Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-11-26
The Effect OF Education.

we nave DIltuy ulScuSSVu W Nat
Education" and now will give some con
sheraton to the effects of education.
is no doubt true that the professions c
law, medicine and divinity have, in tn
line of literary culture, held higher ran
than the other avocations in life. The en-
gineers, machinists and other manua
laborers have each and all acquired suci
knowledge as they might be able to in thos
branches more especially pertaining t
their work. This knowledge is sought Il
direct help in the way of their work, an,
not as means Of mental growth.
The lawyer reads his authorities, an,
the medical man his b. oks and reports 0
cases, and the minister his theological
works with the same end in view, to b.
able to excel in his work. and not 70
intellectual culture. But in the case o
the latter named classes, their work j
largely Intellectual and they have beef
called the " educated or professional
or"literay" class, as we presume that by tn
last named it WAS not intended to inclu3,
only those who made literature Il prOfes
sion.
What has been the effect Of their educa
ton, their Intellectual culture, their menta
growth on those of the " educated class'
Has it been to make them less worthy
members of society? Has it blunted theiI
sense OF justice? Has it narrowed theil
svmpathics? Has it blinded thier percep'
tions? Has it deadened their moral sense:
Are they less truthful, more selfish, than
before, or than those OF the working men?
If so, then education is n curse, 4 thing to
be stunned instead OF sought.
We think such results have not followed
and that an enlarged mental culture i: de-
sirable. But we are constantly seeing the
assertion that the professional and literary
class, educated people, are opposed to the
}1caton and elevation cf the working
puple, the masses, and put the farmer
~ The representative of the misses.
In IN exchange, ~ young man on ag-
ticnltural colleges has the following:
In the first place there has been, since
ths first start Of this md Of instruction, It
ii rec amt bitter opposition from AL prufes
slnnal and literary quarters Not simply
:: surface agitation, for the sake of amuse-
meat, bat II deep-roo,ed and out-spoken
intention to crush and keep down ever
thing that tended to place the workngman
and the non working man more on IA level
intellectually In this. the first pat Of the
race. they have cunningly ttken every ad-
vantage presented, and in one way OF
another have absorbed into their own
Institutions the capital and income Of the
be ter part of our agricultural colleges.
This we believe is the fullest expression
OF this idea which we have seen, and its
evident lack of candor and fact would
hardly entitIe it TO notice but for the fact
JIlat others Of greater ability and wider
intluence are found giving uttcrance to the
.me idea in a less radical and rabid way
VINO speak OF the upper classes of socie-
ty to whom a literary culture may open a
road in life of those who " are afraid to
have working men educated above their
station, and of those who agree that it is
dangerous Or useless for farmers to know
much, - and remarks of like tenor.
In the case Of the young man. the
proposition he sets forth is not one but tWo
First, that there has been fierce and
bitter opposition to this kind of instruction,
which is Il statement or fact or not as NAV
be. The second is n statement Of the
tods0nS for the first, that is "a deep.rooted,
oat-spoken determination to crush every
movement tending to elevate working
men intellectually. Therefore the first
may be true, while the second nay be and
we believe is, entirely false and ridiculous.
That there has been some opposition 10 the
agricultural colleges, us operated, we
cheerfully admit, and further, we think it
Just and merited, and still further we
think that criticism has had its foundation
in the fact that the colleges aforesaid have
not been conducted to the intellectual adj
vantage and profit Of farmers or any one
else except those who have received the
money. And Of those criticised, we believe
those deserve it least who have applied
the funds intrusted to them, in making
more Thorough and complete Il scientific
course.
We are considerably advanced as peo-
pie from barbarism. We have schools
supported by the people, the rich, the cdu-
Gated, the professional, the literary classes
as well as the working men; to which the
child of the poorest is just as welcome, and
where it will receive Just as great adyan-
tages as the child Of the richest or most
thoroughly educated of the"upper classes"
and that with no cost to them. In our
academies, normal schools and colleges
are free scholarships for poor students.
Have these schools been established, these
scholarships founded, these advantages
for an education for the children of the
poor been secured in the face Of deter
mined, bitter. deep-rooted opposition of
professional classes and educated men? ?
Does the opposition 20 increased eluca-
tonal facilities now come from our edu-
Gated men? The facts which come nefore
US every day VIGOROUSLY confute such
assertions, and still there are men who will
make them in one form or another, and
we believe with hurtful results The infu-
ence of such ideas, where they may have
an influence, is pernicious. 1t tends to
create or increase class prejudice, TO pre-
vent harmony and good feeling among the
people, to fan into activity in our country
the social disorder which now threatens
Europe. While we believe this we shall
oppose the idea rs well as we are able.
"In Case of Fire."
Reader, if your house were on fire, and
FIVE pals of water applied in three min