Year: 1866

n O. ID
and of the evident policy Of seek
ing to attract the most thrifty and
valuable classes OF immigrants
within our borders. Wise fore
sight and prompt action may nm.
questionaNly do much to induce the
best class of the foreigners who
arc ilocking TO- our shores to settle
among us, where thoy will find in
the highest decree The advantages
whirh have allurcd them to this
country, with many oi those pleas
ures OF society and OF an older civ
ilization which they must forcgo in
the sparsely settled regions of the
lar West, to which the great cur


rent of migration is tending. II
will also lie our duty TO promote
the most rapid assimilation Of the
the foreign element with our native
population. Tho events through
which we have just passed have
proven how rar!d!y the foreign set
tier has become American in inter.
ct, in thought, and in patriotism (;
but the good results we have seen
should only encourage us to more
systematic use of the means which


tend to SO desirable u result. A


nation is strong in proportion IT,.
the homog cnicty Of its people To
he countrymen should in itself be
Il pledge of brotherhood wherever


we meet. and brotherhood implies
community of language and simi.


larity Of habit and thought. To
encourage and stimulate our natur
allied iclluw citizens, and the new
comers who purpose becoming such |
10 adopt our language, to educate
their children with ours, and 10
identify themselves with asas rap
lidly as possihlc, is the dictate oil
true patriotism in us, and ut the
Same time is the best welcome W.,
can give to them, since thurc can


be no question that they will thu,


become most quickly acquainted


with their richts as citizens, vii


bc least likely to be overrcached
and made dupcs Of in business or
in politics, and will find the road
70 pccun ary profit and personal
advancement most rapidly open be
fore them.


Our common school system is to
be fostcrcl and improved. and thereJ
is nothing in which our people have
Il deeper interest than this. II
there be any one thing to which,
under Providence, more than to
another, We owe our safe passag,
through our recent pcrils, believe
it is tho intelligence which our
common schuols have universally
difl'uscd. 1t has not been simply
the pcwcrto read, but that larger
and wider culturo which has made !
the American people capable OF
weighing and deciding upon grave
arguments of right and policy in
he midst Of greatest excitemeLt.--l
The Government appealed to them
as to mon able to comprehend any
a guments OF State policy, and the
steady loyalty OF the people, and
Their persevering support of the
national cause was in direct pro.
portion to the Intelligence and cd


ucation Of different States or COM
muritiCs. | will even 90 further,
and declare my belief that, 0rtside
OF the Immediate thcater OF hostile
operations, the canse Of the Gov |
ernment never lost anything by the
most unhanmcled freedom Of pub |
Tic discussion and printing, because
the people were always able to d..
tcct the sorhi-ms OF disloyalty, and
their patriotic purposes were
strengthened rather than weakened
by seoing the whole force of the
enemy they had to meet. Among.
the safeguards Of our liberties and
guarantees OF the permanence of
ourinstituiions, | reckon our school
system the very chief. Blind and
devoted love Of country mag exist
under despotism, if ignorance be !
tho mother OF II superstitious or n
childish attachment; but liberty
and republicanism can be built on
no other solid foundation than in
telligencc in the Whole mass of the
people A wise selfinterest is
made the basis OF all scientific po-
litical economy, and when n whole
people have learned 20 estimate
that interest trlly, besides loving
their country dearly, you have
ground for faith in the stability of
their Government, such rs can be
got in no other way. It's because
of the general conviction that our
common schools may DC made to
secure this result, that there is an
equally general belief that no mon
ey used for public purposes is so
well invested as that which sup
ports our school system.


No statement Of our condition
and our duties would 5e complete,
Which did not speak Of the debt we
owe to tho sad array (almost an ar.
my in itself) of the manned and
disabled heroes TO whom the return
of peace brings no bright prospect
foI their own future. Tic dead
may be supposed to look down in
ylory and In pride mon tho work