,,thoughts  ,,on  ,,educational ,,topics
  ,,and  ,,institutions4    ,,by        
,,george ,s4 ,,boutwell4    ,,boston3   
,,phillips1 ,,sampson ,,and ,,company4  
,,mdccclix4   ,entered according to ,act
 of ,congress1 in the year #ahei1 by    
,,george ,s4 ,,boutwell1 ,in the        
,clerk's ,office of the ,district ,court
 of the ,district of ,massachusetts4    
,,stereotyped ,,by ,,hobart ,,and       
,,robbins1 ,,boston4   ,to  ,,the       
,,teachers ,,of ,,massachusetts1        
,,whose  ,,enlightened ,,devotion ,,to  
,,their ,,duties  ,,has  ,,contributed  
,,effectually ,,to ,,the ,,advancement  
,,of ,,learning1  ,this ,volume  ,,is   
,,respectfully ,,dedicated4             
,g4 ,s4 ,b4   ,,contents4               
,,page ,,the ,,intrinsic ,,nature ,,and 
,,value ,,of ,,learning1 ,,and ,,its    
,,influence ,,upon ,,labor1             
#i  ,,education ,,and ,,crime1          
#di  ,,reformation ,,of ,,children1     
#ge  ,,the ,,care ,,and ,,reformation   
,,of ,,the ,,neglected ,,and ,,exposed  

,,classes ,,of ,,children1              
#hf  ,,elementary ,,training ,,in ,,the 
,,public ,,schools1             #aca    
,,the ,,relative ,,merits ,,of ,,public 
,,high ,,schools ,,and ,,endowed        
,,academies1                            
#aeb  ,,the ,,high ,,school ,,system1   
#afd  ,,normal ,,school ,,training1     
#bjc  ,,female ,,education1             
#bba  ,,the ,,influence1 ,,duties1 ,,and
 ,,rewards1 ,,of ,,teachers1       #bda 
,,liberty ,,and ,,learning1             
#bgd  ,,massachusetts ,,school ,,fund1  
#cjh  ,a ,,system ,,of ,,agricultural   
,,education1                    #cci    
,,the ,,intrinsic ,,nature ,,and ,,value
 ,,of ,,learning1 ,,and ,,its           
,,influence ,,upon ,,labor4  ,lecture   
before the ,american ,institute of      
,instruction4   ,words and terms have1  
to different minds1 various             
significations2 and we often find       
definitions changing in the progress of 
events4 ,bailey says learning is skill  
in languages or sciences4 ,to this1     

,walker adds what he calls literature1  
and skill in anything1 good or bad4 ,dr4
 ,webster enlarges the meaning of the   
word still more1 and says1 ,learning is 
the knowledge of principles or facts    
received by instruction or study2       
acquired knowledge or ideas in any      
branch of science or literature2        
erudition2 literature2 science2         
knowledge acquired by experience1       
experiment1 or observation4 ,milton     
gives us a rhetorical definition in a   
negative form1 which is of equal value1 
at least1 with any authority yet cited4 
,and though a linguist1 says ,milton1   
should pride himself to have all the    
tongues that ,babel cleft the world     
into1 yet if he have not studied the    
solid things in them1 as well as the    
words and lexicons1 he were nothing so  
much to be esteemed a learned man1 as   
any yeoman or tradesman competently wise
 in his mother dialect only4--,language 
is but the instrument conveying to us   
things useful to be known4  ,this is    

kindred to the saying of ,locke1 that   
men of much reading are greatly learned1
 but may be little knowing4 ,we must    
give to the term learning a broad       
definition1 if we accept ,milton's      
statement that its end is to repair the 
ruins of our first parents by regaining 
to know ,god aright2 for this           
necessarily implies that we are to study
 carefully everything relating to the   
nature of our existence1 to the spot and
 scene of our existence1 with its       
mysterious phenomena1 and its           
comparatively unexplained laws4 ,and we 
must1 moreover1 always keep in view the 
personal relations and duties which the 
,creator has imposed upon the members of
 the human race4 ,the knowledge of these
 relations and duties is one form of    
learning2 the disposition and the       
ability to observe and practise these   
relations and duties1 is another and a  
higher form of learning4 ,the first is  
the learning of the theologian1 the     
schoolman2 the latter is the learning of

 the practical ,christian4 ,both ought  
to exist2 but when they are separated1  
we place things above signs1 facts above
 forms1 life above ideas4 ,law and      
justice ought always to be united2 but  
when by error1 or fraud1 or usurpation1 
they are separated1 we observe the forms
 of law1 but we respect the principles  
of justice4 ,this is a good illustration
 of the principles which guide to a true
 distinction in the forms of learning4  
,of all the definitions enumerated1 we  
must give to the word learning the      
broadest signification4 ,it is safe to  
accept the statement of the great poet1 
that a man may be acquainted with many  
languages1 and yet not be learned2 even 
as the apostle said he should become as 
sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal1 if 
he had not charity1 though he spoke with
 the tongues of men and angels4         
,learning includes1 no doubt1 a         
knowledge of the languages1 the         
sciences1 and all literature2 but it    
includes also much else2 and this much  

else may be more important than the     
enumerated branches4 ,the term learned  
has been limited1 usually1 by exclusive 
application to the schoolmen2 but it is 
a matter of doubt1 especially in this   
country1 upon the broad definition laid 
down1 whether there is more learning in 
the schools1 or out of them4 ,this      
remark1 if true1 is no reflection upon  
the schools1 but much in favor of the   
world4 ,those were dark ages when       
learning was confined to the schools2   
and1 though we can never be too grateful
 for their existence1 and the fidelity  
with which they preserved the knowledge 
of other days1 that is surely a higher  
attainment in the life of the race1 when
 the learning of the world exceeds the  
learning of the cloister1 the school1   
and the college4  ,in a private         
conversation1 ,professor ,guyot made a  
remark which seems to have a public     
value4 ,you give to your schools1 said  
he1 credit that is really due to the    
world4 ,looking at ,america with the eye

 of an ,european1 it appears to me that 
your world is doing more and your       
schools are doing less1 in the cause of 
education1 than you are inclined to     
believe4 ,for one1 though ,i ought1 as  
much as any1 to stand for the schools1  
,i give a qualified assent to the truth 
of this observation4 ,there is much     
learning among us which we cannot trace 
directly to the schools2 but the schools
 have introduced and fostered a spirit  
which has given to the world the power  
to make itself learned4 ,it is much     
easier to disseminate what is called the
 spirit of education1 than it was to    
create that spirit1 and preserve it when
 there were few to do it homage4 ,for   
this we are indebted to the schools4    
,unobserved in the process of change1   
but happy in its results1 the business  
of education is not now confined to     
professional teachers4  ,the greatest   
change of all has been wrought by the   
attention given to female education1 so 
that the mother of this generation is   

not compelled to rely exclusively upon  
the school and the paid teacher1 public 
or private1 but can herself1 as the     
teacher ordained by nature1 aid her     
children in the preparatory studies of  
life4 ,this power does not often        
manifest itself in a regular system of  
domestic school studies and discipline1 
but its influence is felt in a higher   
home preparation1 and in the exhibition 
of better ideas of what a school should 
be4 ,and we may assume1 with all due    
respect to our maternal ancestry1 that  
this fact is a modern feature1          
comparatively1 in ,american             
civilization4 ,female education has     
given rise to some excesses of opinion  
and conduct2 but the world is entirely  
safe1 especially the self-styled lords  
of creation1 and may wisely advocate a  
system of general education without     
regard to sex1 and leave the effect to  
those laws of nature and revelation     
which are to all and in all1 and cannot 
permanently be avoided or disobeyed4    

,the number of educators has strangely  
increased1 and they often appear where  
they might least be expected4 ,we speak 
of the revival of education1 and think  
only of the change that has taken place 
in the last twenty years in the         
appropriations of money1 the style of   
school-houses1 and the fitness of       
professional teachers for the work in   
which they are engaged2 but these       
changes1 though great1 are scarcely more
 noteworthy than those that have        
occurred in the management of our shops1
 mills1 and farms4 ,when we write the   
sign or utter the sound which symbolizes
 ,teacher1 what figure1 being1 or       
qualities1 are brought before us8 ,we   
should see a person who1 in the pursuit 
of knowledge1 is self-moving1 and1 in   
the exercise of the influence which     
knowledge gives1 is able to appreciate  
the qualities of others2 and who1       
moreover1 possesses enough of inventive 
power to devise means by which he can   
lead pupils1 students1 or hearers1 in   

the way they ought to go4 ,we naturally 
look for such persons in the            
lecture-room1 the school1 and the       
pulpit4 ,and we find them there2 but    
they are also to be found in other      
places4 ,there are thousands of such men
 in ,america1 engaged in the active     
pursuits of the day4 ,they are farmers1 
mechanics1 merchants1 operatives4 ,they 
do not often follow text-books1 and     
therefor are none the worse1 but much   
the better teachers4 ,insensibly they   
have taken on the spirit of the teacher 
and the school1 and1 apparently ignorant
 of the fact1 are1 in the quiet pursuits
 of daily life1 leaders of classes      
following some great thought1 or devoted
 to some practical investigation4 ,and  
in one respect these teachers are of a  
higher order than some--not all1 nor    
most--of our professional teachers4     
,they never cease to be students4 ,when 
a man or woman puts on the garb of the  
teacher1 and throws off the garb of the 
student1 you will soon find that person 

so dwindled and dwarfed1 that neither   
will hang upon the shoulders4 ,this     
happens sometimes in the school1 but    
never in the world4  ,the last          
twenty-five years have produced two new 
features in our civilization1 that are  
at once a cause and a product of        
learning4 ,i speak of the ,press1 and of
 ,associations for mutual improvement4  
,the newspaper press of ,america1 having
 its centre in the city of ,new ,york1  
is more influential than the press of   
any other country4 ,it may not be       
conducted with greater ability2 though1 
if compared with the ,english press1 the
 chief difference unfavorable to        
,america is found in the character of   
the leading editorial articles4 ,in     
enterprise1 in telegraphic business1    
maritime1 and political news and        
information1 the press of the ,united   
,states is not behind that of ,great    
,britain4  ,it must1 however1 be        
admitted that a given subject is usually
 more thoroughly discussed in a single  

issue from the ,english press2 but it is
 by no means certain that public        
questions are1 upon the whole1 better   
canvassed in ,england than in ,america4 
,indeed1 the opposite is probably true4 
,our press will follow a subject day    
after day1 with the aid of new thoughts 
and facts1 until it is well understood  
by the reader4 ,european ideas of       
journalism cannot be followed blindly by
 the press of ,america4 ,the journalist 
in ,europe writes for a select few4 ,his
 readers are usually persons of leisure1
 if they have not always culture and    
taste2 and the issue of the morning     
paper is to them what the appearance of 
the quarterly1 heavy or racy1 is to the 
cultivated ,american reader4  ,but the  
,american journalist1 whatever his taste
 may be1 cannot afford to address       
himself to so small an audience4 ,he    
writes literally for the million2 for ,i
 take it to be no exaggeration to say   
that paragraphs and articles are often  
read by millions of people in ,america4 

,this fact is an important one1 as it   
furnishes a good test of the standard   
taste and learning of the people4 ,our  
press answers the demand which the      
people make upon it4 ,the mass of       
newspaper readers are not1 in a         
scholastic sense1 well-educated persons4
 ,newspaper writers do not1 therefore1  
trouble themselves about the colleges   
with their professors1 but they seek    
rather to gain the attention and secure 
the support of the great body of the    
people1 who know nothing of colleges    
except through the newspapers4 ,we have 
always been permitted to infer the      
intellectual and moral character of the 
audiences of ,demosthenes1 from the     
orations of ,demosthenes2 and may we not
 also infer the character of the        
,american people1 from the character of 
the press that they support8 ,in a      
single issue may often be found an      
editorial article upon some question of 
present interest2 a sermon1 address1 or 
speech1 from a leading mind of the      

country or the world2 letters from      
various quarters of the globe2 extracts 
from established literary and scientific
 journals2 original essays upon         
political1 literary1 scientific1 and    
religious subjects2 and items of local  
or general interest for all classes of  
readers4 ,this product of the press1 in 
quantity and quality1 could not be      
distributed1 week after week1 and year  
after year1 among an ignorant class of  
people4 ,it could be accepted by        
intelligent1 thinking1 progressive minds
 only2 and1 as a fact necessarily       
coexisting1 we find the newspaper press 
equally essential to the best-educated  
persons among us4 ,the newspaper press  
in ,america is a century and a half old2
 but its power does not antedate this   
century1 and its growth has been chiefly
 within the last twenty-five years4     
,what that growth has been may be easily
 seen by any one who will compare the   
daily sheet of the last generation with 
the daily sheet of this2 and the future 

of the ,american press may be easily    
predicted by those who consider the     
progressive influences among us1 of     
which the newspaper must always be the  
truest representative4  ,within the same
 brief period of time it has become the 
fixed custom of the people to associate 
together for educational objects4  ,as a
 consequence1 we have the lyceum for    
all1 libraries for all1 professional    
institutes and clubs for merchants1     
mechanics1 and farmers1 and1 at last1   
free libraries and lectures for the     
operatives in the mills4 ,where these   
institutions can exist1 there must be a 
high order of general learning2 and     
where these institutions do exist1 and  
are sustained1 the learning of the      
people1 whether high or low at any given
 moment1 must be rapidly improved4 ,yet 
some of these agencies--lectures and    
libraries1 for example--are not free    
from serious faults4 ,it may seem rash  
and indefensible to criticize lectures  
upon the platform of the lecturer2 but1 

as the audience can inflict whatever    
penalty they please upon the speaker1 he
 will so far assume responsibility as to
 say that amusement is not the highest  
object of a single lecture1 and when    
sought by managers as the desirable     
object of a whole course1 the           
lecture-room becomes a theatre of       
dissipation2 surely not so bad as other 
forms of dissipation1 but yet so        
distinctly marked1 and so pernicious in 
its influence1 as to be comparatively   
unworthy of general support4 ,let it    
not1 however1 be inferred that wit1     
humor1 and drollery even1 are to be     
excluded from the lecture-room2 but they
 should always be employed as means by  
which information is communicated4      
,between lecturers equal in other       
respects1 one with the salt of humor1   
native to the soil1 should be preferred2
 but it is a sad reflection upon public 
taste1 when a person whose entire       
intellectual capital is wit1 humor1 or  
buffoonery1 is preferred to men of solid

 learning4 ,but it is a worse view of   
human nature1 when men of real merit and
 worth depreciate themselves and lower  
the public taste1 by attempting to do   
what1 at best1 they can have but ill    
success in1 and what they would despise 
themselves for1 were they to succeed    
completely4 ,shakspeare says of a       
jester3        ,this fellow's wise      
enough to play the fool2      ,and to do
 that well1 craves a kind of wit3       
99       99       99       99       99  
,this is a practice      ,as full of    
labor as a wise man's art3      ,for    
folly1 that he wisely shows1 is fit2    
,but wise men1 folly-fallen1 quite taint
 their wit4   ,a kindred mental         
dissipation follows in the steps of     
progress1 and demands aliment from our  
public libraries4 ,in the selection of  
books there is a wide range1 from the   
trashy productions of the fifth-rate    
novelist1 to stately history and exact  
science4 ,it is1 however1 to be assumed 
that libraries will not be established  

until they are wanted1 and that the want
 will not be pressing until there is a  
taste for reading somewhat general4     
,where this taste exists1 it is fair to 
assume that it is in some degree        
elevated4 ,the direction1 however1 which
 the taste of any community is to take1 
after the establishment of a public     
library1 depends1 in a great degree1    
upon the selection of books for its     
shelves4 ,two dangers are to be avoided4
 ,the first1 and greatest1 is the       
selection of books calculated to degrade
 the morals or intellect of the reader4 
,this danger is apparent1 and to be     
shunned needs but to be seen4 ,books1 of
 more or less intrinsic value1 are so   
abundant and cheap1 that common men must
 go out of their way to gather a large  
collection that shall not contain works 
of real merit4 ,but the object should be
 to exclude all worthless and pernicious
 works1 and meet and improve the public 
taste1 by offering it mental food better
 than that to which it has been         

accustomed4 ,the other danger is        
negative1 rather than positive2 but1 as 
books are comparatively worthless when  
they are not read1 it becomes a matter  
of great moment to select such as will  
touch the public mind at a few points1  
at least4 ,it is indeed possible1 and1  
under the guidance of some persons1 it  
would be natural1 to encumber the       
shelves of a library with good books    
that might ever remain so1 saving only  
the contributions made to mould and     
mice4  ,now1 if you will pardon a little
 more fault-finding1--which is1 ,i      
confess1 a quality without merit1 or1 as
 ,byron has it1        ,a man must serve
 his time to every trade      ,save     
censure--critics all are ready made1--  
,i will hazard the opinion that the     
practice of establishing libraries in   
towns for the benefit of a portion of   
the inhabitants only is likely to prove 
pernicious in the end4 ,to be sure1     
reading for some is better than reading 
for none2 but reading for all is better 

than either4 ,in ,massachusetts there is
 a general law that permits cities and  
towns to raise money for the support of 
libraries2 yet the legislature1 in a few
 cases1 has granted charters to library 
associations4 ,with due deference1 it   
may very well be suggested1 that1 where 
a spirit exists which leads a few       
individuals to ask for a charter1 it    
would be better to turn this spirit into
 a public channel1 that all might enjoy 
its benefits4 ,and it will happen1      
generally1 that the establishment of a  
public library will be less expensive to
 the friends of the movement1 and the   
advantages will be greater2 while there 
will be an additional satisfaction in   
the good conferred upon others4  ,we    
shall act wisely if we apply to books a 
maxim of the ,greeks3 ,all things in    
common amongst friends4 ,under this     
maxim ,cicero has enumerated1 as        
principles of humanity1 not to deny one 
a little running water1 or the lighting 
his fire by ours1 if he has occasion2 to

 give the best counsel we are able to   
one who is in doubt or distress2 which1 
says he1 are things that do good to the 
person that receives them1 and are no   
loss or trouble to him that confers     
them4 ,and he quotes1 with approbation1 
the words of ,ennius3        ,he that   
directs the wandering traveller         
,doth1 as it were1 light another's torch
 by his own2      ,which gives him ne'er
 the less of light1 for that      ,it   
gave another4   ,a good book is a guide 
to the reader1 and a well-selected      
library will be a guide to many4 ,and   
shall we give a little running water1   
and turn aside or choke up the streams  
of knowledge8 light the evening torch1  
and leave the immortal mind unillumined8
 give free counsel to the ignorant or   
distressed1 when he might easily be     
qualified to act as his own counsellor8 
,in ,july #ahef1 ,mr4 ,everett gave five
 hundred dollars toward a library for   
the ,high ,school in his native town of 
,dorchester2 and in #ahed ,mr4 ,abbott  

,lawrence gave an equal sum to his      
native town for the establishment of a  
public library4 ,these are not large    
donations1 if we consider only the      
amount of money given2 but it is        
difficult to suggest any other equal    
appropriation that would be as          
beneficial1 in a public sense4 ,these   
donations are noble1 because conceived  
in a spirit of comprehensive liberality4
 ,they are examples worthy of imitation2
 and ,i venture to affirm1 there is not 
one of our ,new ,england towns that has 
not given to the world a son able to    
make a similar contribution to the cause
 of general learning4 ,is it too much to
 believe that a public library in a town
 will double the number of persons      
having a taste for reading1 and         
consequently double the number of       
well-educated people8 ,for1 though we   
are not educated by mere reading1 it is 
yet likely to happen that one who has a 
taste for books will also acquire habits
 of observation1 study1 and reflection4 

,professional institutes and clubs also 
serve to increase the sum of general    
learning4 ,they have thus far avoided   
the evil which has waited or fastened   
upon similar associations in            
,europe1--subserviency to political     
designs4 ,every profession or interest  
of labor has peculiar ideas and special 
purposes4 ,these ideas and purposes may 
be wisely promoted by distinct          
organizations4 ,who can doubt the       
utility of associations of merchants1   
mechanics1 and farmers8 ,they furnish   
opportunities for the exchange of       
opinions1 the exhibition of products1   
the dissemination of ideas1 and the     
knowledge of improvements1 that are thus
 wisely made the property of all4       
,knowledge begets knowledge4 ,what is   
the distinguishing fact between a good  
school and a poor one8 ,is it not1 that 
in a good school the prevailing public  
sentiment is on the side of knowledge   
and its acquisition8 ,and does not the  
same fact distinguish a learned         

community from an ignorant community8   
,if1 in a village or city of artisans1  
each one makes a small annual           
contribution to the general stock of    
knowledge1 the aggregate progress will  
be appreciable1 and1 most likely1       
considerable4 ,if1 on the other hand1   
each one plods by himself1 the sum of   
professional knowledge cannot be        
increased1 and is likely to be          
diminished4  ,the moral of the parable  
of the ten talents is eminently true in 
matters of learning4 ,unto every one    
that hath shall be given1 and he shall  
have abundance3 but from him that hath  
not shall be taken away even that which 
he hath4 ,we cannot conceive of a       
greater national calamity than an       
industrial population delving in mental 
sluggishness at unrelieved and          
unchanging tasks4 ,the manufacture of   
pins was commenced in ,england in #aehc1
 and for two hundred and fifty years she
 had the exclusive control of the trade2
 yet all that period passed away without

 improvement1 or change in the process2 
while in ,america the business was      
revolutionized1 simplified1 and         
economized one-half1 in the period of   
five years4 ,in #ahdj the valuation of  
,massachusetts was about three hundred  
millions of dollars2 but it is certain  
that a large portion of this sum should 
have been set off against the constant  
impoverishment of the land1 commencing  
with the settlement of the state1--the  
natural and unavoidable result of an    
ignorant system of farm labor4 ,the     
revival of education in ,america was    
soon followed by a marked improvement in
 the leading industries of the people1  
and especially in the department of     
agriculture4 ,the principle of          
association has not yet been as         
beneficial to the farmers as to the     
mechanics2 but the former are soon to be
 compensated for the delay4 ,with the   
exception of the business of discovering
 small planets1 which seem to have been 
created for the purpose of exciting     

rivalry among a number of enthusiastic1 
well-minded1 but comparatively secluded 
gentlemen1 agricultural learning has    
made the most marked progress in the    
last ten years4 ,but an agricultural    
population is professionally an inert   
population2 and1 therefore1 as in the   
accumulation of ,john ,jacob ,astor's   
fortune1 it was more difficult to take  
the first step than to make all the     
subsequent movements4 ,now1 however1 the
 principle of association is giving     
direction and force to the labors of the
 farmer2 and it is easy for any person  
to draw to himself1 in that pursuit1 the
 results of the learning of the world4  
,libraries and lectures for the         
operatives in the manufactories         
constitute another agency in the cause  
of general learning4 ,the city of       
,lawrence1 under the lead of well-known 
public-spirited gentlemen there1 has the
 honor of introducing the system in     
,america4 ,a movement1 to which this is 
kindred1 was previously made in         

