1 11 from top, the word better, after be, is left out; p 52, 15 from bottom, for especially, r excessively; p 53, in the runing title, Fallowing is improperly continued through many pages; p 76, 17 from bottom, for absorbed, r absorbent; p 83, 113 from bottom, for their, r these; p 93, 1 5 from top, for post, r port; p 103, 1 13 from top, for new, r now; p 124, at the commencement of the article on Cabbages, at the 3d paragraph, the word Cabbages was omitted; p 126, 115 from top, for clear, r clean; p 127, 1 6 from top, for them, r their; p 133, 12 from top, for not quicken, r rot quicker; p 145, for Fall Fescue Grass, r Tall Fescue Grass; p 153,1 13 from top, for best. r beast; p 159,18 from top, for stalls, r stale; p 160, line 18 from bottom, for principle, r principal; p 165, 13 and 23 from top, for yearning, r yeaning; p 171, 1 2 from bottom, for lime ashes, r live ashes; p 174, 1 15 from bottom, for the rich, r this rich; p 180, 1 13 from bottom, for leveling, r beveling; p 182,115 from bottom, for boughs, r bows; p 196, 1 4 from bottom, for where, r when; p 200, line 12 from top, for invest, r invert; p 206, 1 21 from bottom, for base, r bare; p 222,1 18 from bottom, after in, the word the is left out; p 233, 1 1 and 3 from bottom, for butter, r batter; p 234, 1 3 from bottom, for thin, r their; p 243, 19 from top, for washed, r mashed; 1 11, for musk, r must; p 261, 14 from bottom, for where, r when.