Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-03-06
Senar0r MorrfII's Agricultural
!. III: . College Bill, ..si..t =.

The aid 30 agricultural colleges by
the NORTH bill of 1S62iwas expedient
| and has been nsefuf.s in some cases
eminently so. The apparatus of the
"new education, ,"se called, is expen-
sive. These institutions need a great
increase of funds. 1t may be expedi-
ent that, the general government
should do more for, them, but the bill
(which has just passed the Senate
grants, in effect, $3.50, 700 to each State
for this purpose, which will absorb the
income from lands for the next ten
years or more. II other department;
of education were every where equally
advanced, this action wonld doubtless
awaken less criticism. But the fact is
that even the common school is hardly
known in large sections OF the coun-
try, and in Alabama, forsinstanee, fif-
ty-three per cent. of the voters can not
write. OF course they are, to all in
tents and purposes, illiterate; and even
seventeen per cent. of the voters in the
whole country are illiterate.
The sentiment in many States is
strong against an efficient system Of
popular education. Maryland last
year made provision for the education
of the colored children outside of Bal
timore, devoting $4,000 for the pur-
pose. Neither Delaware nor Ken
lucky has yet any provision for this
class of children. -t1.r"19t- ''-i.ii.
Now craftsmanship, while it looks
to special education that shall increase
the skill of the industries of the coun-
try, must not overlook thatelementary
education which is absolutely essential
to Alright knowledge of the duties Of
the citizen, and a disposition to dis
charge them. This is essential, and
underlies every other element of the
public welfare. If, then, Congress is
to apply the doctrine long since pro-
mulgated by the fathers, that the pub
lie domain and its sncome should be
applied in aid of education, certainly
while they. help the colleges for indus
trial science reasonably, they ought
also adequately to aid universal educa
tion by the same means. A bill tol
this effect, consecrating the net in
come of the public lands to the educa-
tion of the people, passed the House
nearly year ago. BY this bill half OF
the income from this source is to be
made permanent fund; and the in
come from that and half of the net pro-
ceeds each year from the sales of lands
are to be distributed among the states
pro rata, on the basis of iliiteracy. .. i
1t would seem that a Discriminating
and far-sighted craftsmanship would
not sacrifice this measure to the aid of
agricultural colleges alone. Indeed,
many of the most eminent educators OF
the countryAamong them DIR. Sears
believe that the aid proposed by the
House bill, especially to Tire South,
would be adequate to revive education
there, and not n few consider it thet
ofitheir ever reaching that
desirable result.--EDIToR's HIsToRI-
CAL RECORD, in Haspcr's Magazine
for March.
ELEPHANTINE AFFECTIoN.--Ele-i
plants, itwould seem, are capable of
, degree of mutual affection proper
:ionate to their surprising bulk of body.
A pair of these animals lately met at
Paris, after an absence from each other
If several months. They expressed
heir abundant joy by cry which
hook the building they were in, and
.ushed towards each other with the
,reatest fervor. They stroked each
,ther with their trunks, fondly caress- {
ID each others ears, and folded theirl,
runks around each others necks, while I
he male shed abundance of tears in le
demonstration of his joy. Is