The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1853-02-12
Industrial Convention OF ths State OF Iii,-
nOis.
7ohs Honorable Senate and House 81 Repre'en
LLt.uc. 4 tLx M. ILL.,.

actively And personally engaged ~ agrI 'ultur;l
sni mechanical pursuits. We ATE daily made
Ia feel our own practical ignorance, and the ml,
application Of toll aud labor. ana the rnornou.
waste "f products, means, materials; and irsour
crs that result from II, We are aware that all
this evil To ourselves and our country results
from n want Of knowledge Of th.s- principles
and laws Of nature tba, Und.rs our various pro
fessions mud Of the proper means of n practical
application Of existing know ledge to those pur
suits.
We rejoice TO know that our brsthred in 1he
several learned professions have to good degree
avsiled themselves Of these advantages, and
have for years enjoyed their benefit. They
have universitiestnnd colleges, NTH apparatus.
libraries voIuminous and vast, able and learned
piofessors and teachers, constantly discovering
new facts. and applying al, krswn principles and
,ruths directly to the practical use- Of their
al professions and pnrruits. This is ~ it should
he But We have neither universities, colleges,
books; libraries, apparatus, or teaches sdspted
or designed to concentrate and apply even all ex-
isiing knowledge to our pursuits. much less have
we the means Of efficiently exploring and exam.
Inlng the vast practical unkn"wn that daily lies
all around us, spreading darkness and ruin upon
our best laid schemes and plans, blightng our
hopes diminishing our resources. and working in
and To our country.
Some think one half-no intelligent man thinks
that less than one third or one fourth e. the en-.
tire labor and products oil our state and made an
annual sacrifice to this needless ignorance and
waste. knowledge alone, here, 10 power, and our
reIiefisas clearly obvious as our wants We
need the same thorough and practical application
| OF knowledge to our pursuits that the learned
professions enjoy in theirs. through their unlver.
.les and their literature, schools and lIhrare,
| that have grow ~ of them. For even though
knowledge nl-y ,x-, it is perfectly p"werles-
until properly applir nd We have not the mean.
Of applying it. What sort Of generals and sold
iers would all our national science (aud artJ
make if we had no military acadamles to take
tha, knowledge and apply it directly and specific
ally TO military lifri
Are oar classical universities, our laws, mcdi.
| cine asd divinity schonl, adapted t0 make good
generals aud warriors Just a. well rs they are
to make good farmers and mechanics, and no bet.
ter. l. the defence. then, Of tur resources Of
more actual consequence that their production
! Why then should the state care fer the one, and
neglect the othrri
! According to recent publication only in ?6o
Of the population Of our own s,ate are engaged IN
professional life aud not in 200 in the Union
generally. great proportion even Of these
never enjoyed the advantages Of our clas zeal and
professional schools. But there are in the Urli-d
States 225 principal universities. colleges. ..min.
aries schools. DC. devoted to the interest of the
| professional classes, besides many smaller ones.
while there Is not slHgle one. with liberal en-
dowments designed for the liberal and practical
education of the industrial classes
! No Wrr Point asyet beams upon the horizon
Of their hope; true. - yet nur hounIle-s n,tinn.
resources keep IT,, Ike the children "f aph.i EN-
igra'ing fom N. Ark from the miserable d-gN.
,lninn and want Of older empires. but the re."ur.
cr- 'hrm--lv-s lie all uni-vrl"p-d III some dlrec
inns, wasted and misappled in others. and rapid.
" vanishing away ms centuries roll onward un.
der the ignorance or un.k klllullness that directed
/ th.m.
We. ~. members "f the industrial classes are
It'll compelled l., work emp, really aud blnIly.
without nr-,lful books. s.h,"l. or means hv the
slow proc-.. II that individual experience that
lives aud dies with the man. Or professional
brethren. through their universities, schonls
feathers. and libraries. combine snd cnneentra,-
! th" prr, a. +xp' nee # ages in each man =
/ life. We nerd 'br s,mr.