,england2 but that movement had for its 
object the education of the operatives  
in the simple elements of learning1 and 
among the females in a knowledge of     
household duties4 ,an ,english writer   
says3 ,many employers have already      
established schools in connection with  
their manufactories4 ,from many         
instances before us1 we may take that of
 ,mr4 ,morris1 of ,manchester1 who has  
risen1 himself1 from the condition of a 
factory operative1 and who has felt in  
his own person the disadvantages under  
which that class of workmen labor4 ,he  
has introduced many judicious           
improvements4 ,he has spent about one   
hundred and fifty pounds in ventilating 
his mills2 and has established a        
library1 coffee-room1 class-room1 weekly
 lectures1 and a system of industrial   
training4 ,the latter has been          
established for females1 of whom he     
employs a great many4 ,this class of    
girls generally go to the mills without 
any knowledge of household duties2 they 

are taught in the schools to sew1 knit1 
etc4  ,but1 in the provision made at    
,lawrence for intellectual culture1 it  
is assumed1 very properly1 that the     
operatives are familiar with the        
branches usually taught in the public   
schools4 ,this could not be assumed of  
an ,english manufacturing population1   
nor1 indeed1 of any town population1    
considered as a whole4 ,herein ,america 
has an advantage over ,england4 ,our    
laborers occupy a higher standpoint     
intellectually1 and in that proportion  
their labors are more effective and     
economical4 ,the managers and           
proprietors at ,lawrence were influenced
 by a desire to improve the condition of
 the laborers1 and had no regard to any 
pecuniary return to themselves1 either  
immediate or remote4 ,and it would be a 
sufficient satisfaction to witness the  
growth of knowledge and morality1       
thereby elevating society1 and rendering
 its institutions more secure4  ,these  
higher results will be accompanied1     

however1 by others of sufficient        
importance to be considered4 ,when we   
hire1 or1 what is1 for this inquiry1 the
 same thing1 buy that commodity called1 
labor1 what do we expect to get8 ,is it 
merely the physical force1 the animal   
life contained in a given quantity of   
muscle and bone8 ,in ordinary cases we  
expect these1 but in all cases we expect
 something more4 ,we sometimes buy1 and 
at a very high cost1 too1 what has1 as a
 product1 the least conceivable amount  
of manual labor in it1--a professional  
opinion1 for example2 but we never buy  
physical strength merely1 nor physical  
strength at all1 unless it is directed  
by some intellectual force4 ,the        
descending stream has power to drive    
machinery1 and the arm of the idiot has 
force for some mechanical service1 but  
they equally lack the directing mind4   
,we are not so unwise as to purchase the
 power of the stream1 or the force of   
the idiot's arm2 but we pay for its     
application in the thing produced1 and  

we often pay more for the skill that has
 directed the power than for the power  
itself4 ,the river that now moves the   
machinery of a factory in which many    
scores of men and women find their daily
 labor1 and earn their daily bread1 was 
employed a hundred years ago in driving 
a single set of mill-stones2 and thus a 
man and boy were induced to divide their
 time lazily between the grist in the   
hopper and the fish under the dam4 ,the 
river's power has not changed2 but the  
inventive1 creative genius of man has   
been applied to it1 and new and         
astonishing results are produced4 ,with 
man himself this change has been even   
greater4 ,in proportion to the          
population of the country1 we are daily 
dispensing with manual labor1 and yet we
 are daily increasing the national      
production4 ,there is more mind         
directing the machinery propelled by the
 forces of nature1 and more mind        
directing the machinery of the human    
body4 ,the result is1 that a given      

product is furnished by less outlay of  
physical force4 ,formerly1 with the old 
spinning-wheel and hand-loom1 we put a  
great deal of bone and muscle into a    
yard of cloth2 now we put in very       
little4 ,we have substituted mind for   
physical force1 and the question is1    
which is the more economical8 ,or1 in   
other words1 is it of any consequence to
 the employer whether the laborer is    
ignorant or intelligent8  ,before we    
discuss this point abstractly1 let us   
notice the conduct of men4 ,is any one  
willing to give an ignorant farm laborer
 as much as he is ready to pay for the  
services of an intelligent man8 ,and if 
not1 why the distinction8 ,and if an    
ignorant man is not the best man upon a 
farm1 is he likely to be so in a shop or
 mill8 ,and if not1 we see how the      
proprietors of factories are interested 
in elevating the standard of learning1  
in the mills and outside4 ,but they are 
not singular in this4 ,all classes of   
employers are equally concerned in the  

education of the laborer2 for learning  
not only makes his labor more valuable  
to himself1 but the market price of the 
product is generally reduced1 and the   
change affects favorably all interests  
of society4 ,this benefit is one of the 
first in point of time1 and the one1    
perhaps1 most appreciable of all which  
learning has conferred upon the laborer4
 ,as each laborer1 with the same        
expenditure of physical force1 produces 
a greater result1 of course the         
aggregate products of the world are     
vastly increased1 although they         
represent only the same number of       
laborers that a less quantity would have
 represented under an ignorant system4  
,the division of these products upon any
 principle conceivable leaves for the   
laborer a larger quantity than he could 
have before commanded2 for1 although the
 share of the wealthy may be            
disproportionate1 their ability to      
consume is limited2 and1 as poverty is  
the absence or want of things necessary 

and convenient for the purposes of life1
 according to the ideas at the time     
entertained1 we see how a laboring      
population1 necessarily poor while      
ignorance prevails1 is elevated to a    
position of greater social and physical 
comfort1 as mind takes the place of     
brute force in the industries of the    
world4 ,learning1 then1 is not the      
result of social comfort1 but social    
comfort is the product of intelligence1 
and increases or diminishes as          
intelligence is general or limited4 ,it 
is not1 however1 to be taken as granted 
that each laborer's position corresponds
 or answers to the sum of his own       
knowledge4 ,it might happen that an     
ignorant laborer would enjoy the        
advantages of a general culture1 to     
which he contributed little or nothing2 
and it must of necessity also happen    
that an intelligent laborer1 in the     
midst of an ignorant population1 as in  
,ireland or ,india1 for example1 would  
be compelled to accept1 in the main1 the

 condition of those around him4 ,but    
there is no evidence on the face of     
society now1 or in its history1 that an 
ignorant population1 whether a laboring 
population or not1 has ever escaped from
 a condition of poverty4 ,and the       
converse of the proposition is          
undoubtedly true1 that an intelligent   
laboring community will soon become a   
wealthy community4 ,learning is sure to 
produce wealth2 wealth is likely to     
contribute to learning1 but it does not 
necessarily produce it4 ,hence it       
follows that learning is the only means 
by which the poor can escape from their 
poverty4  ,in this statement it is      
assumed that education does not promote 
vice2 and not only is this negative     
assumption true1 but it is safe to      
assume1 further1 that education favors  
virtue1 and that any given population   
will be less vicious when educated than 
when ignorant4 ,this1 ,i cannot doubt1  
is a general truth1 subject1 of course1 
to some exceptions4  ,the educational   

struggle in which the ,english people   
are now engaged has made distinct and   
tangible certain opinions and           
impressions that are latent in many     
minds4 ,there has been an attempt to    
show that vice has increased in         
proportion to education4 ,this attempt  
has failed1 though there may be found1  
of course1 in all countries1 single     
facts1 or classes of facts1 that seem to
 sustain such an opinion4  ,now1 suppose
 this case1--and neither this case nor  
any similar one has ever occurred in    
real life1--but suppose crime to        
increase as a people were educated1     
though there should be no increase of   
population2 would this fact prove that  
learning made men worse8 ,by no means4  
,our answer is apparent on the face of  
the change itself4 ,by education1 the   
business1 and pecuniary relations and   
transactions of a people are almost     
indefinitely multiplied2 and temptations
 to crime1 especially to crimes against 
property1 are multiplied in an equal    

ratio4 ,would person or property be     
better respected in ,new ,york or       
,boston1 if the most ignorant population
 of the world could be substituted for  
the present inhabitants of those cities8
 ,the business nerves of men are        
frequently shocked by some unexpected   
defalcation1 and short-sighted          
moralists1 who lack faith1 exclaim1 ,all
 this is because men know so much6 ,such
 certainly forget that for every        
defaulter in a city there are hundreds  
of honest men1 who receive and render   
justly unto all1 and hold without check 
the fortunes of others4 ,so ,mr4        
,drummond argued in the ,british ,house 
of ,commons against a national system of
 education1 because what he was pleased 
to call instruction had not saved       
,william ,palmer and ,john ,sadlier4    
,but the truth in this matter is not at 
the bottom of a well2 it is upon the    
surface4 ,where it is the habit of      
society generally to be ignorant1 you   
will find it the necessity of that      

society to be poor2 and where ignorance 
and poverty both abound1 the temptations
 to crime are unquestionably few1 but   
the power to resist temptation is as    
unquestionably weak4 ,the absence of    
crime is owing to the absence of        
temptation1 rather than to the presence 
of virtue4 ,such a condition of society 
is as near to real virtue as the mental 
weakness of the idiot is to true        
happiness4  ,turning again to the       
discussion in the ,british ,parliament  
of ,april1 #ahef1 we are compelled to   
believe that some ,english statesmen    
are1 in principle and in their ideas of 
political economy1 where a portion of   
the ,english cotton-spinners were a     
hundred years ago4 ,the cotton-spinners 
thought the invention of labor-saving   
machinery would deprive them of bread2  
and a ,mr4 ,ball gravely argues that    
schools will so occupy the attention of 
children1 that the farmers' crops will  
be neglected4 ,i am inclined to give you
 his own words2 and ,i have no doubt you

 will be in a measure relieved of the   
dulness of this essay1 when you listen  
to what was actually cheered1 in the    
,british ,commons4 ,speaking of the     
resolutions in favor of a national      
system of instruction1 ,mr4 ,ball said3 
,it was important to consider what would
 be their bearing on the agricultural   
districts of the country4 ,he had       
obtained a return from his own farm1    
and1 supposing the principles advocated 
by the noble lord were adopted1 the     
results would be perfectly fearful4 ,the
 following was the return he had        
obtained from his agent3 ,william       
,chapman1 ten years a servant on his    
7,mr4 ,ball's7 farm2 his own wages      
thirteen shillings1 besides a house2 he 
had seven children1 who earned nine     
shillings a week2 making together       
twenty-two shillings a week4 ,robert    
,arbor1 fifteen years on the farm2 wages
 thirteen shillings a week1 and a house2
 six children1 who earned six shillings 
a week2 making together nineteen        

shillings4 ,john ,stevens1 thirty-three 
years a servant on the farm2 his own    
wages fourteen shillings a week2 he had 
brought up ten children1 whose average  
earnings had been twelve shillings      
weekly1 making together twenty-six      
shillings a week4 ,robert ,carbon1      
twenty-two years a servant on the farm2 
wages thirteen shillings a week2 having 
ten children1 who earned ten shillings a
 week2 making together twenty-three     
shillings a week4 ,thus it appeared that
 in these four families the fathers     
earned fifty-three shillings weekly1 and
 the children thirty-seven shillings a  
week2 so that the children earned       
something more than two-thirds of the   
amount of the earnings of the fathers4  
,he would ask the house1 if the fathers 
were to be deprived of the earnings of  
the children1 how could they provide    
bread for them8 ,it was perfectly       
impossible4 ,they must either increase  
the parent's wages to the amount of the 
loss he thus sustained1 or they must    

make it up to him from a rate4 ,then1   
again1 those who were at all conversant 
with agriculture knew that if they      
deprived the farmer of the labor of     
children1 agriculture could not be      
carried on4 ,there was no machinery by  
which they could get the weeds out of   
the land4--,london ,times4  ,the light  
which this statement furnishes is not   
hid under a bushel4 ,the argument       
deserves a more logical form1 and ,i    
proceed gratuitously to give the author 
the benefit of a scientific arrangement4
 ,if a national system of education is  
adopted1 the children of my tenants will
 be sent to school2 if the children of  
my tenants are sent to school1 my       
turnips will not be weeded2 if my       
turnips are not weeded1 ,i shall eat fat
 mutton no more4  ,after this from a    
statesman1 we need not wonder that a    
correspondent of ,lord ,john ,russell   
writes1 ,that a farmer near him has been
 heard to say1 he would not give        
anything to a day-school2 he finds that 

since ,sunday-schools have been         
established the birds have increased and
 eat his corn1 and because he cannot now
 procure the services of the boys1 whom 
he used to employ the whole of ,sunday1 
in protecting his fields4--,london      
,times1 ,april #acth1 #ahef4  ,now1 ,i  
do not go to ,england for the purpose of
 making an attack upon her opinions2    
but1 as kindred ideas prevail among us1 
though to a limited extent only1 the    
folly of them may be seen in persons at 
a distance1 when it would not be        
realized by ourselves4 ,moreover1 the   
presentation of these somewhat          
ridiculous notions brings ridicule upon 
a whole class of errors2 and when errors
 are so ingrained that men cannot reason
 in regard to them1 ridicule is often   
the only weapon of successful attack4   
,and it is no compliment to an ,american
 audience for the speaker to say that   
their own minds already suggest the     
refutation which these errors demand4   
,if the chief end of man1 for which     

boyhood should be a preparation1 were to
 weed turnips or to frighten blackbirds 
from corn-fields1 then surely the       
objection of ,mr4 ,ball1 and the        
complaint and spirit of resistance      
offered by ,lord ,john ,russell's       
farmer1 would be eminently proper4 ,but 
,lord ,john ,russell did not himself    
assent to the view furnished by his     
correspondent4 ,mr4 ,ball's theory      
evidently is1 ,take good care of the    
turnips1 and leave the culture of the   
boys and girls to chance2 and ,lord     
,john ,russell's wise farmer            
unquestionably thinks that cereal       
peculations of blackbirds are more      
dangerous than the robberies committed  
by neglected children1 grown to men4    
,mr4 ,clay1 chaplain of ,preston jail1  
says3 ,thirty-six per cent4 come into   
jail unable to say the ,lord's ,prayer2 
and seventy-two per cent4 come in such a
 state of moral debasement that it is in
 vain to give them instruction1 or to   
teach them their duty1 since they cannot

 understand the meaning of the words    
used to them4 ,here we have1 as cause   
and effect1 the philosophy of ,mr4      
,ball1 and the facts of ,mr4 ,clay4     
,and1 further1 this philosophy is as bad
 in principle1 when tried by the rules  
of political economy1 as when subjected 
to moral and ,christian tests4  ,mr4    
,ball says there is no machinery by     
which the farmers can get the weeds out 
of the land4 ,this may be true2 and once
 there was no machinery by which they   
could get the seed into the land1 or the
 crops from it4 ,once there was little  
or no inventive power among the         
mechanics1 or scientific knowledge1 or  
even spirit of inquiry1 among the       
farmers4 ,how have these changes been   
wrought8 ,by education1 surely1 and that
 moral and religious culture for which  
secular education is a fit preparation4 
,the contributions of learning to labor1
 in a pecuniary aspect alone1 have far  
exceeded the contributions of labor to  
learning4  ,it is impossible to         

enumerate the evidences in support of   
this statement1 but single facts will   
give us some conception of their        
aggregated value and force4  ,it was    
stated by ,mr4 ,flint1 ,secretary of the
 ,massachusetts ,board of ,agriculture1 
in his ,annual ,report for #ahee1 ,that 
the saving to the country1 from the     
improvements in ploughs alone1 within   
the last twenty-five years1 has been    
estimated at no less than ten millions  
of dollars a year in the work of teams1 
and one million in the price of ploughs1
 while the aggregate of the crops is    
supposed to have been increased by many 
millions of bushels4 ,from this fact1 as
 the representative of a great class of 
facts1 we may safely draw two           
conclusions4 ,first1 these improvements 
are the products of learning1 the       
contribution which learning makes to    
labor1 far exceeding in amount any tax  
which the cause of learning1 in schools 
or out1 imposes upon labor4 ,secondly1  
we see that a given amount of adult     

labor upon a farm1 with the help of the 
improved implements of industry1 will   
accomplish more in #ahef1 than the same 
amount of adult labor1 with its         
attendant juvenile force1 could have    
accomplished in #ahbf4 ,if we were fully
 to illustrate and sustain the latter   
inference1 we should be required to     
review the improvements made in other   
implements of farming1 as well as in    
ploughs4 ,their positive pecuniary      
value1 when considered in the aggregate1
 is too vast for general belief2 and in 
,england alone it must exceed the       
anticipated cost of a system of public  
instruction1 say six millions of pounds1
 or thirty millions of dollars1 per     
year4 ,but learning1 as we have defined 
it1 has contributed less to farming than
 to other departments of labor4  ,the   
very existence of manufactures          
presupposes the existence of learning4  
,there is no branch of manufactures     
without its appropriate machine2 and    
every machine is the product of mind1   

enlarged and disciplined by some sort of
 culture4 ,the steam engine1 the        
spinning-jenny1 the loom1 the           
cotton-gin1 are notable instances of the
 advantages derived by manufacturing    
industry from the prevalence of         
learning4 ,it was stated by ,chief      
,justice ,marshall1 about thirty years  
ago1 that ,whitney's cotton-gin had     
saved five hundred millions of dollars  
to the country2 and the saving1 upon the
 same basis1 cannot now be less than one
 thousand millions of dollars1--a sum   
too great for the human imagination to  
conceive4 ,when we contemplate these    
achievements of mind1 by which manual   
labor has been diminished1 and every    
physical force both magnified and       
economized1 how unstatesmanlike is the  
view which regards a human being as a   
bundle of muscles and bones merely1 with
 no destiny but ignorance1 servitude1   
and poverty6  ,ancient commerce1 if we  
omit to notice the conjecture that the  
mariner's compass was in possession of  

the old ,phoenician and ,indian         
navigators1 reproduced1 rather than     
invented1 in modern times1 did not rest 
upon any enlarged scientific knowledge2 
but1 in this era1 many of the sciences  
contribute to the extension and         
prosperity of trade4 ,after what has    
been accomplished by science1 and       
especially by physical geography1 for   
commerce and navigation1 we have reason 
to expect a system1 based upon          
scientific knowledge and principles1    
which shall render the highway of       
nations secure against the disasters    
that have often befallen those who go   
down to the sea in ships4 ,science gave 
to the world the steamship1 which       
promised for a time to engross the      
entire trade upon the ocean2 but science
 again appears1 constructs vessels upon 
better scientific principles1 traces out
 the path of currents in the water and  
the air1 and thus restores the rival    
powers of wind and steam to an equality 
of position in the eye of the merchant4 

,will any one say that all this inures  
to capital1 and leaves the laborer      
comparatively unrewarded8 ,we are       
accustomed to use the word prosperity as
 synonymous with accumulation2 and yet1 
in a true view1 a man may be prosperous 
and accumulate nothing4 ,suppose we     
contrast two periods in the life of a   
nation with each other4 ,since the      
commencement of this century1 the wages 
of a common farm laborer in ,america    
have increased seventy-five or one      
hundred per cent41 while the articles   
necessary and convenient for his use    
have1 upon the whole1 diminished in     
price4 ,admit that there was nothing for
 accumulation in the first period1 and  
that there is nothing for accumulation  
now1--is not his condition nevertheless 
improved8 ,and1 if so1 has he not       
participated in the general prosperity8 
,indeed1 we may all accept the truth1   
that there is no exclusiveness in the   
benefits which learning confers2 and    
this leads me to say1 next1 that there  

ought to be no exclusiveness in the     
enjoyment of educational privileges4    
,in ,america we agree to this2 and yet1 
confessedly1 as a practical result we   
have not generally attained the end     
proposed4 ,there are two practical      
difficulties in the way4 ,first1 our aim
 in a system of public instruction is   
not high enough2 and1 secondly1 we do   
not sufficiently realize the importance 
of educating each individual4 ,our aim  
is not high enough2 and the result1 like
 every other result1 is measured and    
limited by the purpose we have in view4 
,our public schools ought to be so good 
that private schools for instruction in 
the ordinary branches would disappear4  
,mr4 ,everett said1 in reply to         
inquiries made by ,mr4 ,twistleton1 ,i  
send my boy to the public school1       
because ,i know of none better4 ,it     
should be the aim of the public to make 
their schools so good that no citizen1  
in the education of his children1 will  
pass them by4  ,it is as great a        

privilege for the wealthy as for the    
poor to have an opportunity to send     
their children to good public schools4  
,it is a maxim in education that the    
teacher must first comprehend the pupil 
mentally and morally2 and might not many
 of the errors of individual and public 
life be avoided1 if the citizen1 from   
the first1 were to have an accurate idea
 of the world in which he is to live8   
,the demand of labor upon education1 as 
they are connected with every material  
interest of society1 is1 that no one    
shall be neglected4 ,the mind of a      
nation is its capital4 ,we are          
accustomed to speak of money as capital2
 and sometimes we enlarge the           
definition1 and include machinery1      
tools1 flocks1 herds1 and lands4 ,but   
for this moment let us do what we have a
 right to do1--go behind the definitions
 of lexicographers and political        
economists1 and say1 capital is the     
producing force of society1 and that    
force is mind4 ,without this force1     

money is nothing2 machinery is nothing2 
flocks1 herds1 lands1 are nothing4 ,but 
all these are made valuable and         
efficient by the power of mind4 ,what we
 call civilization1--passing from an    
inferior to a superior condition of     
existence1--is a mental and moral       
process4 ,if mind is the capital1--the  
producing force of society1--what shall 
we say of the person or community that  
neglects its improvement8 ,certainly1   
all that we should say of the miser1 and
 all that was said of the timid servant 
who buried his talent in the earth4 ,if 
one mind is neglected1 then we fail as a
 generation1 a state1 a nation1 as      
members of the human family1 to answer  
the highest purposes of existence4 ,some
 possible good is unaccomplished1 some  
desirable labor is unperformed1 some    
means of progress is neglected1 some    
evil seed1 it may be1 is sown1 for which
 this generation must answer to all the 
successions of men4 ,but let us not     
yield to the prejudice1 though          

sanctioned by custom1 that learning     
unfits men for the labors of life4 ,the 
schools may sometimes do this1 but      
learning never4 ,we cannot1 however1    
conceal from our view the fact that this
 prejudice is a great obstacle to       
progress1 even in ,new ,england2 an     
obstacle which may not be overcome      
without delay and conflict1 in many     
states of this ,union2 and especially in
 ,great ,britain is it an obstacle in   
the way of those who demand a system of 
universal education4  ,in the ,house of 
,commons1 ,mr4 ,drummond opposes a      
national system of education in this    
wise3 ,and1 pray1 what do you propose to
 rear your youth for8 ,are you going to 
train them for statesmen8 ,no4 7,a      
laugh47 ,the honorable gentleman laughs 
at the notion1 and so would ,i4 ,but you
 are going to fit them to be--what8     
,why1 cotton-spinners and pin-makers1   
or1 if you like1 blacksmiths1 mere day  
laborers4 ,these are the men whom you   
are to teach foreign languages1         

