The Portland daily press., 1864-02-15

House on Wednesday last, on the question Of
granting a township of land to the Maine
Wesleyan Seminary at Kents Hill. The shots
fred on both sides were often sharp and not
entirely free either from personality or acri-
mony. The most damaging remarks for the
success of the proposed grant were those
made by two of the Aroostook members,
Messrs. Nickerson of Linneus and Small OF
Lyndon. The point made by both OF these
gentlemen was, that such grants OF land tend
to lock them up against settlement, and
thus to prevent the growth and development
of the section Of the State in which such lands
are located. When sold they pass into the
hands of proprietors, who purchase for the
purposes Of speculation, and hold on for
rise in value. To accomplish this object the
prOprietors resist all efforts of settlers to make
or improve roads through their lands, and Of
ten the settlers find themselves cut off from
free and easy communication with the rest of
the State by belts of unbroken wilderness, OF
greater or less width, owned by proprietors
who prefer waiting for the hardy pioneer to
convert the solitary places into fruitful fields,
thus making their property more valuable,
rather than cooperate with the pioneer, and
thus, by contributing to open up roads and to
influence settlement, aid in bearing the heavy
burdens which the opening of new country
inevitably imposes upon all early settlers. 1t
was for such among other reasons that the
Aroostook members opposed the grant to the
Wesleyan Seminary, insisting that great injus-
tice is done to the settlers by hedging him
about with lands from which the hand of i'm
proyement is practically excluded. How
much Importance is to be attached to such an
stand the test of investigation, am not pre-
pared to say, but / am quite confident that
such an argument had great deal of weight
with the minds of members, and did much TO
decide the vote adversely TO the institution
praying for aid. Mr.. Small was peculiarly
fe!icitous in presenting his views. He is evil
IDENTIFY practical farmer, a hardy son Of the
frontier county. but he betrayed large share
of good common-sense, and an ability in pre-
senting his arguments seldom met with even
In men engaged in pursuits of literary or
professional character. He is a hard custom
er In a free fight. One member clergyman
lin order to show the good his iavorte in
stltution had done, instanced among other
facts that OF a poor boy who entered the insti-
tuition, and through the advantages of its
manual labor system worked himself through
the course of studies, and became one of the
mostinhuential and useful ministers of the gos-
pei In the country. But for this institution, he
argued, this poor boy, instead of becoming
such distinguished man would have re-
manned only farmer. "Oaly .fdrmer," ex-
claimed Mr.. Small. 81 am farmer" he con-
tinued, "and am not ashamed to be one and
] am now asked to vote the means of elevat-
ing men SO as to look down upon and sneer at
mew Ofcourse Mrs. bore offthe palm on such
a sally as this, and by such sharp turns he not
only afforded pleasing episode to relieve the
dull routine of business, but cut his way
through the wilderness of polished logic be-
fore the House, and did much to discomnt
khe friends Of the measure and to encourage
those who had determined to defeat it. The
other side was ably maintained by such zeal
Gus friends of education as Messrs. Diling-
ham of Wateryille, Stone of Jay, and others,
but the tide was against them, and no human
efforts could save their measure.
Though have given the opponents of this
measure the benefit of their arguments and
acknowledged the force of their sharp hits,
yet deeply sympathized in the movement Of
the friends of education, and sincerely regret
ted the result of their efforts. Such insttu-
tions as those at Kent's Hill, Lewiston and
kindly dealt with by the guardians of the
State. They are all important, if for no 9TH
er purpose at least for the education of teach
ers for our common schools, while the paltry
sums expended upon them by the State, by
way Of endowment, TO secure permanent
fund the interest of which alone shall be used,
viii be for the benefit of generations not yet
born; and it seems to me the economy which
withholds such endowments when they may
be judiciously made, should, to be consistent,
which others only can gather, and withhold
all efforts the results of which can be fully re-
allied only by those who are to come after us.
Surely no great, far-seeing people can act
upon SO narrow principle. The old pilgrims
who left the shores Of civilization and luxury
for the desert coast of our New England,
In nid-winter, acted upon no such principle
rs this. The men who achieved our indepen-
dence, marking their naked footprints with
blood In the winter SHOWS, shrank not from
present danger or sacrifice for present conve-
nience, but fearlessly bore all and endured all
that posterity might reap the benefits. The
same principle applied TO education, viii make
sacrifice to day for the benefit Of tomorrow;
il will tax to-day that tomorrow may be
blessed; 1t will be liberal in the present sea-
son OF seed-time that the coming harvest may
be bountiful and glorious.
notice that the Bangor Wing is troubled
about my correspondence with the Press. 1t
Is not the first time the CALLED jade has WINGED.
Whatever ] may think or say of that paper, /
shall not indulge In such gross abuse Of the
people of the "Queen City of the East as that
sheet has vented editorially and otherwise,
through its columns, Of the people Of the "nat-
ural seaport" duly appreciate the leit-hand-
ed compliment of the Wings AUGUSTA CORE
spondent, "John Smith," who ntimates that /
have laid the people Of this city under deep
obligations for the aid have rendered them
10 my correspondence. He is evidently one
IF A rfa,nae Ward;c aoay and fao,;ya o,,.,a. -