The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-06-03
Editorial NOtings.

CoLMAN's RURAL very pithily and
pointedly says: AS the farmer casts
his influence, so the nation is swayed.
The common-sense of the farmer is the
court of last appeal" How important
it must be, then, that our leading farm
ers, at least, should be intelligent, we'll
trained men! Senator Morril's idea of
agricultural colleges was grand one
one of long foresight and great wisdom.
How much greater the pity, then, that
the senator, in his old age, should be
willing to turn them over to the con-
troll of a mere literary clique-irrespon.
sible, at that, to any power in which
the farmer has an effective partl But
it can not remain so always. Our in
dustrial education can not and must
not be so diverted from its true use
and design. 1t must be rescued, and
restored to its original purpose. The
safety and prosperity of the state and
nation demand it. The literary meth
DDS are thoroughly unsuited to the
education of industrial mankind. These
Peoples Colleges must not remain as
they are. They must be made fully
responsible to their intended constitu-
ency. Any Farmers Movement
that does not "move at once on the
enemy's works." is under reasonable
leadership.
IT is a very sad thing to us to see so
many of our most intelligent farmers in
different or opposed to an independent
agricultural school. But we can hardly
expect anything different when we re-
fleet that the young farmer, when he
goes beyond the common or graded
school, goes (almost of necessity, it is
true0 to the literary academy-and
there he forms his ideal of education.
His wife, perhaps, has the same educa-
ton and shares his ideal, which is di-
rectly away from the farm. And the
general result is that their children de-
spise the farm. But with practical
education of the parents the result
would be directly opposite;-the rising
generations would love and take pride
in the farm and all its belongings, and
we should soon have rural society,
given to plain living and high thinking,
worthy of America and of the true
American ideal. As it is, whittier does
American society tend? To us it seems
that it tends precisely in the direction
taken by the herd of swine into which
certain devils were permitted to enter.
WHAT do we see in what is called /" So
ciety''? Vulgarity and selfish greed,
vanity, folly and ruin, we see il
prominent if not dominant, with all it's
hideousness, in church and state. Finer
natures may not share its debasement,
even when seemingly part of it; but
they are powerless to control it, and
hardly know how to be ashamed of it,
even when Disguised by it.
WHENCE comes the help in all good
and progressive work for the people?
Does it come from among those who ar
rogate to themselves the name and posi-
ton of sour Best Society,"? Almost
never. 1t comes from among the work
rs,-men and women whose names
are unknown in that world of folly and
wickedness. The great gifts to the
people, for the peoples good, come
with almost monotonous uniformity
from obscure merchants and business
men who have been fortunate, but
whom fortune has not spoiled, and who
see how great are the needs of the peo-
pie, and how little " society" regards
those needs. -
HERE is a sketch of society" from
life, from the faithful pen of Miss F.
E. Willard, which shows indeed hope
full spirit of revolt on the part of one
victim: "I'm awfully glad summer is
so near" said the daughter of the
woman of fashion. " / never did like
cold weather and 1 just love the ocean
and the mountains. But there's one
thing about summer l don't like at all.
Every July papa takes us all to Bar
Harbor, and from that time until the
last of September we live in summer
hotels. OF course we always have COM
Portable rooms and plenty of things,
but never have bit of fun. It's dress,
dress, dress from morning till night,
and all mamma and l do is to walk
down to the Casino, if we are at Nara
gansett, or out to the springs, if we're
at Saratoga, sit on the hotel porches and
occasionally go for drive. We have
to do as other people do, and so we
change our gowns six or seven times
day. In fact, most of our time and all of
our energy is spent in getting out of