Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-02-07

Lecture by Professor Nicho,,os.

The audience present at the Board of Trade
Rooms yesterday evening was not large, but
none the less appreciatiye. His subject was,
THE Relations Of the industrial Glasses TO Ed
way not only instructive but highly entertain
ing. This he thought an appropriate subject,
because this is q time and we are in country
where the question is being solved. The move
ment is one of magnitude and universally, BY
the term Industrial Glasses, it was not meant
that one class was wholly idle and one industri-
Gus. lie thought erroneous ideas were involved
in the phrase. Labor itself was not dignihed, ex-
cept as considered in connection with the purpose
of the laborer. Labor was dignifed noble or ig-
noble according to the purpose of the work
man. BY the Industrial Glasses are meant those
who labor with the body more than with the
mind. Erroneous ideas also prevail in reference
to education. Education is the great American
idol We worshipped il as kind OF Buddhism.
He did not believe that the power to read and
write would secure one passport through the
gates of which st. Peter was supposed TO keep
the key.
Tho Office of education is to purify, to cleanse
ennobe and elevate. He alluded 10 tho dograd-
ed condition of the laboring Glasses in other
countries, but said We need not go abroad for n
field in which to bestow our charity in this re-
spect The condition of laboring men in some
of our mountain districts was anything but
what it should be. He drew some pictures il
Illustrating them by what had come under his own
observation, showing that much may be done
for the elevation of many of our own country
men, lie had seen family of seven persons
none Of whom knew anything of the Bible.
These, people knew nothing of making home or
life what the Creator intended it, their only en-
joyment being to eat and sleep.
The object of education was to elevate the
lower classes of humanity. These classes sought
TO regulate matters by combinations to shorten
the hours of labor known az trades union, &c.
Education taught the laborng man how to save
labor and time, and would do more TO solve the
great labor question than all other agencies
combined. One of the agencies now brought
into play for the amelioraton of the condition
OF laboring men, is the establishment of scen-
tifc schools and colleges for their instruction
He referred in fitting terms to our own Agri-
cultural College, and thought its influence
would be felt among the industrial classes in
Tennessee. The true Office of education is TO
increase the skill of the laborcr and thereby
give him moro of his time for something else
than making bread--to teach him how 10 spend
the time thus gained,
he closed his lecture by abiding in most clo-
qunt terms to the grandeur of such mission
and the number of its agencies
We can give but a faint outline Of what he
said. His remarks bore evidence of thought,
and originality throughout. We regret that
the inclcmency of the weather prevented many
of our people from being present, as IL was a
lecture well worth hearing.
The next in the course will be delivered by
DR.. Saltmarsh, on the evening Of February
18th His subject will be, "Thc Dangers Of the
Repubiie and Their Remedy