The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-03-23
Agricultural.
[From the Maine Farmer, March 22.l
Agricultural Colleges.

than forty thousand Young men who are the
sons of farmers lin the American sense,) who
are the sons of Mechanics-who are devoted,
of whatever parentage. to the labor OF sea-
mans life-;ncluding also the sons OF our nu-
merous class of small traders, and including
also large number of day laborers, not at
tached to any particular art or trade.
These are the ,oung men oil our industrial
classes-these are the persons whom the act
of Congress designs to aid IN obtaining lib
eral and practical education" VI these young
men, from sixteen TO twenty years OF age, or
Whereabouts, WIN are now working daily with
their hands, it becomts US to think, when we
are studying the form and pian5 a d objects of
the industrial college" They are OF divers
pursuits, and Therefore we are not to have
college for one object alone. They are not all
to be farmers, and therefore we do not want
purely agricultural school, like Hohenheim or
CirenceSter; they are not all to be mechanics,
and therefore we do not want instruction
merely in mechanical science and art. But
we want for them all "prdc!icdp education,
because the vast majority OF them are to be
practicai men, and we want for them all, as
'liberop an education as we can reasonably
give them, so as to develope their best powers
gnd give them as many means of usefulness
and as many sources OF happiness as we posi-
bly, can. M saH
Look at the real case-at the positive actu-
ahties in the life and condition OF these young
men as they live to-day, and as their future
lives will be. The great majority of them
now live in homes OF actual labor. They are
the sons of working men. They were bred to
work, they are content to be working men,,
they expect to continue to be hard workers,
during at least the early part of their man
hood, until by prosperous industry, they can
come to be directors oil other mems labor, or
until their sons shall take their work from
their hands. But every one OF these young
men has a future-eyery one of these mot
involved in Innocence and yice) has hopeful
and tut aspirations to improve his condition
every one of them has an assurance that
friendly hands. on every side, will help If he
trie; to helm himself and that his efforts and
his merits will be recognized by every sensible
man and woman of whatever pursuit, in all
the community, in every cart Of the State.
In our community. from the necessity of
the case. as well as under the active and GEN
erons force of our institutions. ii is from the
ranks OF precisely these Young men that we
are to draw for almost every kind of public
se,yice. and to fill an Indefinite variety Of use
ful and honorable stations. They are hard
workers now. and most of them will continue
to be SO. for various periods in their Future
But, in a very few wears, they will also be
town oficers-seIectmen town treasurers.
highway suiveyor,-.hey will be Jurors and
sheri ,fs and county com .nissioners-tbey will
b. rsora,antaLiyas and senators-such men
con.os, a maioritv of the legislature every
YEA. COMMUNICATIONS of them (by doubtful
GOOD torCune) viii 90 to Congress. If we can
not in the stare of Maine. saw that any rich
man. while still belonrinr to the inIu, trial
classes. has been made Governor of the State.
vet certainly, most honorable examples of the
kind hava occurred elsewhere in New England
and even though tney nav 20 into no public
station whateyer vet in their middle and ma
turer lire. thew Will be the Controlling strength
and influence In every inland town.
In the career of Strictly private life. every
one of Them mas a righS to exnect-oreat mum
bers of the m do exuect--to attain to condi-
tions of INDEPENDENT comfort and happiness.
European peasants and Southern NEGROES
scarcely know what is meant by a home. in its
ru lest form But the son of thu. New England
w1fking man. taking for his own LOT. also.
the lie of a working man. expects to he
"forehandedo owner. in fee. of house and
land. He expects to- have a wife who will he
proud of him. he eyoects to have sons and
DAUGHTERS who will be .be ornaments of his
home IN his active DAYS. and who viii be his
strength In his declining wears.
We should not forget. because II is among
the mo It important of the future services to
which these Young men will be cailed. that
tncy will aiways COMPOSE a larae majority of
the four or tive thousand schoolmasters annu-
alIy EN- oloyed in this State. So also. ont of
tne,e VINO are seamen in earlv lie. we shall
maka-we shall be obiaed to make-our shin
masters and the CAPTAINS of our important
coasting navigation, and the commanders of
our Large sh ps in trade.
Between tuese Young men. who have such
a future, and such opportunities. still belong.
ing to the industrial classes, and that other
portion of our young men who are expecting
to embark in what are called the learned pro-
fes5ions, there needs now to be made only this
comparison-that the latter are, at any prior
time, oniy very few hundred in umber-the
former are more than forty thousand at all
times, even after aiIowing for that very con-
siderable proportion who are de ipning tn en-
gage 10 the business of merchandise.
The working young men of New England
have Always had better means OF education
than any similar class in the world. Their fa-
CT tiles for mental improvement are good to-
day. The common schools and the academ-
les have wrought most excellent results. The
simple question is, how to give them mental
trainins still better, more varied and more
compete, 30 as to open for them a wider and
higher Usefulness, and give them the COM
mand OF rlcner sources OF happiness? AID
how to do 1T, in the most effective way? and |
Ito touch the matter in Its very sharpest |
polnt-hoW 10 40 70, so that, though educated |
mach more completely than they noac are, they |
sHatc commune 20 De nara toorfcang naer-stin
commune 10 oesong 10 tne ,andastrart classes"
for,-in tne,e h9n northern lalsudes-un-
iess very large majority OF our people are ae-
Cu"l LAM "o.Aoia' VIC oanho' nVo hefe. IL we
SHOULD euucate an our young men and young
won Wonen IA sucn manner anu alter suen nouons
i tna1 .ney snonu' lnenceiorln, cease 70 DC
manu- WORKERS, ana tnihK 10 GET genteei Nv
AiS NY Ineir euucaCeu WIS, our entre popula- |
lion :. woMl pc Obliged to migrate into some
ciinave winch permits softer lie, and ADAM
you NEE neds anu valleys, to be covered once
more WIN forest, and occupied again by the |
more sensible leaves and Indians and led deer
was usas the design OF the Providence which |
pia IN Ed. US s neref
In thlS way OF putting the case / am touch |
ing upon course of facts now current and
patenS eetore the eyes OF us all. Very ccnsid- |
cradle numbers of Young men and Young W.- /