Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-03-18
MADISON WIS.
A Sketch efthe Backward Badger State Foik-s
Marvelonsiy Igncraes ses-speciment Of
"school Lsranin's
Consequences ofths osuri,r Jourpal1

4 O
school Ls-anin'a
Correspondents ofths Courier JourpaiI
MADISON, Wis, March The
most direct di6nition of the word
Ignorance is undoubtedly hell-begot-
ten. A moro elaborate dsfining
wonli b to say, the dey lish bliss
paramount in untuotred minds,
whose loftiest conception of happi.
nest are ,hs product, the vulgar
outgrowth OF mutnral depravity.
whicn emboaies everything sensual.
disgusting ana nasty. might de.
fne by analogous illustration. to-
wit: 4 fool--an ass-fool ass
| foolish-more fo3I-damned fool-a
wisconsiner.
THIS gives as S very unique
starting point for laying aside all
natara! inequality, all righteous con-
tempt for our Interiors. Wisconsin
IS tho ever pregnant womb from
which are brought forth more
straggly, uuoouth and bigoted speoi-
mems of the genus homo than shon.
ored" old Grant in his recant swing
around the continents. Intelligence
10 foreign to Wisconsin soil; it
never has and it never will thrive
laxuriantly in It's hot, sandy wastes
and ghastly tamaraek swamps,
whore thu wild loon cries 10 the
Wilderness and tho voice of the br.l-
beaded Republican is heard il .hs
land. Kentucky, grand old Ken.
lucky, Is the sw eet Elysium of all
that IS true and beautiful all that
is holy and pure, whom compared
With tho popFisr ignorance aad po-
litioal thrs.d om of this confused and
backw var! state.
| said Intelligence was foreign TO
this soil. yet Madison -drowsy, illit.
crate Madison-spurred with true
love Of glory. has styled herself the
Getty OF Poets, a beautiful epithet,
and, indeed, a peculiarly striking
one to stranger. who might wan
der aboa. IL quest of ga palace lift
ting TO cternal summer its marble
walls, from out glossy power OF
coolest foliage mueical with birds"
thinking it strange, forsooth, that
such 3 IA ighty manifestation of gen-
lbs should fountain forth ia sparkl-
liag melody only to glrgie inlo the
sand swamp land 10 be swalIowe
up By the thirsty qaagmire, which
ma b no ear for song a few days.
tarry, however, will e2eedlly change
the motion eff the traveller. He
will soon learn that Wisconsin poets
are not such wonderful production
as might at FIRST be supposed. They
ara painfully unonltivated grow
Wild, as the saying is, 10 patches
like cAbbags-heads, or breed in the
fatid bog-pool, whore their first
poetic idea was produced by the
miFrored leg OF soms fishmongor's
81 d. opping daughter in search of
frogs IL would be an almost hone
less tax to single out any pbrson
from this Multiplicity of poets de-
serving special mention. They ali
grow, cheek by jowl, in the eame
sunlight. and, aside from an occa-
sionai Sonnet to Maiden's Corset
''iog," or sAa OIo to Stocking,
leg" tbey all prepare their gush
fem tAa same divine formula-that
il % say, tho principal ingredient in
their golden "song' Is Invariably q
bare finale. The supsraban dance
of raw material easily excites their
p0etic frenzy, aud with the skill of
AZ ambidexserian they a1ora her
Tth littls fg loaves Of soog and
prigs Of varss. making q most in.
genius n 7d.Fn Eve, who coald Of
TENT no one, bat tho fam loving
Anthony OJmstock, wso il reputed
to b the m)st meek and lowly per-
sonage outside of holy Writ.
For the last quarter of a century
| have visited this State semi.an.
auaIly 10 the iaterest Of Publishing
house, whose educational text-books
ar3 iagofablY known throughout
the State. have carefully watotsd
Wisconsin, carefully studied her
inftllsctnal developmont Where ia
she today? What 10 cha doing for.
the advancement Of her people?
All ! ask Of her hundreds of tumble
dowa log school. houses that ten or
eleyo0 months in each year are me
aomo Of tue hedgehog, the habta-
ion of owls and badgers and bats
Asa her larger and more preten.
FFnsEz unt. nala 80 .f Il
with az and dr. rot / can point
0u' viiags schools by the score that
ar Jay using tho identical text
30 Ks that were considered ont of
o9gr9 in kentucky twenty five or
thirty years ago Badger children
ara slilI atught that the inhabitants
Of Minnesota Territory" arc chiefy
ludiaus and that tie principal export
are butfalo skins and Wild rio. They
are also taught that Pekia is tho
larges. city in the world, aud that
he highest mountains are the
mountains Of the moon. Teachers
throughout the State arc generally
Of the sweet sex they teach on
third grade Gao grade at alp eertifi-
Gates.
A short timo siace / attended q
teachers institute where there we're
OYER thras hundred teachers on q
lark No enc present could de-
csribe the fifth pair Of nerves 40
oas knew anything about the
rsla for falling bodies. A County
nperi0teadent, arriving tho last day.
rendered his regrets 10 The ASSN blags
cad ssid bis Only excurae for ab.
once was the unhappy fact that his
wif3 was bedridden with the "Pee.
oenmoni-" Thus Wisconsin waves
aad wanas. Oae half OF her stupid
inhabitants think Grants s'ili Pgesi-
.ant aa entertain the ides hat he
sill marry Queen Victoria if re.
elected in 1880 LoUIsvILLfAN. =
|. A RAILWAY track has been laid on
the ice across the St Lawrence river
at Montreal in order 10 connect the
city with the lines of tho ITnifad