mathematics1 and the notation of music4 
7,hear1 hear47 ,was there ever anything 
more absurd8 ,it really seems as if ,god
 had withdrawn common sense from this   
house4 ,now1 what does this language of 
,mr4 ,drummond mean8 ,does he not intend
 to say that it is unwise to educate    
that class of society from which        
cotton-spinners1 pin-makers1            
blacksmiths1 mere day laborers1 are     
taken8 ,is it not his opinion that the  
business of pin-making is to be         
perpetuated in some families and        
classes1 and the business of            
statesmanship is to be perpetuated in   
others8 ,and1 if so1 does he not believe
 that the best condition of society is  
that which presents divisions based upon
 the factitious distinctions of birth   
and fortune8 ,most certainly these      
questions indicate his opinions1 as they
 indicate the opinions of those who     
cheered him1 and as they also indicate  
the opinions of a few in this country1  
who1 through ignorance1 false education1

 prejudice1 or sympathy with castes and 
races1 fear to educate the laborer1 lest
 he may forsake his calling4 ,with us   
these fears are infrequent1 but they    
ought not to exist at all4 ,the question
 in a public sense is not1 ,from what   
family or class shall the pin-maker or  
the statesman be taken8 ,there is no    
question at all to be answered4 ,educate
 the whole people4 ,education will      
develop every variety of talent1 taste1 
and power4 ,these qualities1 under the  
guidance of the necessities of life and 
the public judgment1 will direct each   
man to his proper place4 ,if the son of 
a cotton-spinner become a statesman1 it 
is because statesmanship needs him1 and 
he has some power answering to its      
wants4 ,and if ,mr4 ,drummond's son     
become a cotton-spinner1 it is because  
that is his right place1 and the world  
will be the better and the richer that  
,mr4 ,drummond's son is a               
cotton-spinner1 and that he is a learned
 man too2 but1 if ,mr4 ,drummond's son  

occupy the place of a statesman because 
he is ,mr4 ,drummond's son1 though he be
 no statesman at all himself1 then the  
world is all the worse for the mistake1 
and poor compensation is it that ,mr4   
,drummond's son is a learned man in     
something that he is never called to put
 in practice4  ,when it is said that the
 statesmen1 or those engaged in the     
business of government1 shall come from 
one-tenth of the population1 is not the 
state1 according to the doctrine of     
chances1 deprived of nine-tenths of its 
governing force8 ,and may not the same  
suggestion be made of every other branch
 of business8  ,but ,i pass now to the  
last leading thought1 and soon to the   
conclusion of my address4 ,the great    
contribution of learning to the laborer 
is its power1 under the lead of         
,christianity1 to break down the        
unnatural distinctions of society1 and  
to render labor of every sort1 among all
 classes1 acceptable and honorable4     
,ignorance is the degradation of labor1 

and when laborers1 as a class1 are      
ignorant1 their vocation is necessarily 
shunned by some2 and1 being shunned by  
some1 it is likely to be despised by    
others4 ,wherever the laboring          
population is in a condition of         
positive1 or1 by a broad distinction1 of
 comparative ignorance1 society will    
always divide itself into two1 and      
oftentimes into three classes4 ,we shall
 find the dominant class1 the servient  
class1 and then1 generally1 the despised
 class2 the dominant class1             
comparatively intelligent1 possessing   
the property1 administering the         
government1 giving to social life its   
laws1 and enjoying the fruits of labor  
which they do not perform2 the servient 
class1 unwittingly in a state of        
slavery1 whether nominally bond or free1
 having little besides physical force to
 promote their own comfort or to        
contribute to the general prosperity1   
and furnishing security in their        
degradation for a final submission to   

whatever may be required of them2 and   
last1 a despised class1 too poor to live
 without labor1 and too proud to live by
 labor1 assuming a position not accorded
 to them1 and finally yielding to a     
social and political ostracism even more
 degrading1 to a sensitive mind1 than   
the servient condition they with so much
 effort seek to shun4  ,all this is the 
fruit of ignorance2 all this may be     
removed by general learning4 ,if all men
 are learned1 the work of the world will
 be performed by learned men2 and why1  
under such circumstances1 should not    
every vocation that is honest be equally
 honorable8 ,but if this1 in a broad    
view1 seem utopian1 can we not agree    
that learning is the only means by which
 a poor man can escape from his poverty8
 ,and1 if it furnish certain means of   
escape for one man1 will it not furnish 
equally certain means of escape for     
many8 ,and if so1 is not learning a     
general remedy for the inequalities     
among men8     ,,education ,,and        

,,crime4  ,extract from the             
,twenty-,first ,annual ,report of the   
,secretary of the ,massachusetts ,board 
of ,education4   ,the public schools1 in
 their relations to the morals of the   
pupils and to the morality of the       
community1 are attracting a large share 
of attention4 ,in some sections of the  
country the system is boldly denounced  
on account of its immoral tendencies4   
,in states where free schools exist     
there are persons who doubt their       
utility2 and occasionally partisan or   
religious leaders appear who deny the   
existence of any public duty in regard  
to education1 or who assert and maintain
 the doctrine that free schools are a   
common danger4 ,as the people of this   
commonwealth are not followers of these 
prophets of evil1 nor believers in their
 predictions1 there is but slight reason
 for discussion among us4 ,it is not    
probable that a large number of the     
citizens of ,massachusetts entertain    
doubts of the power and value of our    

institutions of learning1 of every      
grade1 to resist evil and promote       
virtue1 through the influence they      
exert4 ,but1 as there is nothing in our 
free-school system that shrinks from    
light1 or investigation even1 ,i have   
selected from the annual reports        
everything which they contain touching  
the morality of the institution4 ,in so 
doing1 ,i have had two objects in view4 
,first1 to direct attention to the      
errors and wrongs that exist2 and1      
secondly1 to state the opinion1 and     
enforce it as ,i may be able1 that the  
admitted evils found in the schools are 
the evils of domestic1 social1          
municipal1 and general life1 which are  
sometimes chastened1 mitigated1 or      
removed1 but never produced1 nor even   
cherished1 by our system of public      
instruction4 ,in the extracts from the  
school committees' reports there are    
passages which imply some doubt of the  
moral value of the system2 but it is our
 duty to bear in mind that these reports

 were prepared and presented for the    
praiseworthy purpose of arousing an     
interest in the removal of the evils    
that are pointed out4 ,the writers are  
contemplating the importance of making  
the schools a better means of moral and 
intellectual culture2 but there is no   
reason to suppose that in any case a    
comparison is instituted1 even mentally1
 between the state of society as it     
appears at present and the condition    
that would follow the abandonment of our
 system of public instruction4 ,there   
are general complaints that the manners 
of children and youth have changed      
within thirty or fifty years2 that age  
and station do not command the respect  
which was formerly manifested1 and that 
some license in morals has followed this
 license in manners4  ,the change in    
manners cannot be denied2 but the       
alleged change in morals is not         
sustained by a great amount of positive 
evidence4 ,the customs of former        
generations were such that children     

often manifested in their exterior      
deportment a deference which they did   
not feel1 while at present there may be 
more real respect for station1 and      
deference for age and virtue1 than are  
exhibited in juvenile life4 ,in this    
explanation1 if it be true1 there is    
matter for serious thought2 but ,i      
should not deem it wise to encourage a  
mere outward show of the social virtues1
 which have no springs of life in the   
affections4  ,and1 notwithstanding the  
tone of the reports to which ,i have    
called attention1 and notwithstanding my
 firm conviction that many moral defects
 are found in the schools1 ,i am yet    
confident that their moral progress is  
appreciable and considerable4  ,in the  
first place1 teachers1 as a class1 have 
a higher idea of their professional     
duties1 in respect to moral and         
intellectual culture4 ,many of them are 
permanently established in their        
schools4 ,they are persons of character 
in society1 with positions to maintain1 

and they are controlled by a strong     
sense of professional responsibility to 
parents and to the public4 ,it has been1
 to some extent1 the purpose and result 
of ,teachers' ,associations1 ,teachers' 
,institutes1 and ,normal ,schools1 to   
create in the body of teachers a better 
opinion concerning their moral          
obligations in the work of education4   
,it must also be admitted that the      
changes in school government have been  
favorable to learning and virtue4 ,for1 
while it is not assumed that all schools
 are1 or can be1 controlled by moral    
means only1 it is incontrovertible that 
a government of mild measures is        
superior to one of force4 ,this         
superiority is as apparent in morals as 
in scholarly acquisitions4 ,it is rare  
that a teacher now boasts of his success
 over his pupils in physical contests2  
but such claims were common a quarter of
 a century ago4 ,the change that has    
been wrought is chiefly moral1 and in   
its influence we find demonstrative     

evidence of the moral superiority of the
 schools of the present over those of   
any previous period of this century4    
,before we can comprehend the moral work
 which the schools have done and are    
doing1 we must perceive and appreciate  
with some degree of truthfulness the    
changes that have occurred in general   
life within a brief period of time4 ,the
 activity of business1 by which fathers 
have been diverted from the custody and 
training of their children2 the claims  
of fashion and society1 which have led  
to some neglect of family government on 
the part of mothers2 the aggregation of 
large1 populations in cities and towns1 
always unfavorable to the physical and  
moral welfare of children2 the          
comparative neglect of agriculture1 and 
the consequent loss of moral strength in
 the people1 are all facts to be        
considered when we estimate the power of
 the public school to resist evil and to
 promote good4 ,if1 in addition to these
 unfavorable facts and tendencies1 our  

educational system is prejudicial to    
good morals1 we may well inquire for the
 human agency powerful enough to resist 
the downward course of ,new ,england and
 ,american civilization4 ,to be sure1   
,christianity remains2 but it must1 to  
some extent1 use human institutions as  
means of good2 and the assertion that   
the schools are immoral is equivalent to
 a declaration that our divine religion 
is practically excluded from them4 ,this
 declaration is not in any just sense   
true4 ,the duty of daily devotional     
exercises is always inculcated upon     
teachers1 and the leading truths and    
virtues of ,christianity are made1 as   
far as possible1 the daily guides of    
teachers and pupils4 ,the tenets of     
particular sects are not taught2 but the
 great truths of ,christianity1 which   
are received by ,christians generally1  
are accepted and taught by a large      
majority of committees and teachers4 ,it
 is not claimed that the public schools 
are religious institutions2 but they    

recognize and inculcate those           
fundamental truths which are the basis  
of individual character1 and the best   
support of social1 religious1 and       
political life4 ,the statement that the 
public schools are demoralizing must be 
true1 if true at all1 for one of three  
reasons4 ,either because all education  
is demoralizing2 or1 secondly1 because  
the particular education given in the   
public schools is so2 or1 thirdly1      
because the public-school system is     
corrupting1 and consequently taints all 
the streams of knowledge that flow      
through or emanate from it4 ,for1 if the
 public system is unobjectionable as a  
system1 and education is not in itself  
demoralizing1 then1 of course1 no ground
 remains for the charge that ,i am now  
considering4   ,i4 ,is all education    
demoralizing8 ,an affirmative answer to 
this question implies so much that no   
rational man can accept it4 ,it is      
equivalent to the assertion that        
barbarism is a better condition than    

civilization1 and that the progress of  
modern times has proceeded upon a       
misconception of the true ideal         
perfection of the human race4 ,as no one
 can be found who will admit that his   
happiness has been marred1 his powers   
limited1 or his life degraded1 by       
education1 so there is no process of    
logic that can commend to the human     
understanding the doctrine that bodies  
of men are either less happy or virtuous
 for the culture of the intellect4 ,i am
 not aware of any human experience that 
conflicts with this view2 for individual
 cases of criminals who have been well  
educated prove nothing in themselves1   
but are to be considered as facts in    
great classes of facts which indicate   
the principles and conduct of bodies of 
men who are subject to similar          
influences4 ,in fact1 the statistics to 
which ,i have had access tend to show   
that crime diminishes as intelligence   
increases4 ,on this point the experience
 of ,great ,britain is probably more    

definite1 and1 of course1 more valuable1
 than our own4 ,the ,aberdeen ,feeding  
,schools were established in #ahda1 and 
during the ten years succeeding the     
commitments to the jails of children    
under twelve years of age were as       
follows3#a        ,in #ahdb1   #cj   ,in
 #ahdg1   #bg          #ahdc1   #fc     
#ahdh1   #ai          #ahdd1   #da      
#ahdi1   #af          #ahde1   #di      
#ahej1   #bb          #ahdf1   #bh      
#ahea1    #h                            
#baa              #ib   ,in the work of 
,mr4 ,hill it is also stated that the   
number of children under twelve         
committed for crime to the ,aberdeen    
prisons1 during the last six years1 was 
as follows3                    ,males4  
,females4    ,total4       #ahdi-ej1    
#aa         #e          #af             
#ahej-ea1     #ad         #h            
#bb       #ahea-eb1      #f         #b  
#h       #aheb-ec1     #bc         #a   
#bd       #ahec-ed1     #bd         #a  
#be       #ahed-ee1     #dg         #b  

#di   ,it will be observed that in the  
last three years there has been a great 
increase of boy crime1 contemporaneously
 with an almost total absence of girl   
crime1 though formerly the amount of the
 latter was considerable4 ,now1 since   
this extraordinary difference coincides 
in point of time with the fact of full  
girls' schools and half empty boys'     
schools1 the inference can hardly be    
avoided that the two facts bear the     
relation of cause and effect1 and that1 
so far from the late increase of        
youthful crime in ,aberdeen any-wise    
impairing the soundness of the principle
 on which the schools are based1 it is  
its strongest confirmation4 ,in moral as
 in physical science1 when the          
objections to a theory are1 upon further
 investigation1 explained by the theory 
itself1 they become the best evidence of
 its truth4 ,indeed1 it is proved1 by   
the experience1 not only of ,aberdeen1  
but1 as far as ,i have been able to     
ascertain1 of every town in ,scotland in

 which industrial schools have been     
established1 that the number of children
 in the schools and the number in the   
jail are like the two ends of a         
scale-beam2 as the one rises the other  
falls1 and vice versa4  ,the following  
list of imprisonments of children       
attending the schools of the ,bristol   
,ragged ,school ,union shows            
considerable progress in the right      
direction3                              
#ahdg4ahdh4ahdi4ahej4ahea4aheb4ahec4ahed
4ahee4   ,imprisoned1  #ab   #ai   #bf  
#i    #a    #a    -    #a    -          
,imprisonments in     #ff1 averaging    
#af4e per year on number of #dag the    
first four years   children4  ,in       
subsequent five   #c1 averaging #j4f per
 year on number of #gbh years1          
children4                               
,difference1  #ae4i          #af4e 3    
#ae4i 33 #ajj 3 #if4cf4   ,thus1 says   
,mr4 ,thornton1 it appears that the     
diminution of the average annual number 
of children attending our schools       

imprisoned in the latter period of five 
years1 as compared with the annual      
average of the previous four years1 is  
ninety-six per cent4--a striking fact1  
which is1 ,i think1 a manifest proof of 
the benefit conferred on them by the    
religious and secular instruction they  
receive in our schools1 or1 at the very 
least1 of the advantages of rescuing    
them from the temptations of idleness1  
and from evil companionship and example4
  ,i also copy1 from the work already   
referred to1 an extract from a paper on 
the ,reformatory ,institutions in and   
near ,bristol1 by ,mary ,carpenter3 ,in 
numberless instances children may be    
seen growing up decently1 who owe their 
only training and instruction to the    
school4 ,young persons are noticed in   
regular work1 who1 before they attended 
the ,ragged ,schools1 were vagrants1 or 
even thieves4 ,not unfrequently a visit 
is paid at the school by a respectable  
young man1 who proves to have been a    
wild and troublesome scholar of former  

times4  ,mr4 ,hill1 ,recorder of        
,birmingham1 in a charge to the grand   
jury1 made in #ahci1 speaking of the    
means of repressing crime1 says3 ,it is 
to education1 in the large and true     
meaning of the word1 that we must all   
look as the means of striking at the    
root of the evil4 ,indeed1 of the close 
connection between ignorance and crime  
the calendar which ,i hold in my hand   
furnishes a striking example4 ,each     
prisoner has been examined as to the    
state of his education1 and the result  
is set down opposite his name4 ,it      
appears1 then1 that of forty-three      
prisoners only one can read and write   
well4 ,the majority can neither read nor
 write at all2 and the remainder1 with  
the solitary exception which ,i have    
noted down1 are said to read and write  
imperfectly2 which necessarily implies  
that they have not the power of using   
those great elements of knowledge for   
any practical object4 ,of forty-three   
prisoners1 forty-two1 then1 are         

destitute of instruction4  ,these       
authorities are not cited because they  
refer to schools that answer in         
character to the public schools of      
,massachusetts1 for the latter are far  
superior in the quality of their pupils1
 and in the opportunities given for     
intellectual and moral education2 but   
these cases and opinions are presented  
for the purpose of showing what has been
 done for the improvement of children   
and the repression of crime under the   
most unfavorable circumstances that     
exist in a civilized community4 ,if such
 benign results have followed the       
establishment of schools of an inferior 
character1 is it unreasonable to claim  
that education and the processes of     
education1 however imperfect they may   
be1 are calculated to increase the sum  
of human progress1 virtue1 and          
happiness8   ,,ii4 ,is the particular   
education given in the public schools   
unfavorable to the morals of the pupils1
 and1 consequently1 to the morality of  

the community8 ,i have already presented
 a view of the moral and religious      
education given in the schools1 and it  
only remains to consider the culture    
that is in its leading features         
intellectual4 ,it may be said1 speaking 
generally1 that education is a training 
and development of the faculties1 so as 
to make them harmonize in power1 and in 
their relations to each other4 ,among   
other things1 the ability to read is    
acquired in the public schools4 ,in the 
individual1 this is a power for good4   
,it opens to the mind and heart the     
teachings of the sacred ,scriptures2 it 
secures the companionship of the great1 
the wise1 and the good1 of every age2   
and it is a possession that1 in all     
cases1 must be the foundation of those  
scientific acquisitions1 intellectual1  
moral1 and natural1 which show the      
beneficence and power of the ,creator1  
and indicate the fact and the law of    
human responsibility4 ,the natural and  
general effect of the sciences taught in

 the schools is an illustration of the  
last statement4 ,moreover1 the mere     
presence of a child1 though he took no  
part in the studies of the school1 is to
 him a moral lesson4 ,he feels the force
 of government1 he acquires the habit of
 obedience1 and1 in time1 he comprehends
 the reason of the rules that are       
established4 ,this discipline is        
essentially moral1 and furnishes some   
basis1 though partial and               
unsatisfactory1 for the proper discharge
 of the duties of life4 ,but it is to be
 remembered that the power of the school
 is but in its beginning when the       
presence of a pupil is recognized4 ,the 
constancy and punctuality of attendance 
required by all judicious parents and   
faithful teachers are important moral   
lessons1 whose influence can never be   
destroyed4 ,the fixedness of purpose    
that is required1 and is essential in   
school1 remains as though it were a part
 of the nature of the child and the man4
 ,school-life strengthens habits of     

industry when they exist1 and creates   
them when they do not4 ,it is1 indeed1  
the only means1 of universal            
application1 that is competent to train 
children in habits of industry4 ,private
 schools can never furnish this         
training2 for large numbers of children1
 by the force of circumstances1 are     
deprived of the tuition of such schools4
 ,business life cannot furnish this     
training2 for the habits of the child   
are usually moulded1 if not hardened1   
before he arrives at an age when he can 
be constantly employed in any industrial
 vocation4 ,the public school is no     
doubt justly chargeable with neglects   
and omissions2 but its power for good1  
measured by the character of the        
education now furnished1 is certainly   
very great4 ,it inculcates habits of    
regularity1 punctuality1 constancy1 and 
industry1 in the pursuits of business2  
through literature and the sciences in  
their elements1 and1 under some         
circumstances1 by an advanced course of 

study1 it leads the pupil towards the   
fountain of life and wisdom2 and1 by the
 moral and religious instruction daily  
given1 some preparation is made for the 
duties of life and the temptations of   
the world4   ,,iii4 ,is the public      
school system1 as a system1 in itself   
necessarily corrupting8 ,as preliminary 
to the answer to be given to this       
question1 it is well to consider what   
the public-school system is4  #a4 ,every
 inhabitant is required to contribute to
 its support4  #b4 ,it contemplates the 
education of every child1 regardless of 
any distinction of society or nature4   
#c4 ,the system is subject in many      
respects to the popular will2 and       
ultimately its existence and character  
are dependent upon the public judgment4 
#d4 ,in the ,massachusetts schools1 the 
daily reading of the ,scriptures is     
required4  ,the consideration of these  
topics will conclude my remarks upon the
 general subject of the moral influence 
of the ,american system of public       

instruction4 ,in ,new ,england it is    
very unusual to hear the right of the   
state to provide for the support of     
schools by general taxation called in   
question2 but ,i am satisfied1 from     
private conversations1 and from         
occasional public statements1 that there
 are leading minds in some sections of  
the country that are yet unconvinced of 
the moral soundness of the basis on     
which a system of public instruction    
necessarily rests4 ,taxation is simply  
an exercise of the right of the whole to
 take the property of an individual2 and
 this right can be exercised justly in  
those cases only where the application  
of the property so taken is1 morally    
speaking1 to a public use4 ,the judgment
 of the public determines the legality  
of the proceeding2 but it is possible   
that in some cases a public judgment    
might be secured which could not be     
supported by a process of moral         
reasoning4 ,on what moral grounds1 then1
 does the right of taxation for         

educational objects rest8 ,i answer1    
first1 education diminishes crime4 ,the 
evidence in support of this statement   
has already been presented4 ,it is a    
manifest individual duty to make        
sacrifices for this object2 and1 as     
every crime is an injury1 not only to   
him who is the subject of it1 but to    
every member of society1 the prevention 
of crime becomes a public as well as an 
individual duty4  ,the conviction of a  
criminal is a public duty2 and1 under   
all governments of law1 it is undertaken
 at the public charge4 ,offences are not
 individual merely2 they are against    
society also1 inasmuch as it is the     
right of society that all its members   
shall behave themselves well4 ,and1 if  
it is the right of society that its     
members shall behave themselves well1 is
 it not the duty of society to so       
provide for their education that each   
individual part may meet the demand     
which the whole body asserts8 ,and1     
further1 as a majority of persons cannot

 individually provide for their own     
protection1 it is the duty of society1  
or the state1 or the government1 to     
furnish the needed protection in the    
most economical and effective manner    
possible4 ,the state has no moral right 
to jeopard property1 life1 and          
reputation1 when1 by a different policy1
 all these might be secure2 nor has the 
state a moral right to make the security
 furnished1 whether perfect or not1     
unnecessarily expensive4 ,it is the     
dictate of reason and the experience of 
governments that the most effectual     
method of repressing crime is to        
diminish the number of criminals2 and1  
though punitive measures may accomplish 
something1 our chief reliance must be   
upon the education and training of      
children and youth4 ,the facts drawn    
from the experience of ,england and     
,scotland1 which have been quoted1 lead 
to the conclusion that schools diminish 
the number of criminals1 and            
consequently lessen the amount of crime2

 but ,i think it proper to add some     
extracts from a communication made1 in  
,august1 #ahef1 by ,mr4 ,dunne1 chief   
constable of ,newcastle-upon-,tyne1 to  
the ,secretary of the ,national         
,reformatory ,union4#b  ,i know1 from my
 own personal knowledge and observation1
 that1 since parental responsibility has
 been enforced in the district1 under   
the direction of the ,secretary of      
,state1 the number of juvenile criminals
 in the custody of the police has       
decreased one-half4 ,i know that many of
 the parents1 who were in the habit of  
sending their children into the streets 
for the purposes of stealing1 begging1  
and plunder1 have quite discontinued    
that practice1 and several of the       
children so used1 and brought up as     
thieves and mendicants1 are now at some 
of the free schools of the town2 others 
are at work1 and thereby obtain an      
honest livelihood2 and1 so far as ,i can
 ascertain1 they seem to be thoroughly  
altered1 and appear likely to become    

good and honest members of society4 ,i  
have1 for my own information1 conversed 
with some of the boys so altered1 and1  
during the conversation ,i had with     
them1 they declared that they derived   
the greatest happiness and satisfaction 
from their change in life4 ,i don't at  
all doubt the truth of these statements1
 for their evident improvement and      
individual circumstances fully bear them
 out2 and ,i believe them to be really  
serious in all they say1 and truly      
anxious to become honest and            
respectable4 ,i attribute1 in a great   
measure1 this salutary change to the    
effects arising in many respects from   
the establishment of reformatory        
schools2 but ,i have more particularly  
found that greater advantages have      
emanated from those institutions since  
the parents of the children confined in 
them have been made to pay contributions
 to their maintenance2 for it appears   
beyond doubt that the effect of the     
latter has been to induce the parents of

 other young criminals to withdraw them 
from the streets1 and1 instead of using 
them for the purposes of crime1 they    
seem to take an interest in their       
welfare4 ,and ,i know that many of them 
are now really anxious to get such      
employment for their children as will   
enable them to obtain a livelihood2 and 
it is my opinion that the example thus  
set to older and more desperate         
criminals1 belonging in many instances  
to the same family as the juvenile      
thief1 has had the effect of reforming  
them also2 for many of them have left   
off their course of crime1 and are now  
living by honest labor4 ,the result is  
that serious crime has considerably     
decreased in this district1 so much so  
that there were only six cases for trial
 at the assizes1 whereas1 at the        
previous assizes1 the average number of 
cases was from twenty-five to thirty1   
which fact was made the subject of much 
comment and congratulation by ,mr4      
,justice ,willes1 the presiding judge4  

