Des Arc citizen., 1859-11-09

be well-applied to the pupils of this insti-
 tution. A farmers life must be in the
 concrete state; the life of the student oI
 agriculture must be in the abstract state.
 Knowledge, to be valuable, must be such
 as, when reduced to practice, will be pro-
 ductive and profitable. The farmer or . planter who produces most with a given
 amount of labor must be said to be the
 most skllful. His knowledge is best be-
 cause it is most practical and productive.
 The young men who are 10 be educa-
 ted at this institution we took for granted
 were expected to direct the labor of others,
 not to perform It themselves. Suppose
 your young man to have completed his
 college studies. and goes out to reduce his
 knowledge to practice, what IS the first
 branch of his education called into requi-
 siton? The tract of land is selected and
 the purchase is made. Is his title good
 Here he must understand the principles of
 law and those rules which have been re- cognised by society and government a di-
 viding saeuns and tuuns--this far he must
 be a lawyer, and will justify his having read at least the preface of Blackstone.
 Next he must have houses to shelter him. self and those dependent upon him. Here he must have a knowledge of architec- lure, which in itself is science; work men must be employed to carry out his architectural designs; and 10 insure a faithful performance oi his contracts he must possess knowledge of practical me- IcI,,Y ba ciadiaJ tf, bp mn fderstood. He goes to his feld-here he must understand soils; and to do so he must know something of their component elements what ingredient must be added to rescue the earth from barrenness, and what Is the best method of applying fer tlizers; to do this chemistry in all its branches. as applicable 10 agriculture, must be studied and understood. Here is large field for the man in the abstract to give facts to the man in the concrete of practical utility. But the natural position of his ground requires drainage, so that 1t may be dried on the one hand and pre- vented from washing away on the other; to perform this work well and effectively, the science of engineering must be under steod and it's principles applied. He re- turns home by his houses and examines his stock of horses and mules, and here he may be called upon for Knowledge of farriery. In fact a thorough acquant- ance with all diseases which visit animals, and how to treat them, IS essential to any man who controls farm.
 He prepares his ground to receive the seed; to do this properly, he must be la- miliar with the best implements; and to cultivate his crop in the best mode, he must understand plants and their peculiar habitudes. This involves an acquaint- ance with botany, an interesting branch of study.
 He returns to his home. He finds sick ness and disease have hold of some one who looks to him for relief. Here he will find field for the exercise of all his knowledge of medicine and to be equa! to his position in life, and to his responsi- bilily, he must acquaint himself with the nature of disease and the action of medi- cines; in short, the perfect farmer or planter should have an acquaintance with the whole circle of practical knowledge known among men.
 We are here in slaveholdng commu- nity, and, in his estimation, there was no situation in life, so desirable as that of southern planter. His farm makes kind of independent community of which he IS i the center. His will controls the move- ments and operations of all around him. He must, therefore, preserve cool head and firm will, because, being responsi- ble for everything which IS done, his judg- ment must be sound and the directions he gives must be clear. His action too, must be upright, and his life must be vir- tuous, for those around him will follow his example. With full knowledge of his position and his responsibility to those who have been intrusted to his charge, and independent of all except the smiles of him from whom proceeds every good and perfect gift, the planter who loves not virtue and walks not uprightly, deserves to be cast off as worse than an in6del.- He wished to keep men in the pursuit of science--thinking men in the abstract they were useful; give him the man in the concrete who knew his duties to God and to his fellow man, and peformed | them.
 The Professor told us of the wonderful powers of man to track the movements of the heavenly bodies. And it is wonder l ful. It is now known, that on the Sth day of December, 1868, a dark body will pass directly across the disk of the sun, that the comet which but lately cheered us with it's presence, and had now disappeared. in one hundred and fifty years would come again and tighten up the heavens with lis flaming train. This science of astrono- my is grand, but its exact and certain, and in bu. gIancing al it he had not been aslonished at the exclamation of one of its greatest devo.ees that an undeyout as- tronomer is mad. But turn to the plant CTS life; there the future Is all uncer- tainty; no man can tell what day or an hour may bring forth. God rules the sea- sons. Man is required to use the means. and he is told if he sows nor. neither shall he reap. But if e sows, God mus send the rains, he mus wara of the sia. sns, 'he ,oust eut on tbe invadfao and deStroying