The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1865-01-18
further legislative aoti.. as y.u ma,

further legislative action as ysu ma
deem proper.
Nomsre Important subject will clai q
yeur consideration than the proper dis
position to be made of this grant. Min
glsa With the eounsels of earnest apc
honest friends of education, ysu will. n,
dsnbt, fad the pressure Of local inter
ests, the claims Of existing institution,
fer additional endowment; aal psssibl,
some net entirely disinterssted in theil
character. Among these it is ne part o.
nay daty,, and I have certainly NO incli
natien to discriminate. Fhs Cemmissien.
er Of Common Schools has somewhat
deliberately discussed the subject in his
annual report. Without indorsing his
views, may be permitted to say thatsthe
clear and forcibls manner in which the
4 are presented NAY we'll csmmend them to
your examination. He is evidently en-
earrasssd by the question Of local infiu-
encss; and in endeavering to ceneilats
them, falls into the errsr, as j think, Of
SO dividiHg up the incene Of the fund as
to telneaPacitate either branch fer perform
Tag what will be required Of it, or the
whole from achieving the usefulness tha at
might, by concentrated effort, be accom-
plished. This is ne less to be avoided,
in n y Judgment, than the scheme 90 .saru-
sstly pressed by educational enthusiasts,
of building up grand institution whose
prefsssorships shall tempt the greatest
scientific minds of the ceuntry-whsse
contribution to the grandeur Of the State
shall compensate fer its utter want Of
utility-whese education shall illustrate
and expand the abstruss theories of sci
ence, attainable by the few, but sealed
boek to the nany-whoss lectures and
puhlicatiens, hswevsr aPpreciable by the
highly educated mind, will be totally nm
intelligible to the honest tillsr of the
soil, whs desires to learn, in the simplest
and most practicable manner, how tive
blades of grass can be made to grew where
emily enc was produced before.
The 6rst thing to be determined is,
what is the object or purpose of this
grant? A careful examination Of the act
Of Congress, it seems to me, very clearly
solves this ihqniry. The language of the
law is, that the fund ''shall be invielably
appropriated to the endowment, support
and maintenance Of at least one college,
where the leading Object shall be, with
cat excluding other scientific and slassi-
cal stusiss, and including military tactics,
to teach such branches of learnins as are
related to agriculture and the mechanic
arts. - sa
1t is evident that the intentien Of the
enactment is to institute new and dis
tinct species of education; enc not hereto
fore favored, or specially encouraged, by
State or national aid. 1t is also evident
that the purpose to be accomplished is,
the application of that instructisn to the
advancement Of tbs agricultural and me-
ckanic interests of the country. The
great principle is recognized that all
and mechanism requisite to produce it;
and that whatever facilitates and increases
the production, adds alike to individual
and national wealth aad greatness. Ap-
plying this principle to the Law, it is
manifest
First-That this instruction is intended
to be sui generis--of its own kind-and
that, although ''scientifc and classical
studies" are net excluded, they are sub
OIQlu&tGQ " oQCu UTdbCuOS 0l lCdTHlQK
as are related to agriculture and the me-
chanic arts" In other weras, it is the
instruction Of the industrial classes, with
in themselves, and in that which pertains
to their ewn callings, in order that they
may make practical and manual applica-
ton of it, incidentally for their swn bens-
fit, but actually fer the increase of ma
tienal prsductien and wealth
Secoad-The instruction is to be plain
and practical, not theerstic and artisti-
cally scientific in it's character. And this,
because, from the very nature Of its pur-
pose, it is designed to reach the greatest
practicable number, with the rudinents
of knowledge, instead Of cenfning it to
the few, in the long and tedious process
of collegiate and scientific education.
Fer it is moro important to the industrial
interests, and consequently to the coun-
try, that one hundred nen should receive
instruction. by plain and simple teaching,
which they can practically apply in their
respective branches of labor, than that
enc man should be educated to the highest
point of scientific attainnents.
Third-It is manifestly intended that
this inatruction So afforded, shall be re-
feetsd upon the great Industrial interests
1 it is pesigned to promote, and that its re-
]cipisats, instead of becoming detached
frem laboripg pursuits, will return. ts
them, to make practicalapplicatios Of the
learning they have acquired, and thus sx-
pand and improve the producing capacity
and wealth of the eeuntry. We must nei
be lured frem the practical by the thee
|retic; nor must we be deceived by the
specisus declaration Of enthusiasts thai
this liberal donation is for the genera
edaeatisn of the aggiculturaland d mechanis
classes The avenues Of general educa
ltisn. are open tsthen at the present time
Through a large number of public ant
private Institutions. Iteis 80 part of tn,
present ebjsctets detach men from tn,
industrial pursuits, and educate them 70
the various learned professions w
have been doing that for over half cen
tury; and as result we have over-erowde,
the walks Of the professions, lowered th
i. standard of professional attainments an,
: usefulness, stimulated and increased tn
, nsn- pro eaueing classes, all the time over
\ loaE;nr ,ra unhaadino tho eduootian n