,these remarks relate chiefly to the    
reformatory schools1 but we know that   
the prevention of crime by education is 
much easier than its reformation by the 
same means4 ,indeed1 it is the result of
 the experience of ,massachusetts that  
the necessity for reform schools has in 
a large degree arisen from neglect of   
the public schools4 ,it is stated in the
 ,tenth ,annual ,report of the ,chaplain
 of the ,state ,reform ,school that of  
nineteen hundred and nine boys admitted 
since the establishment of the          
institution1 thirteen hundred and       
thirty-four are known to have been      
truants4 ,it is also quite probable that
 the number reported as truants is      
really less than the facts warrant4 ,it 
may not be out of place to suggest1 in  
this connection1 that when a boy        
sentenced to the ,reform ,school is     
known to have been guilty of truancy1 if
 the parents were subjected to some     
additional burdens on that account1 the 
cause of education would be promoted1   

and the number of criminals in the      
community would be diminished4 ,from the
 views and facts presented1 as well as  
from the daily observation and          
experience of men1 ,i assume that       
ignorance is the ally of crime1 and that
 education is favorable to virtue4 ,it  
is also the result of experience and the
 dictate of reason that general taxation
 is the only means by which universal   
education can be secured4 ,all other    
plans and theories will prove partial in
 their application4 ,if1 then1 it is the
 duty of the state to protect itself    
against crime1 and of course to diminish
 the number of criminals2 if education  
is the most efficient means for securing
 these results2 if this education must  
be universal in order to be thoroughly  
effective2 if the state is the only     
agent or instrumentality of sufficient  
power to establish schools and furnish  
education for all2 and if general       
taxation is the only means which the    
state itself can command1 is not every  

inhabitant justly required and morally  
bound to contribute to the support of a 
system of public instruction8  ,it will 
not necessarily happen that public      
schools will furnish to every child and 
youth the desired amount of education4  
,professional schools1 classical        
schools1 and academies of various       
grades1 will be continued2 but there is 
an amount of intellectual and moral     
training needed by every child which can
 be best given in the public school4    
,this training in the public schools    
ought to be carried much further than it
 usually is4 ,in the city of            
,newburyport1 as ,i have been informed1 
there are no exceptions to the custom of
 educating all the children of the town 
in the public schools up to the moment  
when young men enter college4 ,in large 
towns and cities there is no excuse for 
the existence of private schools to do  
the work now done in such schools as    
those of ,newburyport and other places  
where equal educational privileges      

exist4  ,the chief objection brought    
against the public school1 touching its 
morality1 is derived from the fact that 
children who are subject to proper moral
 influences at home are brought in      
contact with others who are already     
practised in juvenile vices1 if they    
have not been guilty of petty crimes4 ,i
 am happy to believe that this statement
 is not true of many ,new ,england      
communities4 ,the objection was         
considered in the last ,annual          
,report1--it has been often considered  
elsewhere2 and ,i do not propose to     
repeat at length the views which are    
entertained by the friends of public    
education4  ,i have1 however1 to suggest
 that while this objection applies with 
some force to the public school1 it     
applies also to every other school1 and 
that the evil is the least dangerous    
when the pupil is intrusted to the care 
of a qualified teacher1 who is          
personally responsible to the public for
 his conduct1 and when the child is also

 subject to the restraints1 and         
influenced by the daily example and     
teachings1 of the parents4  ,moreover1  
it is to be remembered that the great   
value of education1 in a moral aspect1  
is the development of the power to      
resist temptation4 ,this power is not   
the growth of seclusion2 and while      
neither the teacher nor the parent ought
 wantonly to expose the child to vicious
 influences1 the school may be even a   
better preparation for the world from   
the fact that temptation has there been 
met1 resisted1 and overcome4 ,it is also
 to be remembered that the judgment of  
parents in a matter so difficult and    
delicate as a comparison between their  
own children and other children would   
not always prove trustworthy nor just2  
and that a judgment of parties not      
interested would prove eminently        
fruitful of dissatisfaction and         
bitterness4  ,if all are to be educated1
 it only remains1 then1 that they be    
educated together1 subject to the       

general rule of society1 that when a    
member is dangerous to the safety or    
peace of his associates1 he is to be    
excluded or restrained4 ,nor is this    
necessity of association destitute of   
moral advantages4 ,if the comparatively 
good were separated from the relatively 
vicious1 it is not improbable that the  
latter would soon fall into a state of  
barbarity4 ,it seems to be the law of   
the school and of the world that the    
most rapid progress is made when the    
weight of public sentiment is on the    
side of improvement and virtue4 ,it is  
not necessary for me to remark that such
 a public sentiment exists in every town
 and school district of the state2 but  
who would take the responsibility in any
 of these communities1 great or small1  
of separating the virtuous classes from 
the dangerous classes8 ,parents1 from   
the force of their affections1 are      
manifestly incompetent to do this2 and  
those who are not parents are probably  
equally incompetent4 ,but1 if it were   

honestly accomplished1 who would be     
responsible for the crushing effects of 
the measure upon those who were thus    
excluded from the presence and          
companionship of the comparatively      
virtuous8 ,these1 often the victims of  
vicious homes1 need more than others the
 influence and example of the good2 and 
it should be among the chief            
satisfactions of those who are able to  
train their own children in the ways of 
virtue1 that thereby a healthful        
influence is exerted upon the less      
fortunate of their race4 ,there is also 
in this course a wise selfishness2 for1 
although children may be separated from 
each other1 the circumstances of maturer
 years will often make the virtuous     
subject to the influence of the vicious4
 ,the safety of society1 considered     
individually or collectively1 is not in 
the virtuous training of any part1      
however large the proportion1 but in the
 virtuous training of all4 ,i cannot    
deem it wise policy1 whether parental or

 public1 that takes the child from the  
school on account of the immoral        
associations that are ordinarily found  
there1 or1 on the other hand1 that      
drives the vicious or unfortunate from  
the presence of those who are           
comparatively pure4 ,when it is         
considered that the school is often the 
only refuge of the unhappy subject of   
orphanage1 or the victim of evil family 
influences1 it seems an unnecessary     
cruelty to withhold the protection1     
encouragement1 and support1 which may be
 so easily and profitably furnished4 ,it
 is said that a sparrow pursued by a    
hawk took refuge in the bosom of a      
member of the sovereign assembly of     
,athens1 and that the harsh ,areopagite 
threw the trembling bird from him with  
such violence that it was killed on the 
spot4 ,the assembly was filled with     
indignation at the cruelty of the deed2 
the author of it was arraigned as an    
alien to that sentiment of mercy so     
necessary to the administration of      

justice1 and by the unanimous suffrages 
of his colleagues was degraded from the 
senatorial dignity which he had so much 
dishonored4  ,it does not seem necessary
 to offer an argument in support of the 
position that the public school is not  
unfavorably affected1 morally1 by the   
fact that it is subject to the popular  
judgment4 ,this judgment can be rendered
 only at stated times1 and under the    
forms and solemnities of law4 ,the      
history of public schools would probably
 furnish but few instances of wrong in  
this respect4 ,the people are usually   
sensitive in regard to the moral        
character of teachers2 they contribute  
liberally for the support of the        
schools1 are anxious for their          
improvement1 and there is no safer      
depositary of a trust that is essential 
to a nation in which is the hope of     
freedom and free institutions4  ,and1   
last1 a school cannot be truly said to  
be destitute of moral character and     
influence in which the sacred           

,scriptures are daily read4  ,the       
observance of this requirement is a     
recognition of the existence of the     
,supreme ,being1 of the ,bible as       
containing a record of his will         
concerning men1 and of the common duty  
of rational creatures to live in        
obedience to the obligations of morality
 and religion4  ,it has been no part of 
my purpose1 in this discussion of the   
public school as an institution fitted  
to promote morality1 to deny the        
existence of serious defects1 or to     
screen them from the eyes of men4 ,the  
public school needs a more thorough     
discipline1 a purer morality1 a clearer 
conception and a more practical         
recognition of the truths of            
,christianity4 ,but1 viewed as a human  
institution1 it claims the general      
gratitude for the good it has already   
accomplished4 ,the public school was    
established in ,massachusetts that      
learning might not be buried in the     
graves of our forefathers1 in church and

 commonwealth2 and1 in some measure1 at 
least1 the early expectation thus       
quaintly expressed has been realized4   
,learning has ever been cherished and   
honored among us4 ,the means of         
education have been the possession of   
all2 and the enjoyment of these means1  
often inadequate and humble1 has        
developed a taste for learning1 which   
has been gratified in higher            
institutions2 and thus continually have 
the resources of the state been         
magnified1 and its influence in the land
 has been efficient in all that concerns
 the welfare of the human race on the   
,american continent4  ,,footnotes3  #a  
,the ,repression of ,crime4 ,by ,m4 ,d4 
,hill4  #b ,the ,repression of ,crime1  
pp4 #ceh1 #cei4     ,,reformation ,,of  
,,children4  ,address at the            
,inauguration of ,,william ,e4 ,,starr1 
,superintendent of the ,state ,reform   
,school at ,westborough4   ,neither the 
invitation of the ,trustees nor my own  
convenience will permit a detailed      

examination of the topics which the     
occasion suggests2 and it is my purpose 
to address myself to those who are      
assembled to participate in the         
exercises of the day1 trusting to       
familiar and unobserved visits for other
 and better opportunities for conference
 with the inmates of the institution4   
,as the mariner1 though cheered by      
genial winds and canopied by cloudless  
skies1 tests and marks his position and 
course by repeated observations1 so we  
now desire to note the progress of this 
humanity-freighted vessel in its voyage 
over an uncertain sea1 yet1 as we trust1
 toward lands of perpetual security and 
peace4 ,all are voyagers on the sea of  
life4 ,some1 with the knowledge of      
ancient days only1 grope their way by   
headlands1 or trust themselves          
occasionally to the guidance of the sun 
or the stars2 while others1 with the    
chart and compass of the ,christian era1
 move confidently on their course1      
attracted by the ,source and ,centre of 

all good4 ,and it is a blessing of this 
state of existence1 though it may       
sometimes seem to be a curse1 that the  
choice between good and evil yet        
remains4 ,the wisdom of a right choice  
is here manifested in the benevolence of
 this foundation4  ,the ,state ,reform  
,school for ,boys has now enjoyed eight 
full years of life and progress2 and1   
though we cannot estimate nor measure   
the good it may have induced1 or the    
evil it may have prevented1 yet enough  
of its history and results is known to  
justify the course of its patrons1 both 
public and private1 and to warrant the  
ultimate realization of their early     
cherished hopes4 ,the state is most     
honored in the honor awarded to its     
sons2 and the name of ,,lyman1 now and  
evermore associated with a work of      
benevolence and reform1 will always     
command the admiration of the citizens  
of the commonwealth1 and stimulate the  
youth of the school to acquire and      
practise those virtues which their      

generous patron cherished in his own    
life and honored in others4 ,governor   
,washburn1 in the ,dedication ,address1 
said1 ,we commend this school1 with its 
officers and inmates1 to a generous and 
grateful public1 with the trust that the
 future lives of the young1 who may be  
sent hither for correction and reform1  
may prove the crowning glory of an      
enterprise so auspiciously begun4 ,since
 these words were uttered1 and this     
hope1 the hope of many hearts1 was      
expressed1 nearly two thousand boys1    
charged with various offences1--many of 
them petty1 and others serious or even  
criminal1--have been admitted to the    
school2 and the chaplain1 in his report 
for the year #ahed1 says that the       
institution will be instrumental in     
saving a majority of those who come     
under its fostering care4 ,this opinion1
 based1 no doubt1 upon the experience   
which the chaplain and other officers of
 the institution had had1 is to be taken
 as possessing a substantial basis of   

truth2 and it at once suggests important
 reflections4  ,massachusetts is        
relieved of the presence of a thousand  
criminal1 or1 at best1 viciously        
disposed persons4 ,a thousand active1   
capable1 industrious1 productive1       
full-grown men have been created2 or1   
rather1 a thousand consumers of the     
wealth of others1 enemies of the public 
order and peace1 have been transformed  
into intelligent supporters of social   
life1 into generous1 faithful guardians 
of public virtue and tranquillity4 ,nor 
would the influences of this degraded   
population1 if unreformed1 have ceased  
with its own existence2 every succeeding
 generation must have gathered somewhat 
of a harvest of crime and woe4 ,a       
thousand boys1 hardened by neglect1     
educated in vice1 and shunned by the    
virtuous1 would1 as men1 have been      
efficient missionaries of lawlessness1  
wrong1 and crime4 ,and who shall        
estimate how much their reform adds1 in 
its results1 to the wealth1 the         

intellectual1 moral1 and religious      
character1 of the state8 ,the criminal  
class is never a producing class2 and   
the labor of a thousand men here        
reclaimed1 if estimated for the period  
of twenty years only1 is equal to the   
labor of twenty thousand men for one    
year1 which1 at a hundred dollars each1 
yields two millions of dollars4 ,the    
pecuniary advantages of this school1 as 
of all schools1 we may estimate2 but    
there are better and higher             
considerations1 in the elevated         
intellectual1 moral1 and religious life 
of the state1 that are too pure1 too    
ethereal1 to be weighed in the balance  
against the grosser possessions and     
acquisitions of society4 ,we thus get   
glimpses of the prophetic wisdom which  
led ,mr4 ,lyman to say1 ,i do not look  
on this school as an experiment2 on the 
contrary1 it strikes me that it is an   
institution which will produce decidedly
 beneficial results1 not only for the   
present day1 but for many years to come4

 ,i do not1 therefore1 think that it    
should1 even now1 be treated in any     
respect in the light of an experiment1  
to be abandoned if not successful2 for1 
if the school is introduced to public   
notice on no better footing and with no 
more preparation than usually attend    
trial-schemes of most kinds1 the        
probability is that it will fail1       
considering the peculiar difficulties of
 the case4 ,here is a high order of     
faith in its application to human       
affairs2 but ,mr4 ,lyman saw1 also1 that
 the work to be performed must encounter
 obstacles1 and that its progress toward
 a perfect result would be slow4  ,these
 obstacles have been encountered2 and   
yet the progress has been more rapid    
than the words of our founder imply4    
,but are we not at liberty to forget the
 trials1 crosses1 and perplexities1 of  
this movement1 as we behold the fruits1 
already maturing1 of the wisdom and     
,christian benevolence of our honored   
commonwealth8  ,we are assembled to     

review the past1 and to gather from it  
strength and courage for the future2 and
 we may with propriety congratulate all1
 whether present or absent1 who have    
been charged with the administration of 
this school1 and have contributed their 
share1 however humble1 to promote these 
benign results4 ,and we ought1 also1 to 
remember those1 whether living or dead1 
whose faith and labors laid the         
foundation on which the state has built4
 ,of the dead1 ,i mention ,lyman1 ,lamb1
 ,denny1 ,woodward1 ,shaw1 and          
,greenleaf1--all of whom1 with money1   
counsel1 or personal service1           
contributed to the plan1 progress1 and  
completion1 of the work4  ,the good that
 they have done is not interred with    
their bones2 and their example will yet 
find many imitators1 as men more        
generally and more perfectly realize the
 importance of faith in childhood and   
youth1 as the element of a true faith in
 our race4 ,if this enterprise1 in the  
judgment of its founder1 was not an     

experiment ten years ago1 it cannot be  
so regarded now2 yet the public will    
look with anxiety1 though with hope1    
upon every change of the officers of the
 institution4 ,the trustees having      
appointed a new superintendent1 he now  
assumes the great responsibility4 ,it   
may not be second to any in the state2  
yet a man of energy1 who is influenced  
by a desire to do good1 and who will not
 measure his reward by present          
emoluments or temporary fame1 can bear  
steadily and firmly the weight put upon 
him4 ,the superintendent elect has been 
a teacher elsewhere1 and he is to be a  
teacher here also4 ,his work will not1  
in all particulars1 correspond with the 
work that he has left2 yet the          
principles of government and education  
are in substance the same4 ,the head of 
a school always occupies a position of  
influence2 the characters of the        
children and youth confided to him are  
in a great degree subject to his        
control4 ,here the teacher is neither   

aided nor impeded by the usual home     
influences4 ,this institution is at once
 a home and a school2 and its head has  
the united power and responsibility of  
the parent and the teacher4 ,here are to
 be combined the social and moral       
influences of home1 the religious       
influences of the ,sunday-school1 with  
the intellectual and moral training of  
the public school4 ,he who to-day enters
 upon this work should have both faith  
and courage4 ,he is to deal with the    
unfortunate rather than with the        
exceptional cases of humanity2 for all  
these are children whom the ,father of  
the race1 in his providence1 has        
confided to earthly parents to be       
educated for a temporal and an immortal 
existence4 ,that these parents1 through 
crime1 ignorance1 indolence1            
carelessness1 or misfortune1 have failed
 in their work1 is no certain evidence  
that we are to fail in ours4 ,may we not
 hope to see in this school the         
kindness1 consideration1 affection1 and 

forethought1 of the parent1 without the 
delusion which sometimes causes the     
father or mother to treat the vices of  
the child as virtues1 to be encouraged8 
,and may we not expect from the         
superintendent1 to whom1 practically1   
the discipline of the school is         
confided1 one characteristic of good    
government1 not always1 it is feared1   
found in punitive and reformatory       
institutions8 ,i speak of the attributes
 of equality1 uniformity1 and certainty1
 in the administration of the law4 ,to  
be sure1 a school1 a prison1 or a state1
 will suffer when its code is lax2 and  
it will also suffer when its system is  
oppressive or sanguinary2 but these     
peculiarities in themselves do not so   
often1 in any community1 produce        
dissatisfaction1 disorder1 and violence1
 as an unequal1 partial1 and uncertain  
administration of the laws4 ,if at times
 the laws are administered strictly     
according to the letter1 and if at other
 times they are reluctantly enforced or 

altogether disregarded2 if it can never 
be known beforehand whether a violation 
is to be followed by the prescribed     
penalty--especially if this uncertainty 
becomes systematic1 and a portion are   
favored1 while the remainder are        
required to answer strictly for all     
their delinquencies2 and if1 above all1 
these favored ones are recognized as    
sentinels1 or spies1 or informers in the
 service of the officers1--then not only
 will the spirit of insubordination     
manifest itself1 but that spirit may    
ripen into alienations1 feuds1 and      
personal enmities1 dangerous to the     
prosperity of the institution4 ,here the
 scales of justice should be evenly     
balanced1 and the boy should learn1 from
 his own daily experience1 to measure   
equal and exact justice unto others4 ,i 
do not speak of systems of government3  
they are essential1 no doubt2 but they  
are not to be regarded as of the first  
importance in institutions for          
punishment or reformation4 ,establish as

 wise a system as you can2 but never    
trust to that alone4 ,administer the    
system that you have with all the       
equality1 uniformity1 and certainty1    
that you can command4 ,as a general     
truth1 it may be said that the law is   
respected when these qualities are      
exhibited in its administration2 and1   
when these qualities are wanting1 the   
spirit of obedience is driven from the  
hearts and minds of the people4  ,but we
 are not to rely altogether1 nor even   
chiefly1 upon the visible weapons of    
authority4 ,especially must the mind and
 heart of childhood and youth be        
approached and quickened and            
strengthened by judicious appeals to the
 sentiments of veneration and love1 and 
to the principles of the ,christian     
faith4 ,in this institution1 one serious
 obstacle is present2 yet it may be     
overcome by energy1 industry1 and a     
spirit of benevolence4 ,i speak of the  
large number of inmates to be           
superintended by one person4 ,men act in

 masses for the removal of general      
evils2 but the reformation of children  
must be individual1 and to a great      
extent dependent upon the agency1 or at 
least upon the cooeperation1 of the     
subjects of it4 ,it is not easy for the 
superintendent to make himself          
acquainted with the persons and familiar
 with the lives of six hundred boys2 yet
 this knowledge is quite essential to   
the exercise of a salutary influence    
over them4 ,he may be aided by the      
subordinate officers of the institution2
 and that aid1 under any circumstances1 
he will need3 but1 after all1 his own   
influence and power for good will be    
measured by the extent of his personal  
acquaintance with the inmates as        
individuals4 ,first1 then1 government is
 essential to this school2 not a reign  
of terror1 but a government whose       
majesty1 power1 equality1 certainty1    
uniformity1 and consequent justice1     
shall be experienced by all alike2 and1 
being experienced by all alike1 will be 

respected1 reverenced1 and obeyed4  ,and
 next the social1 intellectual1 and     
moral influences of the school and the  
home should be combined and mingled1 or 
else the visible forms of government    
become a skeleton1 merely indicating the
 figure1 structure1 and outline1 of the 
perfect body1 but destitute of the vital
 principle which alone could render it  
of any value to itself or to the world4 
,this institution is not an end1 but a  
means4 ,the home itself is only a       
preparatory school for life4 ,this is a 
substitute for the home1 but is not1 and
 never can be1 its equal4 ,it therefore 
follows that a boy should be removed    
whenever a home can be secured1         
especially if his reformation has been  
previously so far accomplished as to    
render the completion of the work       
probable4  ,a great trust has been      
confided to the officers of the ,reform 
,school2 but the power to do good is    
usually proportionate to the            
responsibility imposed upon the laborer4

