Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1862-02-28

| but the stssrnpt failed snsr croavsu, for the
LAX Of Ienders. There w1s TOO much Of old CUSTOM
| too much,of old habit, weighing down, 10 be thrown
| IN In due time We trisd IL. We carried II half
| through in the var Of the Rsvolution; and now We
have got the work on hand to fnish- up. ZAP
plauss.) I take it thers never has bsen q time in
| human history when there was prmenfed to the
world % grand, 30 glorious . confiet for the pro-
eres Of humanity and the moral and religious
interests of the race asa whole, - n the present.
And, sir, I take it that We Of the colleges and OF
the clerg.-ws Who find our only compensation.
not in dollars and cents, but in the pleasure of
ministering at these sltars-have a good right to
come up here to-day and utter our prayer OF graf
itude to God for the occasion that brings us here
together. We will not take frcm your privileges,
but we will claim q large share for ourselves.
ALLOW me 10 call your attention to two or
three points in the farewell address Of WASHING
TON as expressed briefly in his emphatic way
"Promete, then, as 9 matter Of primary lmpor-
lance, Institutions for the general diffusion OF
knowledge" at is essential that there be an
enlightened public sentiment" Nov, then,I take
il, that the events Of the last few years have
shown more than anything else the importance OF
that sentiment Where do we find the disloyal
men, but in thoseStates where the common schools
are not sustained? / have drawn of a few facts
on this point, BY which you may draw, as it were,
q line Of division between the loyal and disloyal
States.
In the North the proportion of the scholars in
the public schools to the white population, is as
one TO four and one-haif; in the South as one to
tpeire. In Delaware il is as one to eight, and
Delaware is loyal. In North Carolina the pro-
portion is as one to six. How comes that Why,
North Carolina wa settled largely by good scotch
Presbyterians, imbued with the fearless spirit of
old John Knox. And following out that spirit,
they were the first to declare themselves indepen-
dent of C rest Britain in the famous declaration Of
Mechlenburg, from which Jefferson copied so
largely; and in due time they developed a COM
mon school system, and as the result of that COM
mon school system we know that the people are
at heart loyal to-day. They have been over-borne.
Witness as proof the rapturous shouts with which
their representatives greeted the first victory on
their coast, ss opening for them the way Of res
t~orstion to the Union they loved. Tennessee, too,
Tennessee is loyal al heart. Witness that eIpedi-
tion of our gunbosts up the Tennessee River
Tennessee, one to ten. Kentucky, one to eleven.
Maryland, one TO twelve-loyal under difficulties.
(Laughter.) And there is Virginia, one to thir-
teen. notwithstanding the character Of the West
ern part of that State. Coming down TO Sout tn
Carolina, one to sixteen. Mississippi and Texas
one to trenfy; and poor little Florida at the bot
tom, Florida, one to twenty-sixi She does not
know any better than TO be disloyal. ~(Laughter.)
There is 8 practical illustration Of the truth of
the position.
Promote, then, your institutions for the difu-
sion Of general knowledge. 1t is the want Of an
enlightened public sentiment that has led TO this
rebellion Of the Southern States. Enlighten
them and they will become Union, and it is
through their being enlightened as our armies
advance that we are to hope for the restoration Of
this Union.
Prof. Clark spoke with genuine feeling and
elOquence, and frequently moved the audience
to hearty applause.