The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-12-24

Now, that il o real danger il the Ignorance
Cfwhaf, for want Of better term, may
call the ruling classes Of this county,
there is real danger from their total ig-
norance Of everything relating to America,
and you may get into dimculties from this
dishonor to escape from. tCheers.l II I
were rich man would endnw profess
sor's chair at Oxford and Cambridge to in
struct the nndergrades, Of those Cniversi-
ties in American history. I would
undeIt lake to say, and speak advisedly,
that I will take any. undergraduate now
him % 70 map "a ofthe usSiied sPs States. and aas
him to put his niger on Chicago, and will
undertake to say that he does not 60 with.
In 1000 miles oft. Yet, Chicago 10 place
OF 15O, 600 Inhabitants, from which one to
two millions Of people in our own country
are annually fed. These young gentlemen
know al about the geogr9phy Of ancient
be pelted with Greek and Latin quotations
for what am going to say.
When was at Athens sailed out one
summer morning to seek the famous river
Iliesua, and after walking some hundred
yards or % up what appeared to be the bed
Of . mountain torrent, came upon mum.
they had damned up this famous classical
river, and were using every drop Of its
water for their own sanitary purposes
Why, then, should not these young gen.
tlernen who know all about the geography
of the Ilissus know also something about
the geography Of the Mississippi? am .
great advocate Of culture Of every kind,
and l say. when / find q man like Profess
sor GOldwin Smith or Professor Rogers,
who, in addition to profound classical
have vast knowledge OF mod
ern affairs, and who, as we'll as scholars,
are profound thinkers-these are men who
know to have vast superiority over me,
and bow to them with reverence for their
superior advantages; but to bring mp
young men from college with no knowledge
OF the country in, which the great drama OF
modern politics and national life is now
being worked out, who are ignorant Of
country like America, but who, whether it
be for good or for evil, must exercise moro
influence in this country than any other
such knowledge, is. I say, imperiling its
best interests; and earnest remonstrances
ought to be made againet such a state of
education by every public man who values
in the slightest degree the future welfare
Of his country. tHear, hear.) You know
my opinions with respect to the future Of
America. 1don't desire to carry them ont,
and should not have said 90 much If 20
much had not been sad on the other side.
want nothing but neutrality. (Cheers.)
But If we are to have perfect neutrality on
this subject, let rs try, for Heavens sake,
to have little more temper in the discus
sion Of q question for which, happily for
US. we are not responsible. Tam mute and
when / recollect that I have been
protesting against war ever since came
into public life, but I have never succeeded
In preventing war all over the world. /
could not say TO America, "Why do you in
sist on carrying on this civil war 20 /
should at once be subject to the reply,
"Wby do you not take the beam out Of
your own eye before you take the mote
out of ours? :" But / fear that the advO-
Gates Of all these wars, against which I
have always been vainly protesting, are
II they had been Quakes from their birth.