Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-06-27
SENATOR MORRILL, AND CORNELL
UNIVERSITY.
President Whites Address at the Un-
yelling of Mr. MorriIFs Portrait.

1t will be remembered by many of our
readers that Senator Justin s. Morrill, Of
Vermont was requested by the Trustees of
Cornell University TO sit for his portrait to
Mr.. Eastman johnson of New York, and
that the portrait was unveiled, year ago,
at Cornell commencement, with appropriate
exercises, Mr.. Morrill, was present and his
remarks on that occasion were duly reported
IN the papers, and were copied in our
columns at the time. The address o
President Andrew d. White to which Mr..
Morrill, responded, however, was for some
reason less widely published, and weAlave
never seen it,, till 1t came to us in a hand
some pamphlet, a few days ago. President
Whites words, however, have not lost their
interest, in the lapse of time, and they arc
so Just as well as so complimentary 10 our
distinguished Senator, that we arc glad ia
copy them now; and our readers will thank
us for doing so.
President whites Address.
M. Chairman and Gentlemen.
Down to period within the easy memory
Of us all the provision for scientific cduca.
ton, as applied to the great industries in the
United States, was wretchedly meagre. A
beginning had been made to the scientific
schools connected with few of our older
Universities; but their endowment was
inadequate and the position assigned them
unworthy. Other nations had shot fur
ahead of our own in this respect. Germany,
France, and England had recognized the fact
that the greatest warfare of the nineteenth
century is industrial warfare, the struggle
between great nations for supremacy in
the various industries and for the control
of various markets. France had developed
her system magnificently, putting nearly
half million dollars into a collection of
models for the School of Arts and Trades
alone Germany had established multitude
of "ifoal Schulen," and of Technical and
Agricultural Colleges. England was already
making preparations for her great institution
at South Kenslngton, on which she has
avished millions.
But. Just as our civil war was drawing on,
an attempt was made in the Congress of the
United States. Years before, that true man,
Dr. Claiming, had urged that the proceed:
of the sales Of public lands be consecrated tc
the education of the people. An attempt
was now made; but, though the good sense
of Congress carried a bill, it was vetoed by
James Buchanan. Yet the friends of tho
measure still pressed on A chorus Of
doctrinaires, optlmsts, pessimsts, shan
economists, hold-backs, and do-nothings
opposed the measures but true statesman
led the army of Education. Justin s
Morrill,, of Vermont, stood then as now il
the United States Senate. Let his name bt
long remembered. Statues shall be erected
to him long after the little great men whC
tried to thwart him are forgotten. Tht
bill was again passed, and 1t was signed by
Abraham Lincoln.
| ask you now to look a moment at iht
passage of that bill. Centuries hence mer
shall look back upon it as one of the mobiles
things in American annals. Why !
My friends, have you forgotten those days
their discOuragcments, their forebOdings
the morning beginning with "would God i
were evening"" aud the evening ending will
would God it were morning?' 1t was tn
darkest hour since Valley Forge; lives
laws, family ties, treasure-all seemed cas-
into the abyss-and the abyss ever CROWN
wider, and deeper, and blacker-and yet
white the American Congress was providip!
| FOR the most trying home policy au'
carrying on the most difficult foreign policy
| of modern times, they found leisure to plan
great, comprehensive, and farreachinj
system of national education.
Gentlemen, it was one of the great gloric
of Rome that its statesmen did not despai
of the republic in its blacklist hours. Nay
| when a vict jrious Catthaginian army wa
encamped on Roman soil, so great wa
| Roman faith in Roman destiny that the yer
soil at that moment tramped by enemies fee
was sold at auction and bought by com
petition: But here was greater faith; her
| was uOhlCr patriotism. While the window
OF the Senalc-housc were rafting with til
cncmy's cannon, those men had such fait
in the destiny of the nation, and such tru'
in the ats Of peace, that they quiet
and firmly legisated into being this grea
comprehensive system of industrial an
scientific education. In all human annals
know OF no more noble utterance of fat
in national destiny out from the midst {
national calamity.
But what was this measure?
The question is pertinent, and all tn
more 50 now, on account of sundry effort
to nisrcpresent it. Look at tine act
Congress itself. You see at once that it di
not provide simply for agricultural colleges
nor simply for colleges Of the mCchauic art
No the intention was broader and GCcpC
than that, 1t provided that Subjects rcatin
to agriculture and tic mechanics arts" shout
be made leading branches" without e.
c!u!ing other classical and scieutif
branches and including 'militaI
tactics"
!, What, then, was the purposes 1t was
lprovide fully for an industrial, scientific al
general education suited to our land al
time-an education In which scientific az
industrial studies should be knit into
very core, while other studies should also
provided for. Ard, besides this, as it h.
been seen that the States in rebellion h,
gained great advantage from the militia
education OF students, it was declared tn
"ins'ructi)n in military tactics shall also
included
The act of 1862 was, then, nobl
comprehensive scheme, 10 Jkng, as you 81
first of all, at the industries Of the nstio
but at tie same time insisting on provisi'
for the broadcast scientific and general CT
: ture.
} vass now to the reception Of the benef
OF the act by the various States.
Under the law, land-scrip was given &
l different States, based upon the represent
ton of each State in Congress, scrip f
Z thirty thousand acres being issued for ca
representative and senator.
7 The various States accepted the scrip, Al
in almost all cases were obliged to sell il
s low prices, the market being glutted n
f with the proceeds each established its ms
Y tuition under the act us its intcrei
2 demanded, or as the money realized p,
9 mitted.
g Note now another important fact. Sol
States-as Connecticut, Rhode Island, al
g New Jersey, where the fund was too SIN
, to establish a separate instituton-gave
d for the endowment Of scientific and indl
II Trial education in an existing Institute
G Connecticut gave her share to Yale, Rho
i Island gave hers to Brown, New Jersey ga
hers to Rutgers, New Hampshire gave he
Il to Dartmouth.
L Statea which received larger share
II still not enough to carry out the act in all
e parts-gave theirs to purely agricultural C
/, egcs. or these were Michigan and low
Others, with a larger share, divided the
| between an institution for agricultural a
r au institution for technical instruction.