! H. monaclcal Europe through their polyirch.
III and agricultural .ch""l- srp- .u,ce,sfu effort
ha' been mnd", ~ some .IrpnrIni"nts and classes.
t,m-ri tbs gts.t w.ni Il the .J'r
But ~ ,ur democratic cr,u' u'rN, though en- "
indus nal ard Irsclr'3l in III H. i - and ends,
nn such rilur ha. been ,thrnu'lv ma IT, W."
have N our own State ~" .lrh lI-s'ii" ou> AMI un
practical cnn,bina,Iou uf irs, ur.rs and means
l lhai can ever pro luce nnr wor m nf tue rnd.--
We have not r'rna Normal School fr tie
education" "f our teachers, nor half "A supply at
,thrrn, teachers, ewes for our own c"u!uun
sch"'l- and never cIp have wi'h.ut noir at ,.n.
tiOn {" the indispensable mran- fnr ,h,r ptolnr
ton. Hrrc~, our cunnion .chnnis are. and uu-t
c"n'lnu. tn lie. To great extent in,fficlrnr ani
angu,.hug, i. n., absolute nuisarl e. on our soll
as III some cases they n'w are
/ But the common ,clunl iu'pra.t is the great
hep. ni uur country AMI we euEly desire to render
II efficient and us.f.l, IN the only way it ran h-
done. by rearing up for It competent and I'll rent
teahc IN the normal department Of our ndu>,iI.
! nj universities
Knowing that knowledge, ike light md water
runs d"wuwaId, nn' upward, through lumpn ."
clrty. We would begin with the .uns nd fuur
taIis, not with the candies and puddlr, aui pour
tie lighl aud warcr ut lite down 'hr"u-h every
avenue Of darknrss below. and not hrsm with tie
d"rknrss and drought. and attempl t" evolve and
iuIcr it upward. No state ever did or ever vii
succeed by this later process, H." teacher is
the first man sought, ant the life and light "fu e
whole thing from the university downward.
To this end. conccnltation i the first lnll,rcn.
sable step. L.N w all cons"n school 'uud nm.
touched, as they now are, the proposed di-rbu
tlcn of our university fund, araountmg I" about
$l5o,OO0 will illustrate this point The annual
interest Of thl. at 8 per cent IL about s90oo. II
this should be divided among our ten ~ fifteen
colleges, it would give them only from $500 To
s9o each, per annun. DIVIDED am"ng our hun.
dl.d counties 1t would give $go Ia each county
for high schol, or any other purpose Divided
as It n"w is among the million Of our people, II
gives mile or less than onr cent to each psr.
sou.
Concentrated upon an industrial university. i
~"uli furn-h IN annual corps at Iii tu' teachers
and lecturers, through It4 normal -r''"I, 4" g.
through all our town. and counties, create, e-tah'
l,h aud instruct lycrums. high schools and com
mon srh"ols. NJ all sorts. and through iis agrcnl'
IUral ~ mrrhsu'ral dep rm.ns, c"ncrn' ,aimx
aud j,tlu.lg he b,rntf of pia acilcal k""N Ud- .
and eIp-rlrnrs over all eur .mpNmenl- Al
pursuits, "ur Grns aud sh"ps Here Ne else
where, the sun must pIistb-fmv the dlamun 10
and dewdrops can shine The mounMn height,
must send down their rllls aud ihrir tor,en's,
gathered from their avn flood AMI the bound
less resources " the ocean and the ky, before
| the desert can blossom Ne the ruse Money how
much " little concentrated in logs, clspboar,is
aud brick. enclosing herd of lhtl-ss, uneasy and
mlschievous children, cannot make y common
school The living teacher must be- ,here.-llv
ing no, desp for dead teachers only make dead
pchnlais the more dead Nor can grammar
language metaphysics, or abstract science, how