 ,in this view1 much will be expected2  
but the expectations formed ought not to
 relate so much to results as to the    
wisdom and humanity with which the      
operations are conducted4 ,massachusetts
 is charged with the support of a great 
number of charitable and reformatory    
institutions4 ,their necessity springs  
from the defects of social life2        
therefore their existence is a          
comparative rather than a positive good2
 and he is the truest friend of the race
 who does most to remove the causes of  
poverty1 ignorance1 insanity1 mental and
 physical weakness1 moral waywardness1  
and crime4     ,,the ,,care ,,and       
,,reformation ,,of ,,the ,,neglected    
,,and ,,exposed ,,classes ,,of          
,,children4  ,an ,address delivered at  
the opening of the ,state ,industrial   
,school for ,girls1 at ,lancaster1      
,massachusetts4   ,in man's limited     
view1 the moral world presents a sad    
contrast to the natural4 ,the natural   
world is harmonious in all its parts2   

but the moral world is the theatre of   
disturbing and conflicting forces1 whose
 laws the finite mind cannot comprehend4
 ,the majesty and uniformity of the     
planetary revolutions1 which bring day  
and night1 summer and winter1 seed-time 
and harvest1 know no change4 ,worlds and
 systems of worlds are guided by a law  
of the ,infinite ,mind2 and so1 through 
unnumbered years and myriads of years1  
birth and death1 creation and decay1    
decrees whose fixedness enables finite  
minds to predict the future1 and rules  
whose elasticity is seen in a           
never-ending variety of nature1 all     
alike prove that the sin of disobedience
 is upon man alone4  ,but1 if man only1 
of all the varied creations of earth1   
may fall from his high estate1 so to him
 only is given the power to rise again1 
and feebly1 yet with faith1 advance     
towards the ,divine ,excellence4 ,this1 
then1 is the great thought of the       
occasion1 to be accepted by the hearts  
and illustrated in the lives of all4    

,the fallen may be raised up1 the       
exposed may be shielded1 the wanderers  
may be called home1 or else this house  
is built upon the sand1 and doomed to   
fall when the rains shall descend1 the  
floods come1 and the winds blow4 ,the   
returning autumn1 with its harvest of   
sustenance and wealth1 bids us          
contemplate again the mystery and       
harmony of the natural world4 ,the tree 
and the herb produce seed1 and the seed 
again produces the tree and the herb1   
each after its kind4 ,there is a        
continued production and reproduction2  
but of responsibility there is none4 ,as
 there is no intelligent violation of   
law1 there is no accountability4 ,man1  
however1 is an intelligent1 dependent1  
fallible1 and1 of course1 responsible   
being4 ,he is responsible for himself1  
responsible in some degree for his      
fellow-man4 ,there is not a chapter in  
the history of the human race1 nor a day
 of its experience1 which does not show 
that the individual members are         

dependent upon1 and responsible to1 each
 other4 ,this great fact1 of six        
thousand years' duration1 at once       
presents to us the necessity for        
government1 and defines the limits of   
its powers and duties4 ,government1     
then1 is a union of all for the         
protection and welfare of each4 ,this   
definition presents1 in its principles  
and statement1 the highest form of human
 government1--a form not yet perfectly  
realized on earth4 ,it sets forth rather
 what government ought to be1 than what 
it has been or is4 ,too often historical
 governments1 and living governments    
even1 may be defined as a union of a few
 for their benefit1 and for the         
oppression of many4 ,the reason of man  
has not often been consulted in their   
formation1 and the interests and        
principles of the masses have usually   
been disregarded in their               
administration4  ,a true government is  
at once representative1 patriarchal1 and
 paternal4 ,in the path of duty for this

 day and this occasion1 we shall        
consider the last-named quality         
only1--governments should be paternal4  
,the paternal government is devoted to  
the elevation and improvement of its    
members1 with no ulterior motive except 
the necessary results of internal purity
 and strength4 ,every government is1 in 
some degree1 no doubt1 paternal4 ,nor   
are those governments to be regarded as 
eminently so1 where the people are most 
controlled in their private1 personal   
affairs4 ,these are mere despotisms2 and
 despotism is not a just nor necessary  
element of the paternal relation4 ,that 
government is most truly paternal which 
does most to enable its citizens or     
subjects to regulate their own conduct1 
and determine their relations to others4
 ,in the midst of general darkness1 the 
paternal element of government has been 
a light to the human race4 ,it modified 
the patriarchal slavery of the ,hebrews1
 relieved the iron rule of ,sparta1 made
 ,european feudalism the hope of        

civilization in the ,dark ,ages1 and the
 basis of its coming glories in the near
 future2 and it now leads men to look   
with toleration upon the despotism of   
,russia1 and with kindness upon the     
simplicity and arrogance of the         
,celestial ,empire4  ,we complain1      
justly enough1 that the world is        
governed too much2 and yet1 in a great  
degree1 we neglect the means by which   
the proper relations of society could be
 preserved1 and the world be governed   
less4 ,in what works are the so-called  
,christian governments principally      
engaged8 ,are they not seeking1 by      
artifice1 diplomacy1 and war1 to extend 
national boundaries1 preserve national  
honor1 or enforce nice distinctions     
against the timid and weak8 ,yet it is  
plain that a nation is powerful         
according to the character of the living
 elements of which it is composed4 ,if  
it is disorganized morally1 uncultivated
 in intellect1 ignorant1 indolent1 or   
wasteful in its labor1 its claims to    

greatness are destitute of solid        
foundation1 and it must finally yield to
 those that have sought and gained power
 by the elevation of the individual as  
the element of the nation4  ,that       
nation1 then1 is wise1 and destined to  
become truly great1 which cultivates the
 best elements of individual life and   
character4 ,it is not enough to read the
 parable of the lost sheep1 and of the  
ninety and nine that went not astray1   
and then say1 ,even so1 it is not the   
will of your ,father which is in heaven 
that one of these little ones should    
perish1 while the means of salvation1 as
 regards the life of this world merely1 
are very generally neglected4 ,such     
neglect is followed by error and crime2 
and error and crime are followed by     
judgment not always tempered with mercy4
  ,while human governments debate       
questions of war and peace1 of trade and
 revenue1 of annexations with ceremony1 
and appropriations of territory without 
ceremony1 who shall answer to the       

,governor and ,judge of all for the     
neglect1 indifference1 and oppression1  
which beget and foster the delinquencies
 of childhood1 and harden the criminals 
of adult life8  ,and who shall answer   
for those distinctions of caste and     
systems of labor which so degrade and   
famish masses of human beings1 that the 
divine miracle of the feeding of the    
five thousand must be multiplied many   
times over before the truths of nature  
or revelation can be received into      
teachable minds or susceptible hearts8  
,and who shall answer for the hereditary
 poverty1 ignorance and crime1 which    
constitute a marked feature of ,english 
life1 and are distinctly visible upon   
the face of ,american civilization8     
,these questions may point with         
sufficient distinctness to the sources  
of the evils enumerated2 but we are not 
to assume that mere human governments   
can furnish an adequate and complete    
remedy4 ,yet this admitted inability to 
do everything is no excuse for          

neglecting those things which are       
plainly within their power4 ,taking upon
 themselves the parental character1     
forgetting that they have wrongs to     
avenge1 and seeking reformation through 
kindness1 criminals and the causes of   
crime will diminish1 if they do not     
disappear4 ,this is the responsibility  
of the nations1 and the claim now made  
upon them4 ,individual civilization and 
refinement have always been in advance  
of national2 and national character is  
the mirrored image of the individual    
characters1 not excepting the humblest1 
of which the nation is composed4 ,each  
foot of the ocean's surface has1 in its 
fluidity or density or position1        
something of the quality or power of    
every drop of water which rests or moves
 in the depths of the sea4 ,what is     
called national character is the face of
 the great society beneath2 and1 as that
 society in its elements is elevated or 
debased1 so will the national character 
rise or fall in the estimation of all   

just men1 and upon the page of impartial
 history4 ,government1 which is the     
organized expression of the will of     
society1 should represent the best      
elements of which society is composed2  
and it ought1 therefore1 to combat error
 and wrong1 and seek to inaugurate      
labor1 justice1 and truth1 as the       
elements of stability1 growth1 and      
power4 ,it must accept as its principles
 of action the best rules of conduct in 
individuals4 ,the man who avenges his   
personal wrongs by personal attacks or  
vindictive retaliation1 must sacrifice  
in some measure the sympathy of the     
wise1 the humane1 and the good4 ,so the 
nation which avenges real or fancied    
wrongs crushes out the elements of      
humanity and a higher life1 which1      
properly cultivated1 might lead an      
erring mortal to virtue and peace4 ,the 
proper object of punishment is not      
vengeance1 but the public safety and the
 reformation of the criminal4 ,indeed1  
we may say that the sole object of      

punishment is the reformation of the    
criminal2 for there can be no safety to 
the public while the criminal is        
unreformed4 ,the punishment of the      
prison must1 from its nature1 be        
temporary2 perpetual confinement can be 
meted out to a few great crimes only4   
,if1 then1 the result of punishment be  
vengeance1 and not reformation1 the last
 state of society is worse than its     
first4 ,the prison must stand a sad     
monument of the want of true paternal   
government in the family and the state2 
but1 when it becomes the receptacle     
merely of the criminal1 and all ideas of
 reformation are banished from the      
hearts of convicts and the minds of     
keepers1 its influence is evil1 and only
 evil continually4  ,vice1 driven from  
the presence of virtue1 with no hope of 
reformation or of restoration to        
society1 begets vice1 and becomes daily 
more and more loathsome4 ,misery is so  
universal that some share falls to the  
lot of all2 but that misery whose depths

 cannot be sounded1 whose heights cannot
 be scaled1 is the fortune of the prison
 convict only1 who has no hope of       
reformation to virtue or of restoration 
to the world4 ,his is the only misery   
that is unrelieved2 his is the only     
burden that is too great to be borne4   
,to him the foliage of the tree1 the    
murmur of the brook1 the mirror of the  
quiet lake1 or the thunder of the       
heaving ocean1 would be equally         
acceptable4 ,his separation from nature 
is no less burdensome than his          
separation from man4 ,the heart sinks1  
the spirit turns with a consuming fire  
upon itself1 the soul is in despair2 the
 mind is first nerved and desperate1    
then wandering and savage1 then idiotic1
 and finally goes out in death4         
,governments cannot often afford to     
protect themselves1 or to avenge        
themselves1 at such a cost4 ,there may  
be great crimes on which such awful     
penalties should be visited2 but1 for   
the honor of the race1 let them be few4 

,we may err in our ideas of the true    
relations of the prison to the prisoner4
 ,we call a prison good or bad when we  
see its walls1 cells1 workshops1 its    
means of security1 and points of        
observation4 ,these are very well4 ,they
 are something2 but they are not all4   
,we might so judge a hospital for the   
sick2 and we did once so judge an asylum
 for the insane4  ,but what to the sick 
man are walls of wood1 brick1 granite1  
or marble8 ,what are towers and turrets1
 what are wards1 halls1 and verandas1 if
 withal he is not cheered and sustained 
by the sympathizing heart and helping   
hand8 ,and similar preparations furnish 
for the insane personal security and    
physical comfort2 but can they          
,minister to a mind diseased2           
,pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow2 
,raze out the written troubles of the   
brain8   ,and it may be that the old    
almshouse at ,philadelphia1 which was   
nearly destitute of material aids1 and  
had only superintendent1 matrons1 and   

assistants1 was1 all in all1 the best   
insane asylum in ,america4  ,we cannot  
neglect the claims of security1         
discipline1 and labor1 in the erection  
of jails and prisons2 but to acknowledge
 these merely will never produce the    
proper fruit of punishment--reformation4
 ,indeed1 walls of stone1 gates of iron1
 bolts1 locks1 and armed sentinels1     
though essential to security1 without   
which there could be neither punishment 
nor reformation1 are in themselves      
barriers rather than helps to moral     
progress4 ,standing outside1 we cannot  
say what should be done either in the   
insane hospital or the prison2 but we   
can deduce from the experience of modern
 times a safe rule for general conduct4 
,in the insane hospital the patient is  
to be treated as though he were sane2   
and in the jail the prisoner is to be   
treated1 nearly as may be1 as though he 
were virtuous4 ,this rule1 especially as
 much of it as applies to the prisoner1 
may be recklessness to some1 to others  

folly1 to others sin4  ,the court awards
 it1 and the law doth give it1 is no    
doubt the essence and strength of       
governmental justice in the sentence    
decreed2 but it would be a sad calamity 
if there were no escape from its literal
 fulfilment4 ,and let no one borrow the 
words of ,portia to the ,jew1 and say to
 the state1          ,nor cut thou less 
nor more1      ,but just a pound of     
flesh4   ,as the criminal staggers      
beneath the accumulated weight of his   
sin and its penalty1 he should feel that
 the state is not only just in the      
language of its law1 but merciful in its
 administration2 that the government is1
 in truth1 paternal4 ,this feeling      
inspires confidence and hope2 and       
without these there can be no           
reformation4 ,and1 following this       
thought1 we are led to say1 it is a sad 
and mischievous public delusion that the
 pardoning power is useless or          
pernicious4 ,it is a delusion2 for it is
 the only means by which the state      

mingles mercy with its justice1--the    
means by which the better sentiments of 
the prison are marshalled in favor of   
order1 of law1 of progress4 ,it is a    
public delusion2 for it has infected not
 only the masses of society1 who know   
little of what is going on in courts and
 prisons1 but its influence is observed 
upon the bench and in the bar1          
especially among those who are          
accustomed to prosecute and try         
criminals4 ,this is not strange1 nor    
shall it be a subject of complaint2 but 
we must not always look upon the        
prisoner as a criminal1 and continually 
disregard his claims as a man4 ,it is   
not often easy1 nor always possible1 to 
make the proper distinction between the 
character and condition of the prisoner4
 ,but the prison1 strange as it may     
seem1 follows the general law of life4  
,it has its public sentiment1 its       
classes1 its leading minds1 as well as  
the university or the state2 it has its 
men of mark1 either good or bad1 as well

 as congress or parliament4 ,as the     
family1 the church1 or the school1 is   
the reflection of the best face of      
society1 so the prison is the reflection
 of the worst face of society4 ,but it  
nevertheless is society1 and follows its
 laws with as much fidelity as the world
 at large4  ,it is said that ,abbe      
,fissiaux1 the head of the colony of    
,marseilles1 when visiting ,mettray1 a  
kind of reform school1 at which boys    
under sixteen years of age1 who have    
committed offences without discernment1 
are sent1 asked the colonists to point  
out to him the three best boys4 ,the    
looks of the whole body immediately     
designated three young persons whose    
conduct had been irreproachable to an   
exceptional degree4 ,he then applied a  
more delicate test4 ,point out to me1   
said he1 the worst boy4 ,all the        
children remained motionless1 and made  
no sign2 but one little urchin came     
forward1 with a pitiful air1 and said1  
in a very low tone1 ,it is me4 ,such    

were the public sentiment and sense of  
honor1 even in a reform school4 ,this   
frankness in the lad was followed by    
reformation2 and he became in after     
years a good soldier1--the life         
anticipated for many members of the     
institution4  ,the pardoning power is   
not needed in reform and industrial     
schools1 where the managers have        
discretionary authority2 but it is quite
 essential to the discipline of the     
prison to let the light of hope into the
 prisoner's heart4 ,not that all are to 
enjoy the benefits of executive         
clemency1--by no means3 only the most   
worthy and promising are to be thus     
favored4 ,but1 for many years1 the      
,massachusetts prison has been improved 
and elevated in its tone and sentiment  
above what it would have been2 while1 as
 it is believed1 over ninety per cent4  
of the convicts thus discharged have    
conducted themselves well4 ,if the      
prisoner's conduct has not been1 upon   
the whole1 reasonably good1 and for a   

long time irreproachable1 he has no     
chance for clemency2 and1 whatever may  
be his conduct1 and whatever may be the 
hopes inspired1 he should not be allowed
 to pass without the prison walls until 
a friend1 labor1 and a home1 are secured
 for him4 ,and the exercise of the      
pardoning power1 if it anticipate the   
expiration of the legal sentence but a  
month1 a week1 or a day even1 may change
 the whole subsequent life4 ,men1       
criminals1 convicts1 are not insensible 
to kindness2 and when the government    
shortens the legal sentence1 which is   
usually their measure of justice1 they  
feel an additional obligation to so     
behave as to bring no discredit upon a  
power which has been a source of        
inestimable joy to them4 ,and prisoners 
thus discharged have often gone forth   
with a feeling that the hopes of many   
whom they had left behind were centred  
in them4  ,mr4 ,charles ,forster1 of    
,charlestown1 says1 in a letter to me3  
,i have been connected with the         

,massachusetts ,state ,prison for a     
period of thirty-eight years1 and have  
always felt a strong interest in the    
improvement1 welfare1 and happiness1 of 
the unfortunate men confined within its 
walls4 ,i am conversant with many       
touching cases of deep and heartfelt    
gratitude for kindly acts and sympathy  
bestowed upon them1 both during and     
subsequent to their imprisonment4 ,and  
the same gentleman says further1 ,i     
think that the proportion of persons    
discharged from prison by executive     
clemency1 who have subsequently been    
convicted of penal offences1 is very    
small indeed4 ,to some1 whose           
imaginations have pictured a broad waste
 or deep gulf between themselves and the
 prisoner class1 these may seem strange 
words2 but there is no mystery in this  
language to those who have listened to  
individual cases of crime and           
punishment4 ,men are tried and convicted
 of crimes according to rules and       
definitions which are necessarily       

arbitrary and technical2 but the moral  
character of criminals is not very well 
defined by the rules and definitions    
which have been applied to their        
respective cases4 ,our prisons contain  
men who are great and professional      
criminals1--men who advisedly follow a  
life of crime themselves1 and           
deliberately educate generation after   
generation to a career of infamy and    
vice4 ,as a general thing1 mercy to such
 men would be unpardonable folly4 ,of   
them ,i do not now speak4 ,but there is 
another class1 who are involved in guilt
 and its punishment through the defects 
of early education1 the misfortune of   
orphanage1 accident1 sudden temptation1 
or the influence of evil companionship  
in youth4  ,the field from which this   
class is gathered is an extensive one1  
and its outer limits are near to every  
hearthstone4 ,to all these1 prison life1
 unless it is relieved by a hope of     
restoration to the world at the hand of 
mercy1 is the school of vice1 and a     

certain preparation for a career of     
crime4 ,as a matter of fact1 this class 
does furnish recruits to supply the     
places of the hardened villains who     
annually die1 or permanently forsake the
 abodes of civilized men4 ,what hope can
 there be for a young man who remains in
 prison until the last day of his       
sentence is measured by the sun in his  
course1 and then passes into the world1 
with the mark of disgrace and the mantle
 of shame upon him1 to the society of   
the companions by whose influence he    
first fell8 ,for such a one there can be
 no hope4 ,and be it always remembered  
that there are those without the prison 
walls1 as well as many within1 who      
resist every effort to bring the        
wanderers back to obedience and right4  
,i was present at the prison in         
,charlestown when the model of a        
bank-lock was taken from a young man    
whose term had nearly expired4 ,the     
model was cut in wood1 after a plan     
drawn upon sand-paper by an experienced 

criminal1 then recently convicted4 ,this
 old offender was so familiar with the  
lock1 that he was able to reproduce all 
its parts from memory alone4 ,this fact 
shows the influence that may be exerted1
 even in prison1 upon the characters of 
the young and less vicious4 ,now1 can   
any doubt that these classes1 as        
classes1 ought to be separated8 ,nor let
 the question be met by the old         
statement1 that all communication       
between prisoners should be cut off4    
,humanity cannot defend1 as a permanent 
system1 the plan which shuts up the     
criminal1 unless he is a murderer1 from 
the light of the human countenance4     
,such penalties foster crimes1 whose    
roots take hold of the state itself4    
,the result of the exercise of the      
pardoning power is believed to have     
been1 upon the whole1 satisfactory4     
,this is the concurrent testimony of    
officers and others whose opinions are  
entitled to weight4 ,permit the         
statement of a single case1 to which    

many similar ones might be added4 ,in a 
remote state of the ,west there is a    
respectable and successful farmer1 who  
was once sentenced to the penitentiary  
for life4 ,his crime was committed in a 
moment of desperation1 produced by the  
contrast between a state of abject      
poverty in a strange land1 at the age of
 twenty-three1 and the recollection of  
childhood and youth passed beneath the  
parental roof1 surrounded by the        
comforts and conveniences of the        
well-educated and well-conditioned      
classes of ,english society4 ,this1 it  
is true1 was a peculiar case4 ,it was   
marked in the circumstances and enormity
 of the crime1 and marked in the        
subsequent good conduct of the prisoner4
 ,but can any one object1 that1 after   
ten years' imprisonment1 this man was   
allowed to try his fortunes once more   
among his fellow-men8 ,are there those  
who would have had no faith in his      
uninterrupted good conduct2 in the      
abundant evidence of complete           

