Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1853-10-27
First State Agricultural Fair In Mo.
MAJ. wRIaHTs ADDRESS.
tconelusion from last psek. J

l pass 10 me second propoSitlon- IL II the u
duty Of the Stale 10 place thorough agri. p
cultural education within the reach Of he, Il
youth? and if so, how? assume that sh, a
has not yet done it. assume that With, q
her boundaries, all is not known that oughi
to be aud can be known by proper appli- ,
ances, teeevate the condition Of agriculture {
that the State has not furnished the means
OF acquiring this knowledge-and my pur-
pose is TO show it I can, that she is under
an obligation 10 make this knowledge access
IDLE.
On Monday, the I2Ih day of June, 1920
the people Of Missouri in convention assem-
bled, at st. Louis, established "iree and
independent Republic and ordained writ
ten constitution.
For the period Of little more than one
year, the Republic, thus formed, was in
peculiar sense "free and independent" --Ior
while its people had passed ont of their
Territorial furm, the Republic they formed,
was out oil the Union. But am not de H.
ing with this popularity in her history.
The Republic established was free and in
dependent" Its foundation was laid in the
capacity Of its people for self.government;
and knowledge, by the charter Of the struc-
ture, became its necessary support. Knowl-
edge diffussd, knowledge in the people, who
were recognized as the only source of pow
er in the State, so that by the act which gave
the form Of government. a duty trds created
and imposed upon the government TO instruct,
to inform and enlighten the understanding,
to instill into the mind principles of arts,
sciences and morals.
That is education, and the implication
"a al. 4 i It
deposit Of power; and tina, is the popular
mind. II the constitution ordained by the
people had been silent, the form of govern.
ment created duty TO educate, Of perfect
obligation, but the constitution is not silent;
it speaks; it is not contentto rely in this be-
half upon even n necessary implication, but
it puts down what is implied in apt and EN-
phatic words. 1t gives to education sepa-
rate article, and the first words of the first
section are:
"Schools and the means of education shall
forever be encouraged in this State"
There is the duty which devolves upon
the State, and its double origin, both sacred.
There is the duty which rests upon her now.
and will remain upon her so long as she re-
mains q Free State. Beyond that hour, l take
no interest in her progress.
Education is 10 be encouraged in this
State, not for time Only, but for all time
The men who framed this article had clear
ideas. They looked 10 the past and to the
ure--they knew that liberty was hard
Thing to get, and a still harder thing to keep
and they connected means with the end
They were not content to start with liberty
and end with something else. The horizon
of Freedom was not bounded 10 their .ision
They looked 10 10 future that was not free.
by clear logic they saw that If liberty was
\ dependent upon knowledge for single day.
]. must be dependent on il forever; and
thereforeree cting all temporary expedients,
they declare The union of liberty and knowl-
!. edge perpetual.
1.-THE organic law of Congress creating the
Territory, eight years before, had said: ''As
religion, morality and knowledge are neceSSa-
sryto good government and the happiness Of
man, schools ana the means of education
shall be encouraged, but the trainers Of
our Constitution reject the preamble, and
change the phrase by adding a word Of per-
petuity. They reject the preamble, not to
weaken, but 10 strengthen the law. They
cut off all argument-they senced all de-
bate about the value or object of education,
for they knew that the legal effect of pre-
amble of times narrows the law. They put
education now and forever upon the footing
Of duty absolute, requiring no Argument
for its enforcement. They left it as the
plain duty of free State, arising out Of her
freedom and insepars BILE from it,
This connection between liberty and
knowledge is a legacy of the Revolution.
No men who have ever lived on earth, saw
or felt the force of this idea as did the men
Of the Revolutionary so struggled 10 make
it living idea. In many ways they i'm
pressed il. II is to be seen in all their in
ca!culations-b | cannot forbear to re-
mind YOU Of the mode in which one Of the
great actors Of that age sought to transmit
the thought 10 succeeding ages. He was
not content that it should be seen in his life,
it must speak from his grave--and there
fore, penning the epitah which survives
him, Thomas Jefferson wrote these words:
'.4ulior Of the Declaration of I'm. Independence
FOUNDER OF THE UNIVERSITY"
The chisel of the lapdary has engraven
the words upon the hard and impersishabe
marble OF his tomb and the stone helps
biography and history TO carry down the
truth to succeeding generations.
Education is therefore TO he encouraged
--encouaged by the S ate. The words Of
the constitution are not addressed to the
individual citizen either as mandate or adj
mon lion. They are an Injunction on tbs
law making power--the General Assem-
bly,.
The duty cannot be shuflled off upor
others, while faith is kept with the conSti
tuition. Whatever individuals or societies
may do, there is still an existing obligation
on the State. There is no possibility oi
evasion; the obligation must be met. The
government is built not upon throne or {
peerage--nOt upon the aristocracy Of blood
weal,h--not upon any arbitrary or artfcia
distinction in man. lis foundation is mind
and the State is pledged TO see that it shall
be educated mind.
But is the State pledged TO encourage