The Kanzas news., 1858-07-03
Hintafo Farnara, Rova..


twill hardly be disputed that the farm
is the nursery not only of virtue, but of ge-
MUS. If it were possible TO assemble To-
gether all the plow boys in this country, SO
as 70 behold them at one view, the speeta-
tor would see before him nine-tenths of the
orators, and statesmen, who, twenty years
hence, viii sway the public mind of Amer
lea. How important then that farmers
should commence the education of their
boys on wide basis. Fifty years ago far
mers educated their boys at home till they
reached the age of maturity. and having
thus formed temperate and industrious hab-
its, combined with hungering and thirst
ing for knowledge, they went out among
men and made their mark. When they en-
tered college they went straight forward,
and were not only able 10 pass a formal ex
animation, but they knew all that they had
learned. Many of the boys OF that day
became great men, towering above their
town-bred contemporaries. ike mighty oaks
surrounded by forest of therns.
But the rule has been reversed and the
young gentleman of to-day, almost before
he is prepared to quit the nursery. is taken
from the district school and sent to an acad-
emy to study 'tologies.'' We are not in fa-
vor of returning to the old system of schools,
but we are decidedly opposed TO this manu-
featuring men out of mere children. Let
them first become boys, and let them con
tinue to be boys till they are fit to take the
place of men. Nothing is ever gained by
premature development. 81.
But this question in its broadest extent.
embraces too much ground for our time
and space. We shall content ourselves
with alluding to single point. The great
defect in American orators is not want of
ideas and action, but grace, logic and Ian
guage. On the stump, at the bar, in the
pulpit, even in the national Senate, it is not
uncommon to hear the English language
murdered, and sometimes to hear express
sions which should never be used outside Of
bar rooms. Nothing is so disgusting to
good taste as cant and slang. And the in
su6erable staleness and hypocrisy of the
Fourth of July Grafton style-what word
of contempt shall we use to express our
adherence of it.
Boys, in your debating clubs, and you
should all belong 10 them, cast aside the
puerile vulgarity of the mere POLITICIAN
Constantly bear in mind that the American
people are superior to most of their orators,
and this is the reason that the harangues of
the latter do not now affect an audience as
the speeches of Demosthenes stirred an
Athenian assembly. The Athenians, though
very impressible, were eminently critical
and fastidious, and it was necessary that the
Athenian orator should speak the purest
Attic, should be elegant and perspicuous in
his style, orderly and logical in his method,
and graceful in his delivery. if he would
escape being voted an ignoramus, blum
derer, and bore.
1t is mistake to imagine that assemblies
at this day could not be impressed and
swayed as Demosthenes and Cicero impress
ed and swayed Athenian and Roman audi
ences. But to accomplish this our public
speakers must elevate themselves TO occupy
a relation to their hearers similar to that
which those celebrated orators held in ad-
dressing an assembly of acute and critical
Athenans, or an audience of grave and
thoughtful Roman Senator'S. Therein lies
the great desideratum. Upon this hint our
American orators should act. The young
men who most carefully study this point,
will be most successful and most popular.
Prairie FaTmer.