reformation2 in the fact that1 in prison
 and poverty and disgrace1 he had allied
 to him friends of name and fortune and 
,christian virtues1 who were ready to   
aid him in his good resolutions8 ,if any
 such there be1 let them visit the      
solitary cell of the despairing convict1
 whose crime is so great that executive 
clemency fears to approach it4 ,crime   
and despair have made the features      
appalling2 all the worst passions of our
 nature riot together in the temple made
 for the living ,god2 and the death of  
the body is almost certainly to be      
preceded by madness1 insanity1 and      
idiocy of the mind4 ,or1 if any think   
that this person escaped with too light 
an expiation for so great a crime1 let  
them recall the incident of the youth   
who was questioned because he looked    
with fond affection into the babbling   
face of the running brook1 and1         
apologizing1 as it were1 in reply said1 
,o1 yes1 it is very beautiful1 and      
especially to me1 who have seen no water

 for four years1 beside what ,i have had
 to drink6  ,nor is it assumed1 in all  
that is said upon this subject1 that the
 laws are severe1 or that the judicial  
administration of them is not           
characterized by justice and mercy4 ,in 
the ordinary course of affairs1 the     
pardoning power is not resorted to for  
the correction of any error or injustice
 of the courts2 but it is the means by  
which the state tempers its justice with
 mercy2 and1 if the penalties for crime 
were less than they are1 the necessity  
for the exercise of this power would    
still remain4 ,it assumes that the      
object of the penal law is reformation2 
and if this object1 in some cases1 can  
be attained by the exercise of the      
pardoning power1 while the rigid        
execution of the sentence would leave   
the criminal1 as it usually will1 still 
hardened and unrepenting1 is it not wise
 for the state to benefit itself1 and   
save the prisoner1 by opening the       
prison-doors1 and inviting the convict  

to a life of industry and virtue8 ,and  
let it never be forgotten1 though it is 
the lowest view which can be taken of   
crime and prisons1 that the criminal    
class is the most expensive class of    
society4 ,in general1 it is a           
non-producing class1 and1 whether in    
prison or out1 is a heavy burden upon   
the public4 ,the mere interest of the   
money now expended in prisons of        
approved structure is1 for each cell1   
equal annually to the net income of a   
laboring man2 and professional thieves1 
when at large1 often gather by their    
art1 and expend in profligacy1 many     
thousand dollars a year4 ,and here we   
see how much wiser it is1 in an         
economical point of view1 to save the   
child1 or reform the man1 than to allow 
the adult criminal to go at large1 or   
provide for his safe-keeping at the     
expense of the state4  ,under the       
influence of the pardoning power1 wisely
 executed1 the commonwealth becomes a   
family1 whose law is the law of         

kindness4 ,it is the paternal element of
 government applied to a class of people
 who1 by every process of reasoning1    
would be found least susceptible to its 
influence4 ,it is the great power of the
 state1 both in the wisdom required for 
its judicious exercise1 and in the      
beneficial results to which it may lead4
 ,men may desire office for its         
emoluments in money or fame2 they may   
seek it in a spirit of rivalry1 or for  
personal pride1 or for the opportunity  
it brings to reward friends and punish  
enemies2 but all these are poor and     
paltry compared with the divine         
privilege1 exercised always in reference
 to the public welfare1 of elevating the
 prisoner to the companionship of men1  
and cheering him with words of          
encouragement on his entrance anew to   
the duties of life4  ,yet think not that
 the prison is a reformatory            
institution3 far from it4 ,if the prison
 should be left to the influence of     
legitimate prison discipline merely1 it 

is doubtful whether the sum of          
improvement would equal the total of    
degradation4 ,this may be said of the   
best prisons of ,america1 of ,new       
,england4 ,the prison usually contains  
every class1 from the hardened convict1 
incarcerated for house-breaking1        
robbery1 or murder1 to the youth who    
expiates his first offence1 committed   
under the influence of evil companions1 
or sudden temptation4 ,the contact of   
these two persons must be injurious to  
one of them1 without in any degree      
improving the other4 ,therefore the     
prison1 considered without reference to 
the elevating influence of the pardoning
 power1 has but little ability to reform
 the bad1 and yet possesses a sad       
tendency to debase the comparatively    
good4  ,we miss1 too1 in the prison1    
another essential element of a          
reformatory institution4 ,reformation in
 individual cases may take place under  
the most adverse circumstances2 but an  
institution cannot be called reformatory

 unless its prevailing moral sentiment  
is actively1 vigorously1 and always1 on 
the side of progress and virtue4 ,this  
moral influence must proceed from the   
officers of the institution2 but it     
should be increased and strengthened by 
the sympathy and support of the inmates4
 ,this can hardly be expected of the    
prison4 ,the number of adult persons    
experienced in crime and hardened by its
 penalties is usually so large1 that the
 moral sentiment of the officers1 and   
the weak resolutions of the small class 
of prisoners1 who1 under favorable      
circumstances1 might be saved1 are      
insufficient to give a healthy tone to  
the whole institution4 ,the prison is a 
battle-field of vice and virtue1 with   
the advantage of position and numbers on
 the side of vice4 ,indeed1 there can   
hardly be a worse place for the young or
 the inexperienced in crime4 ,this is   
the testimony of reason and of all      
experience2 yet the public mind is slow 
to accept the remedy for the evil4 ,it  

is a privilege to believe that the worst
 scenes of prison life are not found in 
the ,united ,states4 ,consider this     
case1 reported in an ,english journal1  
,the ,ragged-,school ,magazine3  ,d4    
,f41 aged about fourteen4 ,mother dead  
several years2 father a drunkard1 and   
deserted him about three years ago4 ,has
 since lived as he best                 
could1--sometimes going errands1        
sometimes begging and thieving4 ,slept  
in lodging-houses when he had money2 but
 very often walked the streets at night1
 or lay under arches or door-steps4 ,has
 only one brother2 he lives by thieving4
 ,does not know where he is2 has no     
other friend that he knows2 never learnt
 to read2 was badly off2 picked a       
handkerchief out of a gentleman's       
pocket1 and was caught by a policeman2  
sent to ,giltspur-street ,prison2 was   
fed on bread and water2 instructed every
 day by chaplain and schoolmaster2 much 
impressed with what the chaplain said2  
felt anxious to do better2 behaved well 

in prison2 was well flogged the morning 
he left2 back bruised1 but not quite    
bleeding2 was then turned into the      
street1 ragged1 barefooted1 friendless1 
homeless1 penniless2 walked about the   
streets till afternoon1 when he received
 a penny from a gentleman to buy a loaf2
 met1 next day1 some expert thieves in  
the ,minories2 went along with them1 and
 continues in a course of vagrancy and  
crime4  ,and what else could have been  
expected8 ,the government1 having sown  
tares1 had no right to gather wheat4    
,yet1 had this boy been provided with a 
home1 either in a family or a reform    
school1 with sufficient labor1 and      
proper moral and intellectual culture1  
he might have been saved4 ,of the three 
thousand persons annually in prison at  
,newgate1 four hundred are less than    
sixteen years of age2 and twenty        
thousand children and youth under       
seventeen years of age yearly pass      
through the prisons of ,england4 ,many  
of the juvenile prisoners1 it is said1  

have been frequently in prison1 and are 
very hardened4 ,some1 from nine to      
eleven1 have been in prison repeatedly1 
and have very little fear of it4  ,the  
officers of the ,liverpool ,borough     
,jail are united in the opinion that1   
when a boy comes once1 he is almost     
certain to come again and again1 until  
he is transported4 ,and1 of every one   
hundred young persons discharged from   
the principal prisons of ,paris1        
seventy-five are in the custody of the  
law within the next three months4 ,a    
professed thief said to the ,rev4 ,mr4  
,clay1 of ,england1 ,i am convinced of  
this1 having too bitterly experienced   
it1 that communication in a prison has  
brought thousands to ruin4 ,i speak not 
of boys only1 but of men and women also4
 ,and ,mr4 ,hill1 ,recorder of          
,birmingham1 says of the sentences      
imposed in his court1 ,we are compelled 
to carry into operation an ignorant and 
vengeful system1 which augments to a    
fearful extent the very evils it was    

framed to correct4 ,a few years ago1    
there was a lad in a ,new ,england      
prison whose experience is a pertinent  
illustration of the evil we are now     
considering4 ,his father1 a resident of 
a city1 died while the boy was in       
infancy4 ,he1 however1 soon passed      
beyond the control of his mother1 and at
 an early age was selected by a brace of
 thieves1 who petted1 caressed1 and     
humored him1 until he was completely    
subject to their will4 ,he was then made
 useful to them in their profession2 but
 at last they were all arrested while   
engaged in robbing a store1--the boy    
being within the building1 and the men  
stationed as sentinels without4 ,in this
 case1 the discretion of the court1     
which distinguished in the sentence     
between the hardened villains and the   
youth1 was inadequate to the emergency4 
,the child1 unfit for the prison1 and   
sure to be contaminated by it1 ought to 
have been sent to a house of            
reformation1 a reform school1 or1       

perhaps better than either1 to the      
custody of a well-regulated1 industrious
 family4 ,now1 in such cases1 the       
distinction which the law1 judicially   
administered1 does not make1 and cannot 
make1 must be made by the executive in  
the wise exercise of the pardoning      
power4 ,but this power1 in the nature of
 things1 has its limits2 and on one side
 it is limited to those who have been   
convicted of crime4  ,at this point1 we 
may see how faulty1 and yet how         
constantly improving1 has been the      
administration of the criminal law4     
,first1 we have the prison without the  
pardoning power1 except in cases of     
mal-administration of the law1--a       
receptacle of the bad and good1 where   
the former are not improved1 and the    
latter are hurried rapidly on in the    
path of degradation and crime4 ,then we 
have the prison under the influence of  
the pardoning power1 more or less wisely
 administered1 but1 in its best form1   
able only to arrest and counteract      

partially the tendencies to evil4 ,next1
 from the imperfections of this system  
an advancing civilization has evoked the
 ,reform ,school1 which gathers in the  
young criminals and viciously inclined  
youth1 and prepares them1 by labor1 and 
culture of the mind and heart1 to resist
 the temptations of life4 ,but this     
institution seems to wait1 though it may
 not always in reality do so1 until the 
candidate is actually a criminal4       
,hence the necessity which calls us     
to-day to consider the means adopted    
elsewhere1 and the means now to be      
employed here1 to save the young and    
exposed from the dangers which surround 
them4  ,passing1 then1 in review1 ladies
 and gentlemen1 the thoughts which have 
been presented1 ,i deduce from them for 
your assent and support1 if so it please
 you1 the following propositions as the 
basis of what ,i have yet to say3  ,i4  
,government1 in the prevention and      
punishment of crime1 should be paternal4
  ,,ii4 ,the object of punishment should

 be reformation1 and not revenge4       
,,iii4 ,the law of reformation in the   
state1 as in the family1 is the law of  
kindness4  ,,iv4 ,as criminals vary in  
age and in experience as criminals1 so  
should their treatment vary4  ,v4       
,prisons and jails are not1 in their    
foundation and management1 reformatory  
institutions1 and only become so through
 influences not necessarily nor         
ordinarily acting upon them4  ,,vi4 ,as 
prisons and jails deter from crime      
through fear only1 exert very little    
moral influence upon the youth of either
 sex1 and fail in many respects and in a
 majority of cases as reformatory       
institutions1 we ought to avail         
ourselves of any new agency which       
promises success4   ,influenced1 as we  
may reasonably suppose1 by these or     
kindred sentiments1 and aided by the    
noblest exhibitions of private          
benevolence1 the state has here founded 
a school for the prevention of crime4   
,as we have everywhere among us schools 

whose leading object is the development 
of the intellect1 so we now dedicate a  
school whose leading object is the      
development of the affections as the    
basis of the cardinal virtues of life4  
,the design of this institution is so   
well expressed by the trustees1 that it 
is a favor to us all for me to read the 
first chapter of the by-laws1 which1 by 
the consent of the ,governor and        
,council1 have been established3  ,the  
intention of the state government1 and  
of the benevolent individuals who have  
contributed to the establishment of this
 institution1 is to secure a home and a 
school for such girls as may be         
presented to the magistrates of the     
state1 appointed for that purpose1 as   
vagrants1 perversely obstinate1 deprived
 of the control and culture of their    
natural guardians1 or guilty of petty   
offences1 and exposed to a life of crime
 and wretchedness4  ,for such young     
persons it is proposed to provide1 not a
 prison for their restraint and         

correction1 but a family school1 where1 
under the firm but kind discipline of a 
judicious home1 they shall be carefully 
instructed in all the branches of a good
 education2 their moral affections be   
developed and cultivated by the example 
and affectionate care of one who shall  
hold the relation of a mother to them2  
be instructed in useful and appropriate 
forms of female industry2 and1 in short1
 be fitted to become virtuous and happy 
members of society1 and to take         
respectable positions in such relations 
in life as ,providence shall hereafter  
mark out for them4  ,it is to be        
distinctly understood that the          
institution is not to be considered a   
place of punishment1 or its subjects as 
criminals4 ,it is to be an inviting     
refuge1 into which the exposed may be   
gathered to be saved from a course which
 would inevitably end in penal          
confinement1 irretrievable ruin1 or     
hopeless degradation4  ,the inmates are 
to be considered hopeful and promising  

subjects of appropriate culture1 and to 
be instructed and watched over with the 
care and kindness which their peculiar  
exposures demand1 and with the          
confidence which youth should ever      
inspire4  ,the restraint and the        
discipline which will be necessary are  
to be such as would be appropriate in a 
,christian family or in a small         
boarding-school2 and the 'law of        
kindness' should be written upon the    
heart of every officer of the           
institution4 ,the chief end to be       
obtained1 in all the culture and        
discipline1 is the proper development of
 the faculties and moral affections of  
the inmates1 however they may have been 
heretofore neglected or perverted2 and  
to teach them the art1 and aid them in  
securing the power1 of self-government4 
,under the influence of these           
sentiments1 we pass1 if possible1 in the
 work of reformation1 from the rigor of 
the prison to the innocent excitement   
and rivalry of the school1 the comfort1 

confidence and joys of home4 ,this      
institution assumes that crime1 to some 
extent at least1 is social1 local1 or   
hereditary1 in its origin2 that the     
career of hardened criminals often takes
 its rise in poverty1 idleness1         
ignorance1 orphanage1 desertion1 or     
intemperance of parents1 evil example1  
or the indifference1 scorn and neglect  
of society4 ,it assumes1 also1 that     
there is a period of life--childhood and
 youth--when these1 the first           
indications of moral death1 may be      
eradicated1 or their influence for evil 
controlled4 ,in this land of education1 
of liberty1 of law1 of labor and        
religion1 we may not easily imagine how 
universal the enumerated evils are in   
many portions of ,europe4 ,the existence
 of these evils is in some degree owing 
to institutions which favor a few1 and  
oppress the masses2 but it is also in a 
measure due to the fact that ,europe is 
both old and multitudinous4 ,america1   
though still young1 is even now         

multitudinous4 ,hence1 both here and    
there1 crime is social and local4 ,the  
truth of this statement is proportionate
 to the force of the causes in the      
respective countries4  ,we are assembled
 upon a sloping hillside1 over-looking a
 quiet country village4 ,happy homes are
 embowered in living groves1 whose      
summer foliage is emblematical of       
innocence1 progress1 and peace4 ,we have
 here a social life1 with natural       
impulses1 cultivated worldly interests1 
moral and religious sentiments1 all on  
the side of virtue4 ,crime here is not  
social4 ,if it appear at all1 it is     
segregated2 and1 as the burning taper   
expires when placed at the centre of the
 spirit lamp's coiling sheet of flame1  
so vice and crime cannot thrive in the  
genial embrace of virtue4               
,circumstances are here unfavorable to  
crime2 it is never social2 but          
sometimes1 though not often1 it is      
hereditary4 ,a family for many          
generations seems to have a criminal    

tendency4 ,perhaps the members are not  
in any generation guilty of great       
crimes1 but often of lesser ones2 and   
are1 moreover1 in the daily practice of 
vices that give rise to suspicion1      
neglect1 and reproach4 ,here together   
are associated1 and made hereditary1    
poverty1 ignorance1 idleness1 beggary1  
and vagrancy4 ,surely these instances   
are not common1 probably not so common  
as they were in the last generation4    
,but how is the boy or girl of such a   
family to rise above these              
circumstances1 and throw off these      
weights8 ,occasionally one of great     
energy of character may do so2 but1 if  
the children of more fortunate classes  
can scarcely escape the influence of    
temporary evil example1 how shall they  
who are born to a heritage of poverty1  
ignorance1 and ever-present evil counsel
 and conduct under the guise of parental
 authority1 pass to the position of     
intelligent1 industrious1 respectable   
members of society8 ,some external      

influence must be applied2 by some means
 from without1 the spell must be broken2
 the fatal succession of vicious homes  
must be interrupted4 ,the family has    
here failed to discharge its duty to    
itself and to the state2 and shall not  
the state do its duty to itself1 by     
assuming the paternal relation under the
 guidance of that law of kindness1 which
 we have seen effectual to control the  
insane1 and melt the hardened criminal8 
,but in cities we find vice1 not only   
hereditary in families1 but local and   
social2 so that streets and squares are 
given up1 as it were1 to the idle and   
vicious1 whose numbers and influence    
produce and perpetuate a public         
sentiment in support of their daily     
practices4 ,this phase of life is not   
due to the fact that cities are wealthy1
 or that they are engaged in            
manufactures or commerce2 but to the    
single fact that they are multitudinous1
 and their inhabitants are1 therefore1  
in daily contact with each other1 while1

 in the country1 individuals and        
families are comparatively isolated4    
,yet some may very well doubt whether   
such an institution as this1 with all   
the benign influences of home which we  
hope to see centred and diffusive here1 
will save a child of either sex1 whose  
first years shall have been so          
unfavorable to a life of virtue4  ,the  
answer is plain3 as in other reformatory
 institutions1 there will be some       
successes and some failures4 ,the       
failures will be reckoned as they were2 
the successes will be a clear gain4     
,but investigation and trial will show a
 natural aptitude or instinct in        
children that will aid in their         
improvement and reformation4 ,there has 
been in one of our public schools a lad1
 who1 at the age of fourteen years1     
could not recall distinctly the         
circumstances of his life previous to   
the time when he was a newsboy in the   
city of ,new ,york4 ,he was ignorant of 
father1 mother1 kindred1 family name1   

and nation4 ,at an early age1 he        
travelled through the middle1 southern  
and south-western states1 engaged in    
selling papers and trash literature2    
and1 for a time1 he was employed by a   
showman to stand outside the tent and   
describe and exaggerate the attractions 
within4 ,when he was in his fourteenth  
year1 he accepted the offer of a        
permanent home2 his chief object being1 
as he said1 to obtain an education4 ,i  
have found1 said he1 that a man cannot  
do much in this country unless he has   
some learning4 ,this truth1 simple1 and 
resting upon a low view of education1   
may yet be of infinite value if accepted
 by those who1 even among us1 are       
advancing to adult life without the     
preparation which our common schools are
 well fitted to furnish4 ,and the case  
of this lad may be yet further useful by
 showing how compensation is provided   
for evils and neglects in mental and    
moral relations1 as well as in the      
physical and natural world4 ,though     

ignorant of books1 he was thoroughly and
 extensively acquainted with things1 and
 consequently made rapid progress in the
 knowledge of signs2 for they were      
immediately applied1 and of course      
remembered4 ,in a few months1 he took a 
respectable position among lads of his  
age4 ,the world had done for this boy   
what good schools do not always         
accomplish1--made him familiar with     
things before he was troubled with the  
signs which stand for them4 ,there is an
 ignorance in manhood2 an ignorance     
under the show of profound learning2 an 
ignorance for which schools1 academies  
and colleges1 are often responsible2 an 
ignorance that neither schools1         
academies nor colleges1 can conceal from
 the humblest intellects2 an ignorance  
of life and things as they are within   
the sphere of our own observation4 ,from
 this most deplorable ignorance this boy
 had escaped2 and the light of learning 
illumined his mind1 as the sun in his   
daily return reveals anew those forms of

 life1 which1 even in an ungenial spring
 and early summer1 his rays had warmed  
into existence1 and nourished and       
cherished in their progress towards     
perfection4  ,and1 ladies and gentlemen1
 let us indulge the hope that the events
 of this day and the faith of this      
assembly will declare that it is        
possible to save the children of        
orphanage1 intemperance1 neglect1 scorn 
and ignorance1 from many of the evils   
which surround them4 ,let it not be     
assumed and believed that the task of   
training and saving girls is less       
hopeful than similar labors in behalf of
 the other sex4 ,it has been found true 
in ,europe1 and it is a prevailing      
opinion in this country1 that1 among    
adults1 the reformation of females is   
more difficult than the reformation of  
males4 ,but an analysis of this fact1   
assuming it to be true1 will unfold     
qualities of female character that      
render it peculiarly easy to shield and 
save girls who are exposed to a life of 

crime2 for1 be it remembered1 this      
institution deals with mere children1   
who are exposed1 but not yet lost4 ,it  
differs1 in this respect1 from most     
institutions1 although many include this
 class with others4 ,and it may be well 
to remark1 that every reformatory school
 in ,europe1 even those altogether      
penal1--as ,parkhurst in ,england1 and  
,mettray in ,france1--have had some     
measure of success4 ,eighty-nine per    
cent4 of the colons1 or convicts1 at    
,mettray1 have become respectable and   
useful2 while1 of the youth sent to the 
ordinary jails and prisons1 seventy-five
 per cent4 are totally lost4 ,it is not 
fair1 therefore1 to assume that this    
attempt will fail4 ,the degree of       
success will depend upon circumstances  
and causes1 to a great extent1 within   
human control4 ,there are1 however1     
three elements of success1 so distinct  
that they may well stand as the         
appropriate divisions of what remains   
for consideration4 ,they are the right  

action of the government2 the faithful  
conduct of superintendent1 matrons1 and 
assistants2 the sympathy and aid of the 
people of the state in matters which do 
not admit of legislative interference4  
,the act of the ,legislature1 though    
voluminous in its details1 contemplates 
only this3 ,a home for girls between    
seven and sixteen years of age1 who are 
found in circumstances of want and      
suffering1 or of neglect1 exposure1 or  
abandonment1 or of beggary4 ,the first  
idea of home precludes the possibility  
of the inmates being sent here as a     
punishment for crime2 therefore they are
 neither adjudged nor actual criminals1 
but persons exposed to a vicious life4  
,secondly1 the idea of home involves the
 necessity of reproducing the family    
relation1 as circumstances may permit4  
,hence1 the members of this institution 
are to be divided into families2 and    
over each a matron will preside1 who is 
to be a kind1 affectionate1 discreet    
mother to the children4  ,and here1 for 

