Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-10-26

lions and thin partitions" divided them
from the rank of artists. Farms
that long retain their fertility and value
are found to be controlled by knowing
None of these colleges, how
ever. will make special pursuits of life
| compulsory. There is no assumed heredi
| ty in the vocation of the farmer, and his
son has all the world before him where to
choose his calling as much as the son of
the minister or the lawyer. 1t does not
| follow that whoever goes to an agricul-
al college mus be a farmer any more than
| that whoever drives fat oxen must him
self be fat" All who wish to
be equipped for agriculture, or for
some mechanic art, will naturally
devote more time to the related funda
mental sciences. Those proposing to fol-
low professional life viii be more indus.
trious and thorough In the dir ection of
ancient as well as of modern classical lore.
| But it will do the latter no harm to OBJ
| serve something of the wide extent of that
instruction which must guide aud lead the
| industrial forces of a great nation, and 1t
| will do the former good to witness the
persistent appreciation accorded to liter
dry culture. In the aggregate all may OBJ
| tain liberal and gent rous education, and
will be nobler men from having been asso
ciated together. If there Is any friction it
will have served to polish both.
We shall make further extracts from
Mr.. Morrill's address in another issue
REMARKS OF JUDGE POWERS.
Your Ercellency and Gentlemen of the
General Assembly:
| / am not vain enough nor arrogant
enough, to assume to supplement the eX
| bau~tive discussion of the proposal for
State aid to the University of Vermont
and State Agricultural college, to which
| you have just listened. am here for no
| I1nh I ruth nr Nc
| your humble constituents to implore you
to take in hand our entire educational sys-
| TEN and recdSt 1t in way to make it
reach the high expectations of its found
ers aud the just demands of our people.
| This system was inaugurated by our faith
ers amid the very thIoes of civil conten-
tion-in the very heat of border warfare
while fighting New York on the west,
and New Hampshire on the east and
Great Britain everywhere. Under such
surroundings those far-sighted men found
opportunity to write one of the most
comprehensive charters of political rights
that ever formulated the organic law of II
free commonwealth, and in it they or
dalned as the agency best calculated to
ensure the prosperity and happiness of
the citizens of the new State, this cardi
mi proposition: There shall be main
tanned competent number Of common
schools in eacn town, grammar school
In each county aud university for the
State at large" This was the system then
established, this the system existing TO
day without material change.
This system as an entirety contemplated
the education of our people from the time
the boy learned his A B Cs, till the man
received his diplome. AS part of it the
| DIVERSITY was chartered IN l19l, the year
Vermont took her place in he slsterhood
of States. Thus the University was the
natural child of the State, born in lawful
yalI lnSlE t,aa
three quarters of a century sh- struggled
along IN the face of adverse fortune, sus-
talned mainly by the uutiluching courage
of the dlsinterested men who had its
destiny in charge. The State donated lots
of wild laud in various towns and indi-
viduals made similar grants TO some en-
tent. But these lands were mainly I'M
productive, yielding bu6 little, and that
little very uncertain income. Neverthe-
less the Institution resolutely went Tor
ward doing the best work possible with
the limited means available. 1t was ever
the home OF sound philosophy and always
the abode Of ripe scholarship.
Ia 1862 Congress passed the Land Grant
College bill by which the State received
fund yieldirga yearly income of about
5000. This grant was the result mainly
OF the peraste Mt efforts and the far-sight-
ed craftsmanship of our own distinguish
ed senator, for which our people Will now
and evermore gratefully honor and hearth
ly thank MIN.
In 1863 our Legislature set about the
work of utilizing this fund. 1t conceived
the plan OF organizing new Institution
which should absorb Norwich university,
Mddlebury college, fhe University of Yer
mont and an Agricultural college. The
plan was loaded down SO heavy, it fell to
pieces by its own weight
In 1864 the State went to the other eX
IRENE and chartered the Agricultural Col
lege of Vermont thinking that separate
college with 4 GoWry of 5000 year
would attract the eye of some wealthy
town where it could be located. Accord
ingly the college went up and down the
State Offering itself to the highest bidder
but no town WAS so poor as to do 1T honor
1t WAS a tramp in search OF food and lodg'
ings and was denied both.
In 1865 the Legislature finding that its
plan had thus far failed, took new de
parture. 1t went to the University and
said in substance, you expand your currlc-
ulum OF study, take in departments of
agriculture, the mechanic arts and mill
tary science provided for in the act OF Con-
gress, give us one half of the board of
trustees-one-half of all Your property
and the good will of your business and we
Will put in $1,000 "A year, kindly furnished
us 10y friend for the purpose, and will
90 into co-paltnershlp with you and we
Will jointly carry on the business OF
State University and Agricultural col
lege
1t is true this co-partnership in form
was made up of the University and the
Vermont Agricultural college of 1864.
But that college was to all practical in
tents myth, it had no vitality. In the
partnership relations established in 1865
1t was the after ego of the State itself.
Accordingly the new charter of 1865 was
granted and the State of Vermont and its
University started out in business under
the firm name OF the University of Yer
mont and State Agricultural college The
| firm assets were made up by the contribu-
ton on the part OF the | University, of all
| its lands, buildings, libraries ana appll-
ances worth hundreds of thousands OF
| dollars, and on the part of the State, by
| the contribution of 5000 not obtained
| from the pockets OF its tSXpsyers, but
5000 OF other peoples money BY sec
| ton four of the charter of 1868, the new
corporation is authorized to take, use, sell
or dispose of ell the property of the L nj
yersty both real and personal, at its will
and pleasure. Why were such unequal
terms accepted Because, HIS the father
of the laud grant bill has told you, Congress
expected the States to supplement its
bounty with material aid, amply answer
able TO the worthy ends contemplated in