once1 in ,massachusetts1 a public       
institution has escaped the tyranny of  
bricks and mortar2 and we are permitted 
to indulge the hope1 that any future    
additions will tend to make this spot a 
neighborhood of unostentatious cottages1
 quiet rural homes1 rather than the seat
 of a vast edifice1 which may provoke   
the wonder of the sight-seer1 inflame   
local or state pride1 but can never be  
an effectual1 economical agency in the  
work of reformation4 ,every public      
institution has some great object4      
,architecture should bend itself to that
 object1 and become its servant2 and it 
must ever be deemed a mistake1 when     
utility is sacrificed that art or fancy 
may have its way4  ,reformation1 if     
wrought by external influences1 is the  
result of personal kindness4 ,personal  
kindness can exist only where there is  
intimate personal acquaintance2 this    
acquaintance is impossible in an        
institution of two1 three1 or five      
hundred inmates4 ,but1 in a family of   

ten1 twenty1 or thirty1 this knowledge  
will exist1 and this kindness abound4   
,warm personal attachments will grow up 
in the family1 and these attachments are
 likely to become safeguards of virtue4 
,nor let the objection prevail that the 
expense is to be increased4 ,it is not  
the purpose to set up an establishment  
and maintain it for a specific sum of   
money1 but to provide thorough mental   
and moral training for the inmates4     
,make the work efficient1 though it be  
limited to a small number1 rather than  
inaugurate a magnificent failure4  ,the 
state has wisely provided that the      
trustees shall cause the girls under    
their charge to be instructed in piety  
and morality1 and in such branches of   
useful knowledge as shall be adapted to 
their age and capacity2 they shall also 
be instructed in some regular course of 
labor1 either mechanical1 manufacturing1
 or horticultural1 or a combination of  
these1 and especially in such domestic  
and household labor and duties as shall 

be best suited to their age and         
strength1 disposition and capacity2 also
 in such other arts1 trades1 and        
employments1 as may seem to the trustees
 best adapted to secure their           
reformation1 amendment1 and future      
benefit4  ,it is sometimes the bane of  
the poor that they do not work1 and it  
is often equally the bane of the rich   
that they have nothing to do4 ,the idle1
 both rich and poor1 carry a weight of  
reproach that not all ought to bear4    
,the disposition and the ability to     
labor are both the result of education2 
and why should the uneducated be better 
able to labor than to read ,greek and   
,latin8 ,surely only that there are more
 teachers in one department than in the 
others2 but a good teacher of labor may 
be as uncommon as a good teacher of     
,latin or ,greek4 ,there is a false1    
vicious1 unmanly pride1 which leads our 
youth of both sexes to shun labor2 and  
it is the business of the true teacher  
to extirpate this growth of a diseased  

civilization4 ,and we could have no     
faith in this school1 if it were not a  
school of industry as well as of        
morality1--a school in which the divine 
law of labor is to be observed equally  
with the laws of men4 ,industry is near 
to all the virtues4 ,in this era every  
branch of labor is an art1 and sometimes
 it is necessary for the laborer to be  
both an artist and a scientific person4 
,how great1 then1 the misfortune of     
those1 whether rich or poor1 who are    
uninstructed in the business of life6   
,we should hardly know what judgment to 
pass upon a man of wealth who should    
entirely neglect the education of his   
children in schools2 but the common     
indifference to industrial learning is  
not less reprehensible4 ,labor should be
 systematic2 not constant1 indeed1 but  
always to be reckoned as the great      
business of life1 never to be avoided1  
never to cease4  ,labor gives us a      
better knowledge of the fulness1        
magnificence and glory1 of the divine   

blessing of creation4 ,this lesson may  
be learned by the farmer in the         
wonderful growth of vegetation2 by the  
artist1 in the powers of invention and  
taste of the human mind and soul2 by the
 man of science1 in the beauty of an    
insect or the order of a universe4 ,the 
vision of the idle is limited4 ,the     
ability to see may be improved by       
education as much as the ability to     
read1 remember1 or converse4 ,with many 
people1 not seeing is a habit4          
,near-sighted persons are generally     
those who declined to look at distant   
objects2 and so nature1 true to the most
 perfect rules of economy1 refused to   
keep in order faculties that were       
entirely neglected4 ,the laborer's      
recompense is not money1 nor the        
accumulation of worldly goods chiefly2  
but it is in his increased ability to   
observe1 appreciate1 and enjoy the      
world1 with its beauties and blessings4 
,nor is labor1 the penalty for sin1 a   
punishment merely1 but a divine means of

 reformation4 ,it is1 therefore1 a moral
 discipline that all should submit to2  
and especially is it a means by which   
the youth here are to be prepared for   
the duties of life4 ,but industry is not
 only near to all the virtues2 it is    
itself a virtue1 as idleness is a vice4 
,the word labor is1 of course1 used in  
the broadest signification4 ,labor is   
any honest employment1 or use of the    
head or hands1 which brings good to     
ourselves1 and consequently1 though     
indirectly1 brings good to our          
fellow-men4  ,the state has now         
furnished a home1 reproduced1 as far as 
practicable1 the family relation1 and   
provided for a class of neglected and   
exposed girls the means of mental1      
industrial1 moral1 and religious        
culture4 ,the plan appears well2 but its
 practical value depends upon the       
fidelity of its execution by the        
superintendent1 matrons and assistants4 
,i venture to predict in advance1 that  
the degree of success is mainly within  

their control4 ,this is a school1 they  
are the teachers2 and they must bend to 
the rule which all true teachers        
willingly accept4  ,the teacher must be 
what he would have his pupils become4   
,this was the standard of the great     
,teacher2 this is the aim of all who    
desire to make education a matter of    
reality and life1 and not merely a      
knowledge of signs and forms4 ,here will
 be needed a spirit and principle of    
devotion which will be fruitful in      
humility1 patience1 earnestness1 energy1
 good words and works for all4 ,here    
must be strictness1 possibly sternness  
of discipline2 but this is not          
incompatible with the qualities         
mentioned4 ,it is a principle at        
,mettray to combine unbounded personal  
kindness with a rigid exclusion of      
personal indulgence4  ,this principle   
produces good results that are two-fold 
in their influence4 ,first1 personal    
kindness in the teacher induces a       
reciprocal quality in the pupils4 ,the  

habit of personal kindness1 proceeding  
from right feelings1 is a potent element
 of good in the family1 the school1 and 
the prison4 ,indeed1 it is an element of
 good citizenship2 and no one destitute 
of this quality ought to be intrusted   
with the education of children1 or the  
punishment and reformation of criminals4
  ,secondly1 the rigid exclusion of     
personal indulgence trains the inmates  
in the virtue of self-control4 ,and may 
it not be forgotten that all apparent   
reformation must be hedged by this      
cardinal virtue of practical life6      
,otherwise the best-formed expectations 
will fail2 the highest hopes will be    
disappointed2 and the life of these     
teachers1 and the promise of the youth  
who may be gathered here1 will be like  
the sun and the winds upon the desert1  
which bring neither refreshing showers  
nor fruitful harvests4 ,every form of   
labor requires faith4 ,this labor       
requires faith in yourselves1 and faith 
in others2--faith in yourselves1 as     

teachers here1 based upon your own      
knowledge of what you are and are to do2
 and faith in others upon the divine    
declaration that ,god breathed into man 
the breath of life1 and he became a     
living soul1--not merely as the previous
 creations1 possessed of animal life2   
but as a sentient1 intellectual1 and    
moral being1 capable of a progressive1  
immortal existence4        ',tis        
nature's law      ,that none1 the       
meanest of created things1              
99       99       99       99       99  
,should exist      ,divorced from       
good1--a spirit and pulse of good1      
,a life and soul1 to every mode of being
      ,inseparably linked4       ,see1  
then1 your only conflict is with men2   
,and your sole strife is to defend and  
teach      ,the unillumined1 who1       
without such care1      ,must dwindle4  
,and always1 as in the beginning1 the   
reliance of this school is upon the     
people of the commonwealth1 whose voice 
has spoken into existence another       

instrumentality to give eyes to the     
blind1 ears to the deaf1 a heart for the
 work of this life1 and a hope for an   
hereafter1 to those who from neglect and
 vicious example would soon pass the    
period of reformation4 ,but may the     
people always bear in mind the          
indisputable truth1 that schools for the
 criminal and the exposed yield not     
their perfect fruits in a day or a year6
 ,they must1 if they will know whether  
the seed here planted produces a        
harvest1 wait for the birth and growth  
of one generation1 the decay and death  
of another4 ,yet these years of delay   
will not be years of uncertainty4 ,the  
public faith will be strengthened       
continually by cases of reformation1    
usefulness1 and virtue4 ,but1 whether   
these cases be few or many1 let no one  
despond4 ,the career of the criminal is1
 often in money and always in influence1
 the heaviest burden which an individual
 can impose upon society4  ,this is a   
school for girls2 and we may properly   

appeal to the women of ,massachusetts to
 do their duty to this institution1 and 
to the cause it represents4 ,we can     
already see the second stage in the     
existence of many of those who are to be
 sent here2 and there is good reason to 
fear that the relation of mistress and  
servant among us is in some degree      
destitute of those moral qualities that 
make the house a home for all who dwell 
beneath its roof4 ,but1 whether this    
fear be the voice of truth or the       
suggestion of prejudice1 that woman     
shall not be held blameless1 who1 under 
the influence of indolence1 pride1      
fashion1 or avarice1 shall neglect1     
abuse1 or oppress1 the humblest of her  
sex who goes forth from these walls into
 the broad and dangerous path of life4  
,but this day shall not leave the       
impression that they who are most       
interested in the elevation and         
refinement of female character are      
indifferent to the means employed1 and  
the results which are to wait on them4  

,the greatest delineator of human       
character in this age says1 as the      
images of neglected children pass before
 his vision3  ,there is not one of      
them--not one--but sows a harvest       
mankind must reap4 ,from every seed of  
evil in this boy a field of ruin is     
grown that shall be gathered in1 and    
garnered up1 and sown again in many     
places in the world1 until regions are  
over-spread with wickedness enough to   
raise the waters of another deluge4     
,open and unpunished murder in a city's 
streets would be less guilty in its     
daily toleration than one such spectacle
 as this4 ,there is not a father1 by    
whose side1 in his daily or nightly     
walk1 these creatures pass2 there is not
 a mother among all the ranks of loving 
mothers in this land2 there is no one   
risen from the state of childhood1 but  
shall be responsible1 in his or her     
degree1 for this enormity4 ,there is not
 a country throughout the earth on which
 it would not bring a curse4 ,there is  

no religion upon earth that it would not
 deny2 there is no people on earth that 
it would not put to shame4  ,this       
institution1 then1 in the true relation 
of things1 is not the glory of the      
state1 but its shame4 ,it speaks of     
families1 of schools1 of the church1 of 
the state1 not yet educated to the      
discharge of their respective duties in 
the right way4 ,but it is the glory of  
the state as a visible effort to correct
 evils1 atone for neglects1 and         
compensate for wrongs4 ,it comes to do1 
in part at least1 what the family1 the  
school1 the press1 the library1 the     
,sabbath1 have nest yet perfectly       
accomplished4 ,as these agencies        
partially failed1 so will this2 but1 as 
the law of progress exists for all1     
because perfection with us is           
unattainable1 we may reasonably have    
faith in human improvement1 and trust   
that the life of each succeeding        
generation shall unite1 in              
ever-increasing proportions1 the        

innocence of childhood with the wisdom  
of age4     ,,elementary ,,training ,,in
 ,,the ,,public ,,schools4  ,extract    
from the ,twenty-,second ,annual ,report
 of the ,secretary of the ,massachusetts
 ,board of ,education4   ,we are still  
sadly defective in methods of education4
 ,until recently teaching was almost an 
unknown art2 and we are at present      
struggling against ignorance without any
 well-defined plan1 and attempting to   
develop and build up the immortal       
character of children1 without a        
philosophical and generally accepted    
theory of the nature of the human mind4 
,there are complaints that the duties   
and exactions of the schools injure the 
health and impair the constitutions of  
pupils2 that the progress in            
intellectual attainments is not always  
what it should be2 that the training    
given is sometimes determined by the    
wishes of committees against the better 
judgment of competent teachers2 that the
 text-books are defective2 that the     

studies in the common schools are too   
numerous2 that the elements are         
consequently neglected2 and that1 in    
fine1 too much thought is bestowed upon 
exhibitions and contests for public     
prizes1 to the injury of good learning1 
and of individual and general character4
 ,for these complaints there is some    
foundation2 but care should be exercised
 lest incidental and necessary evils    
become1 in the public estimation1 great 
wrongs1 and exceptional cases the       
evidence of general facts4  ,it is to   
some extent true that the duties and    
exactions of the schools seriously test 
the health of pupils2 but it is1 as ,i  
believe1 more generally true that many  
pupils are physically unable to meet the
 ordinary and proper duties of the      
school-room4 ,school life1 as usually   
conducted1 is physically injurious1 and 
our best efforts thus far have been     
limited to the dissemination of         
elementary knowledge of physiology as a 
science1 and to an acquaintance with a  

limited number of important             
physiological facts4 ,yet even here     
little has been accomplished in         
comparison with what may be done4 ,in   
this department there is much           
instruction given that has no practical 
value1 and children are often permitted 
to live in daily and uniform neglect of 
the most essential truths of science and
 the facts of human experience4 ,neither
 physiology nor hygiene can be of much  
value in the schools1 as a study1 unless
 there is an application of what is     
taught4 ,great proficiency cannot be    
made in these branches in the brief     
period of school life2 but a competent  
teacher may induce the pupils to put in 
practice the lessons that are applicable
 to childhood and youth4 ,if1 however1  
as is sometimes the case1 pupils are    
undermining the physical constitution in
 their efforts to know how they are     
made1 the loss is1 unquestionably1 more 
than the gain4 ,physical health and     
growth depend1 first1 upon opportunity2 

and hence it happens that1 where        
physical life is most defective1 there  
the greatest difficulties in the way of 
its improvement are found4 ,boys born in
 the country1 living upon farms1        
accustomed continually to outdoor labors
 and sports1 walking a mile or more     
every day to school1 have but little    
use1 in their own persons1 for the      
science or facts of physiology2 and it  
is a very rare thing1 where such        
conditions have existed1 that any       
teacher is able to exact an amount of   
intellectual service that proves in any 
perceptible degree injurious4  ,but     
these opportunities are not so generally
 enjoyed by girls1 and the mass of      
children in cities are wholly deprived  
of them4 ,in the country1 and even in   
villages and towns of considerable size1
 there is no excuse1 better than        
ignorance or indifference1 for the lack 
of judicious and efficient physical     
training of children and youth of both  
sexes4 ,but ignorance and indifference  

are facts2 and1 while and where they    
exist1 they are prejudicial to the      
growth of mind and body4 ,the age at    
which children should be admitted to    
school has not been ascertained1 nor can
 a satisfactory rule upon this point    
ever be laid down4 ,if children are not 
in schools1 they are yet subject to     
influences that are formative of        
character4 ,when proper government and  
methods of education exist at home1 the 
presence of the child in school at an   
early age is not desirable4 ,even when  
education at home is not methodical1 it 
may be continued until the child is     
seven or even eight years of age1 if it 
is at once moral1 intelligent1 and      
controlling4 ,it is not1 however1 wise  
to expect a child who is infirm         
physically to perform the labors imposed
 by the necessary and proper regulations
 of school4 ,when children enjoy good   
health1 and are not blessed with        
suitable training at home1 they may be  
introduced to the school1 at the age of 

five years1 with positive advantage to  
themselves and to society4  ,when the   
child is a member of the school1 what   
shall be done with him8 ,he must first  
be taught to take an interest in the    
exercises by making the exercises       
interesting to him4 ,that the transition
 from home to the school may be easy1 he
 should first occupy himself with those 
topics and studies that are presented to
 the eye and to the ear1 and may be     
mastered1 so as to produce the sensation
 that follows achievement with only a   
moderate use of the reasoning and       
reflective faculties4 ,among these are  
reading1 writing1 music1 and drawing4   
,this is also the time when object      
lessons may be given with great         
advantage4 ,the forms and names of      
geometrical solids may be taught4       
,exercises may be introduced tending to 
develop those powers by which we        
comprehend the qualities of color1 size1
 density1 form1 and weight4 ,important  
moral truths may be presented with the  

aid of suitable illustrations4 ,in every
 school the teacher and text-books may  
be considered a positive quality which  
should balance the negative power of the
 school itself4 ,in primary schools     
text-books have but little value1 and   
the chief reliance is1 therefore1 upon  
the teacher4 ,instruction must be mainly
 oral2 hence the mind of the teacher    
should be well furnished1 and her       
capacities chastened by considerable    
experience4 ,as the pupils are unable to
 study1 the teacher must lead in all    
their exercises1 and find profitable    
employment for the children1 or they    
will give themselves up to play or to   
stupid listlessness4 ,of these          
alternatives1 the latter is more        
objectionable than the former4  ,it is1 
of course1 not often possible for a     
teacher to occupy herself six hours a   
day with a single class in a primary    
school1 especially if she confines her  
attention to the studies enumerated4 ,in
 many schools1 of various grades1       

gymnastic exercises have been introduced
 with marked advantage4 ,there are many 
such exercises which do not need        
apparatus1 and in which the teacher can 
properly lead4  ,these furnish a        
healthful variety to the studies usually
 pursued1 and they prepare the pupils to
 receive appropriate instruction in     
sitting1 standing1 and in the modulation
 and use of the voice4 ,indeed1         
gymnastic exercises are indispensable   
aids to proper training in reading1     
which1 as an art of a high order1 is    
immediately dependent upon position1    
habits of breathing1 the consequent     
power of voice1 and expressiveness of   
tone4 ,i am fully satisfied that much   
more may be done in the early period of 
school life than is usually             
accomplished4 ,in the district mixed    
schools the primary pupils receive but  
little attention1 and they are not      
infrequently occupied from one to three 
years in obtaining an imperfect         
knowledge of the alphabet4 ,usually much

 better results are attained by the     
combined agency of the home and the     
school1 but there is an average loss of 
one-fourth of the time employed in      
teaching and learning the elements of   
our language4  ,mr4 ,philbrick1         
,superintendent of ,public ,schools in  
,boston1 has taught and trained a class 
of fifty primary-school pupils with a   
degree of success which fully sustains  
the statement of the average waste in   
schools generally4 ,twenty-two lessons  
of a half-hour each were given2 and in  
this brief period of time the class1    
with a few exceptions1 were so well     
advanced that they could write the      
alphabet in capital and script hand1    
give the elementary sounds of the       
letters1 produce and name the ,arabic   
characters and the common geometrical   
figures found upon ,holbrook's slates4  
,i saw a girl1 five and a half years of 
age1 write the alphabet without delay in
 script hand1 in a manner that would    
have been creditable to a pupil in a    

grammar school4  ,i present ,mr4        
,philbrick's own account of his mode of 
proceeding1 in an extract from his third
 quarterly report to the school         
committee of the city of ,boston4  ,the 
regulations relating to the primary     
schools require every scholar to be     
provided with a slate1 and to employ the
 time not otherwise occupied in drawing 
or writing words from their spelling    
lessons1 on their slates1 in a plain    
script hand4 ,it is further stated1 in  
the same connection1 that the teachers  
are expected to take special pains to   
teach the first class to write--not     
print--all the letters of the alphabet  
on slates4  ,the language of this       
requirement seems to imply that the     
classes below the first are to draw and 
write words1 in a plain script hand1    
without any special pains to teach them1
 and that by such occupation they were  
to be kept from idleness4 ,as ,i saw    
neither of these objects accomplished in
 any primary school1 ,i thought it worth

 while to satisfy myself1 by actual     
experiment1 what can and ought to be    
done1 in the use of the slate and       
blackboard1 in teaching writing and     
drawing in primary schools4 ,to         
accomplish this object1 ,i have given a 
course of lessons in a graded or        
classified school of the third class4   
,the number of pupils instructed in the 
class was about fifty4 ,the materials of
 the school are rather below the        
average2 about twenty of the pupils     
being of that description usually found 
in schools for special instruction4 ,the
 school-room is furnished1 as every     
primary school-room should be1 with     
stationary chairs and desks1 and        
,holbrook's primary slates4 ,twenty-two 
lessons1 of from thirty to forty minutes
 each1 were given1 about one-third of   
the time being devoted to drawing1 and  
two-thirds to writing4 ,as to the method
 pursued1 the main points were1 to      
present but a single element at a time2 
to illustrate on the blackboard defects 

and excellences in execution2 frequent  
review of the ground passed over1       
especially in the first steps of the    
course2 a vigorous exercise of all the  
mental faculties requisite for the      
performance of the task2 and a desire   
for improvement1 encouraged and         
stimulated by the best and strongest    
available motives2 the greater part of  
the time being bestowed upon the dull   
and backward pupils4  ,the result has   
exceeded my expectations4 ,about        
three-fourths of the number taught can  
draw most of the simple mathematical    
lines and figures1 given as copies on   
the slates used1 with tolerable         
accuracy1 and write all the letters of  
the alphabet in a fair script hand4     
,this experiment satisfies me that1 with
 the proper facilities1 the three upper 
classes in graded primary schools can be
 taught to write the letters of the     
alphabet in a plain script hand1 and    
even to join them into words1 without   
any material hindrance to the other     

required studies2 and1 moreover1 that   
the great remedy for the complaint of   
want of time1 in these schools1 is the  
increase of skill in the art of         
teaching4  ,it is well known that in    
this country and in ,europe methods of  
teaching the alphabet have been         
introduced which materially diminish the
 labor of teachers1 and lessen the      
drudgery to which children are usually  
subjected4 ,the alphabet is taught as an
 object lesson4 ,the object is usually  
an animal1 plant1 or flower4 ,more      
frequently the first4 ,the mind of the  
child is awakened either by the presence
 of the animal1 or by a brief but vivid 
description of its characteristics4 ,the
 children are first required to         
pronounce properly the name of the      
animal4 ,here is an opportunity for     
training in the use of the voice1 and in
 the art of breathing1 with which the   
general health1 as well as the vocal    
power1 is intimately connected4 ,the    
word which is the name of the animal is 

analyzed into its elementary sounds4 ,it
 may then be reconstructed without the  
aid of visible signs1 either written or 
printed4 ,next the teacher produces the 
signs which stand for the several       
sounds1 and gives their names4 ,the     
letters are presented in any way that   
suits the teacher4 ,there may be no     
better method than to produce them upon 
the blackboard1 as this course          
encourages the pupils to draw them upon 
their slates1 and thus they are at once1
 and without formal preliminaries1      
engaged in writing4  ,an outline of the 
animal may be drawn upon the blackboard1
 which the pupils will eagerly copy2 and
 though this exercise may not be        
valuable in a high degree1 as           
preparation for the systematic study of 
drawing1 yet it trains the perceptive   
and reflective faculties in a manner    
that is pleasant to the great majority  
of children4 ,it is also in the power of
 the teacher1 at any point in the       
exercises1 and with reference both to   

variety and usefulness1 to give the most
 apparent facts1 which to children are  
the most interesting facts1 in the      
natural history of the animal4 ,this    
plan contemplates instruction in        
pronunciation in connection with        
exercises in breathing1 in the          
elementary sounds of words both         
consonant and vowel1 in the names of    
letters1 in writing and drawing1 to all 
of which may be added something of      
natural history4 ,it is of course to be 
understood that such exercises would be 
extended over many lessons1 be subject  
to frequent reviews1 and valuable in    
proportion to the teacher's ability to  
interest children4 ,the outline given is
 suggestive1 merely1 and it is not      
presented as a plan of a model course2  
but enough has been done and is doing in
 this department to warrant increased   
attention1 and to justify the belief    
that a degree of progress will soon be  
made in teaching the elements that will 
mark the epoch as a revolution in       

educational affairs4 ,it is to be       
observed that the system indicated      
requires a high order of teaching       
talent4 ,only thorough professional     
culture1 or long and careful experience1
 will meet the claims of such a course4 
,it is quite plain1 however1 that no    
advantage would arise from keeping      
pupils in school six hours each day2 and
 that1 regarding only the intellectual  
advancement of the child during the     
elementary course1 his presence might be
 reduced to two hours1 or possibly in   
some cases to one3 provided1 always1    
that he could enjoy1 with his class     
associates1 the undivided attention of  
the teacher4 ,in this view of the       
subject1 it would be possible1 where the
 primary schools are graded1 as in      
portions of the city of ,boston1 for one
 teacher to take charge of two classes  
or schools1 each for an hour in the     
forenoon and an hour in the afternoon4  
,this arrangement would apply only to   
the younger pupils2 yet ,i am aware that

 parents and the public would be        
solicitous concerning the manner of     
employing the time that would remain4   
,in the cities this question is one of  
magnitude1 and there are strong reasons 
for declining any proposition to reduce 
the school day full one-half1 which does
 hot provide occupation for the children
 during the remainder of the time4 ,it  
is only in connection with such a       
proposition that projects for gymnastic 
training are practicable4 ,when children
 are employed six hours in school1 it is
 not easy to find time for a course of  
systematic physical education2 and      
physical education1 to be productive of 
appreciable advantages1 must be         
systematic4 ,when left to children and  
youth1 or to the care of parents1 very  
little will be accomplished4 ,children  
will participate in the customary       
sports1 and perform the allotted labors2
 but in cities these sports and labors  
are inadequate even for boys1 and in    
country1 as well as city1 girls are     

often the victims of neglect in this    
respect4 ,availing ourselves1 then1 of  
the light shed by recent experience upon
 the subject of primary instruction1 it 
seems possible to diminish the length of
 the school day with a gain rather than 
a loss of educational power4 ,this      
change may be followed by the           
establishment1 in cities and large      
towns1 of public gymnasiums1 where      
teachers answering in moral             
qualifications to the requisitions of   
the laws shall be employed1 and where   
each child1 for one1 two1 or three      
years1 shall receive discreet and       
careful1 but vigorous physical training4
 ,after a few years thus passed in      
corresponding and healthful development 
of the mind and body1 the pupil is      
prepared for admission to the advanced  
schools1 where he can submit1 with      
perfect safety1 to greater mental       
requirements even than are now made4    
,the school1 as at present constituted1 
cannot do much for physical education2  

and it must1 as a necessity and a duty1 
graduate its demands to the physical as 
well as the intellectual abilities of   
its pupils4 ,but ,i am satisfied that it
 is occasionally made to bear a weight  
of reproach that ought to be laid upon  
the customs and habits of domestic1     
social and general life4  ,assuming that
 the principal work of the primary      
schools1 after moral and physical       
culture1 should be to give instruction  
in reading1 spelling1 writing1 music and
 drawing1 it is just to say that special
 attention should be bestowed upon the  
two branches first named4 ,so           
imperfectly is reading sometimes taught1
 that pupils are found in advanced      
classes1 and in advanced schools1 whose 
progress in other branches is retarded  
by their inability to read the language 
fluently and intelligently4 ,when       
children are well educated in reading1  
they find profitable employment2 and    
they are1 of course1 by the knowledge of
 language acquired1 able to comprehend1 

with greater facility1 every study to   
which they are called4  ,pupils often   
appear dull in grammar1 geography and   
arithmetic1 merely because they are poor
 readers4 ,a child is not qualified to  
use a text-book of any science until he 
is able to read with facility1 as we are
 accustomed to speak1 in groups of      
words4 ,this ability he cannot acquire  
without a great deal of practice4 ,if   
phonetic spelling is commenced with the 
alphabet1 he will be accurately trained 
in that art also4 ,it is certain that   
reading1 writing and spelling1 have been
 neglected in our schools generally4    
,if there is to be a reform1 it must be 
commenced1 and in a considerable degree 
accomplished1 in the primary schools4   
,these studies will be taught           
afterwards2 but the grammar and high    
schools can never compensate for any    
defect permitted1 or any wrong done1 in 
the primary schools4 ,reading is first  
mechanical1 and then intellectual and   
emotional4 ,in the primary schools      

attention is first given to mechanical  
training1 while the intellectual and    
emotional culture is necessarily in a   
degree postponed4 ,when the first part  
of the work is thoroughly done1 there is
 no ground for complaint1 and we may    
look to the teachers of advanced classes
 and schools for the proper performance 
of the remaining duty4 ,the ability to  
spell arbitrarily1 either in writing or 
orally1 and the ability to read         
mechanically1--that is1 the ability to  
seize the words readily1 and utter them 
fluently and accurately1--must be       
acquired by much spelling and much      
reading4  ,this work belongs to the     
early years of school-life2 and1 if it  
can be faithfully performed1 the        
introduction of text-books in grammar1  
geography and arithmetic1 may be wisely 
postponed4 ,but it is a sad condition of
 things1 which we are often compelled to
 contemplate1 when a pupil1 who might   
have become a respectable reader had the
 elementary training been careful1      

accurate and long-continued1 is         
introduced to an advanced class1 and    
there struggles against obstacles which 
he cannot comprehend1 and which the     
teacher cannot remove1 and finally      
leaves the school without the ability to
 read in a manner intelligible to       
himself1 or satisfactory to others4 ,it 
is the appropriate work of primary      
schools1 and of the teachers of primary 
classes in district schools1 to develop 
and chasten the moral powers of         
children1 to train them in those habits 
and practices that are favorable to     
health and life1 whether anything is    
known of physiology as a science or not1
 and to give the best culture possible  
to the eye1 the ear1 the hand and the   
voice4 ,this plan is comprehensive      
enough for any teacher1 and it will be  
found sufficient for any pupil less than
 ten years of age4 ,nor am ,i speaking  
of that culture which is merely         
preparatory for the life of the artist1 
but of that practical training which    

will enable the subject of it so to use 
his powers as to render his life        
valuable to himself1 and valuable to the
 world4 ,there will be1 in the exercises
 comprehended by this outline1          
sufficient mental discipline4 ,it will1 
of course1 be chiefly incidental1 and it
 may well be doubted whether studies    
that are merely disciplinary should ever
 be introduced into our schools4 ,there 
are useful occupations for pupils that1 
at the same time1 tax and test the mind 
sufficiently4 ,the plan indicated does  
not exclude grammar1 geography and      
mental arithmetic1 but text-books will  
not at first be needed4 ,grammar should 
be taught by conversation1 and in       
connection with the exercises in        
reading4 ,grammar is the appreciation of
 the power of the words of the language 
in any given relations to each other1   
and a knowledge of grammar is essential 
to the ability to speak1 read and write 
properly4 ,therefore1 grammatical rules 
and definitions are1 or should be1      

deduced from the language4 ,hence       
children should be first trained to     
speak with accuracy1 so that habit shall
 be on the side of taste and science2   
next the offices which words perform in 
simple sentences should be illustrated  
and made clear2 ,and thus far without   
text-books2 when1 finally1 with their   
help1 the pupils in the higher schools  
may acquire a knowledge of the science1 
and1 at once1 as the result of previous 
training1 discern the reason for each   
rule and definition4 ,the study of      
grammar requires some use of mental     
power2 but when it is presented to      
pupils by the aid of an object which1 in
 itself and in what it does1 illustrates
 the subject and the predicate of a     
sentence1 the work of comprehending the 
offices which words perform is rendered 
comparatively easy4 ,having the skeleton
 thus furnished1 and with the eyes and  
minds of the pupils fixed upon an object
 that possesses known and appreciable   
powers and qualities1 it is not         

difficult for the teacher to construct a
 sentence that shall contain words of   
several parts of speech1 all understood1
 because the grammatical office of each 
was seen even before the word itself was
 used4 ,this work may be commenced when 
the child is young1 and very            
satisfactory results ought to be secured
 as soon as the pupil is in other       
respects qualified to enter a grammar   
school4 ,the pupil should be trained in 
reading as an art2 that is1 with the    
purpose of expressing whatever is       
intellectual and emotional in the text4 
,satisfactory results cannot at first be
 secured by much reading2 it seems wiser
 for the teacher to select an extract1  
paragraph1 or single sentence only1 and 
drill a pupil or a class until the      
meaning of the author is comprehended1  
and accurately or even artistically     
expressed4 ,this can be done only when  
the teacher reads the passage again and 
again in the best manner possible4 ,the 
contrary practice of reading volumes of 

extracts from the writings of the most  
gifted men of ancient and modern times1 
without preparation by the pupil1       
without example1 explanation1           
correction1 or questionings1 by the     
teacher1 cannot be too strongly         
condemned4 ,the time will come when     
these selections may be read with       
profit2 but it is better to read        
something well than to read a great     
deal2 or there should be at least       
thorough drill in connection with every 
exercise1 until the pupils have attained
 some degree of perfection4 ,it may not 
be best to confine advanced pupils to   
the exercises in the text-books4 ,if    
such pupils are invited occasionally to 
make selections from their entire range 
of reading1 the teacher will have an    
opportunity to correct whatever is      
vicious in taste2 and the pupil making  
the selection will be compelled to read 
in such a manner that those who listen  
can understand1 which is not always the 
case when the language is addressed to  

the eye as well as to the ear4  ,the    
introduction of ,colburn's ,intellectual
 ,arithmetic was an epoch in the        
science4 ,it wrought a radical change in
 the ability of the people to apply the 
power of numbers to the practical       
business of life4 ,its excellence does  
not consist in rules and illustrations  
by which examples and problems are      
easily solved1 but in leading the mind  
of the pupil into natural and apparent  
processes of reasoning1 by which he is  
enabled to comprehend a proposition as  
an independent fact4 ,herein is a mental
 discipline of great value1 not only in 
the sciences1 but in the daily affairs  
of men of all classes and conditions4   
,it is to be feared that equally        
satisfactory results have not been      
attained in what is called written      
arithmetic4 ,this partial failure       
deserves consideration4 ,the first cause
 may be found in an erroneous opinion   
concerning the difference between mental
 and written arithmetic4 ,written       

arithmetic is mental arithmetic merely1 
with a record at given stages of the    
process of what at that point is        
accomplished4 ,but1 as written          
arithmetic tends to lessen the power of 
the pupil for the performance of those  
operations that are purely mental1 he   
should be subjected1 each day1 to a     
searching and rapid drill in mental     
arithmetic also4 ,this neglect on the   
part of teachers explains the singular  
fact that pupils1 well trained in mental
 arithmetic1 after attending to written 
arithmetic for three or six months1     
appear to have lost rather than gained  
in their knowledge of the science as a  
whole4  ,the second cause of failure may
 be found in the fact that rules1       
processes and simple methods of         
solution1 contained in the books1 are   
substituted for the power of            
comprehension by the pupil4 ,he should  
be trained to seize an example mentally1
 whether the slate is to be used or not1
 and hold it until he can determine by  

what process the solution is to be      
wrought4 ,nor is it a serious objection 
that he may not at first avail himself  
of the easiest method4 ,the difference  
between methods or ways is altogether a 
subordinate consideration4 ,there may be
 many ways of reaching a truth1 but no  
one of them is as important as the truth
 itself4 ,the text-books should contain 
all the facts needed for the            
comprehension and the solution of the   
examples given2 the teacher should      
furnish explanations and other aids1 as 
they are needed2 but the practice of    
adopting a process and following it to  
an apparently satisfactory conclusion1  
without comprehending the problem       
itself1 is a serious educational evil1  
and it exerts a permanent pernicious    
influence4  ,the remarks ,i have now    
made upon methods of teaching1 which may
 seem to have been offered in a spirit  
of severe criticism1 should be qualified
 and relieved by the statement that our 
teachers are as well educated as any in 

the country1 and that they are yearly   
making progress in their profession4    
,indeed1 ,i am encouraged to suggest    
that better things are possible1 by the 
consideration that many instances of    
distinguished success in teaching the   
alphabet1 reading and grammar1 are known
 to me2 and that teachers are themselves
 aware that the work is1 upon the whole1
 inadequately performed4 ,if1 as is     
generally conceded1 the highest order of
 teaching talent is required in the     
primary schools1 then that talent should
 be sought out by committees2 the       
persons possessing it should enjoy the  
best means of preparation2 they should  
receive the highest rewards1 both in    
money and public consideration1 and they
 should be induced to labor1 without    
change or interruption1 in the same     
schools and the same people4     ,,the  
,,relative ,,merits ,,of ,,public ,,high
 ,,schools ,,and ,,endowed ,,academies4 
,remarks before the ,american ,institute
 of ,instruction1 at ,manchester1 ,n4   

,h4   ,indebted to my friend on the     
other side1 and to you1 sir1 and this   
audience1 for inviting me to take a     
position on this floor1 ,i am still     
without any special preparation to      
discuss the subject4 ,i have thought    
upon it1 because any one1 however humbly
 connected with free schools in this    
country1 must have done so4 ,and        
especially just now1 when1 in the       
educational journal of ,massachusetts1 a
 discussion has been conducted between  
one of its editors and ,mr4 ,gulliver1  
the able originator of a school in      
,norwich1 ,ct41 and the advocate of the 
system of school government established 
there4 ,and1 therefore1 every one who   
has had his eyes open must have seen    
that here is a great contest1 and that  
underlying it is a principle which is   
important to society4  ,the             
distinguishing difference between the   
advocates of endowed schools and of free
 schools is this3 those who advocate the
 system of endowed academies go back in 

their arguments to one foundation1 which
 is1 that in education of the higher    
grades the great mass of the people are 
not to be trusted4 ,and those who       
advocate a system of free education in  
high schools put the matter where we    
have put the rights of property and     
liberty1 where we put the institutions  
of law and religion--upon the public    
judgment4 ,and we will stand there4 ,if 
the public will not maintain            
institutions of learning1 then1 ,i say1 
let institutions of learning go down4   
,if ,i belong to a state which cannot be
 moved from its extremities to its      
centre1 and from its centre to its      
extremities1 for the maintenance of a   
system of public instruction1 then1 in  
that respect1 ,i disown that state2 and 
if there be one state in this ,union    
whose people cannot be aroused to       
maintain a system of public instruction1
 then they are false to the great       
leading idea of ,american principles1   
and of civil1 political1 and religious  

liberty4  ,it is easy to enumerate the  
advantages of a system of public        
education1 and the evils--,i say        
evils--of endowed academies1 whether    
free or charging payment for tuition4   
,endowed academies are not1 in all      
respects1 under all circumstances1 and  
everywhere1 to be condemned4 ,in        
discussing this subject1 it may be well 
for me to state the view that ,i have of
 the proper position of endowed         
academies4 ,they have a place in the    
educational wants of this age4 ,this is 
especially true of academies of the     
highest rank1 which furnish an elevated 
and extended course of instruction4 ,to 
such ,i make no objection1 but ,i would 
honor and encourage them4 ,yet ,i regard
 private schools1 which do the work     
usually done in public schools1 as      
temporary1 their necessity as ephemeral1
 and ,i think that under a proper public
 sentiment they will soon pass away4    
,they cannot stand1--such has been the  
experience in ,massachusetts1--they     

cannot stand by the side of a good      
system of public education4 ,yet where  
the population is sparse1 where there is
 not property sufficient to enable the  
people to establish a high school1 then 
an endowed school may properly come in  
to make up the deficiency1 to supply the
 means of education to which the public 
wealth1 at the present moment1 is       
unequal4 ,endowed institutions very     
properly1 also1 give a professional     
education to the people4 ,at this moment
 we cannot look to the public to give   
that education which is purely          
professional4 ,but what we do look to   
the public for is this3 to furnish the  
means of education to the children of   
the whole people1 without any reference 
to social1 pecuniary1 political1 or     
religious distinctions1 so that every   
person may have a preliminary education 
sufficient for the ordinary business of 
life4  ,it is said that the means of    
education are better in an endowed      
academy1 or in an endowed free school1  

than they can be in a public school4    
,what is meant by means of education8 ,i
 understand that1 first and chiefly1 as 
extraneous means of education1 we must  
look to a correct public sentiment1     
which shall animate and influence the   
teacher1 which shall give direction to  
the school1 which shall furnish the     
necessary public funds4 ,an endowed free
 academy can have none of these things  
permanently4 ,take1 for example1 the    
free school established at ,norwich by  
the liberality of thirty or forty       
gentlemen1 who contributed ninety       
thousand dollars4 ,what security is     
there that fifty years hence1 when the  
educational wants of the people shall be
 changed1 when the population of        
,norwich shall be double or treble what 
it is now1 when science shall make      
greater demands1 when these forty       
contributors shall have passed away1    
this institution will answer the wants  
of that generation8 ,according to what  
we know of the history of this country1 

it will be entirely inadequate2 and1    
though none of us may live to see the   
prediction fulfilled or falsified1 ,i do
 not hesitate to say that the school    
will ultimately prove a failure1 because
 it is founded in a mistake4  ,then look
 and see what would have been the state 
of things if there had been public      
spirit invoked to establish a public    
high school1 and if the means for its   
support had been raised by taxation of  
all the people1 so that the system of   
education would have expanded according 
to the growth of the city1 and year by  
year would have accommodated itself to  
the public wants and public zeal in the 
cause4 ,though these means seem now to  
be ample1 they will by and by be found  
too limited4 ,the school at ,norwich is 
encumbered with regulations2 and so     
every endowed institution is likely to  
be1 because the right of a man to       
appropriate his property to a particular
 object carries with it1 in the         
principles of common law1 and in the    

administration of the law1 in all free  
governments1 the right to declare1 to a 
certain extent1 how that property shall 
be applied4 ,rules have been            
established--very proper and judicious  
rules for to-day4 ,but who knows that a 
hundred years hence they will be proper 
or acceptable at all8 ,they have also   
established a board of trustees1        
ultimately to be reduced to twenty-five4
 ,these trustees have power to          
perpetuate themselves4 ,who does not see
 that you have severed this institution 
from the public sentiment of the city of
 ,norwich1 and that ultimately that city
 will seek for itself what it needs2 and
 that1 a hundred years hence1 it will   
not consent to live1 in the civilization
 of that time1 under the regulations    
which forty men have now established1   
however wise the regulations may at the 
present moment be8  ,one hundred and    
fifty years ago1 ,thomas ,hollis1 of    
,london1 made a bequest to the          
university at ,cambridge1 with a        

provision that on every ,thursday a     
professor should sit in his chair to    
answer questions in polemic theology4   
,all well enough then2 but the public   
sentiment of to-day will not carry it   
out4  ,so it may be with the school at  
,norwich a hundred years hence4 ,the man
 or state that sacrifices the living    
public judgment to the opinion of a dead
 man1 or a dead generation1 makes a     
great mistake4 ,we should never         
substitute1 beyond the power of revisal1
 the opinion of a past generation for   
the opinion of a living generation4 ,i  
trust to the living men of to-day as to 
what is necessary to meet our existing  
wants1 rather than to the wisest men who
 lived in ,greece or ,rome4 ,and1 if ,i 
would not trust the wise men of ,greece 
and ,rome1 ,i do not know why the       
people1 a hundred years hence1 should   
trust the wise men of our own time4     
,and then look further1 and see how1    
under a system of public instruction1   
you can build up1 from year to year1 in 

the growth of the child1 a system       
according to his wants4 ,private        
instruction cannot do this4 ,what do we 
do where we have a correct system8 ,a   
child goes into a primary school4 ,he is
 not to go out when he attains a certain
 age4 ,he might as well go out when he  
is of a certain height2 there would be  
as much merit in one case as in the     
other4 ,but he is advanced when he has  
made adequate attainments4 ,who does not
 see that the child is incited and      
encouraged and stimulated by every      
sentiment to which you should appeal8   
,and1 then1 when he has gone up to the  
grammar school1 we say to him1 ,you are 
to go into the high school when you have
 made certain attainments4 ,and who is  
to judge of these attainments8 ,a       
committee appointed by the people1 over 
whom the people have some ultimate      
control4 ,and in that control they have 
security for two things3 first1 that the
 committee shall not be suspected of    
partiality2 and secondly1 that they     

shall not be actually guilty of         
partiality4 ,in the same manner1 there  
is security for the proper connection   
between the high school and the schools 
below4 ,but in the school at            
,norwich--of which ,i speak because it  
is now prominent--you have a board of   
twenty-five men1 irresponsible to the   
people4 ,they select a committee of     
nine2 that committee determines what    
candidates shall be transferred from the
 grammar schools to the high school4    
,may there not be suspicion of          
partiality8 ,if a boy or girl is        
rejected1 you look for some social1     
political1 or religious influence which 
has caused the rejection1 and the parent
 and child complain4 ,here is a great   
evil2 for the real and apparent justice 
of the examination and decision by which
 pupils are transferred from one school 
to another is vital to the success of   
the system4  ,there is another advantage
 in the system of public high schools1  
which ,i imagine the people do not      

always at first appreciate4 ,it is1 that
 the private school1 with the same      
teachers1 the same apparatus1 and the   
same means1 cannot give the education   
which may be1 and usually is1 furnished 
in the public schools4 ,this statement  
may seem to require some considerable   
support4 ,we must look at facts as they 
are4 ,some people are poor2 ,i am sorry 
for them4 ,some people are rich1 and ,i 
congratulate them upon their good       
fortune4 ,but it is not so much of a    
benefit1 after all1 as many think4 ,it  
is worth something in this world1 no    
doubt1 to be rich2 but what is the      
result of that condition upon the family
 first1 the school afterwards1 and      
society finally8 ,it is1 that some learn
 the lesson of life a little earlier    
than others2 and that lesson is the     
lesson of self-reliance1 which is worth 
more than--,i will not say a knowledge  
of the ,english language--but worth more
 than ,latin or ,greek4 ,if the great   
lesson of self-reliance is to be        

learned1 who is more likely to acquire  
it early1--the child of the poor1 or the
 child of the rich2 the child who has   
most done for him1 or the child who is  
under the necessity of doing most for   
himself8 ,plainly1 the latter4 ,now1    
while a system of public instruction in 
itself cannot be magnified in its       
beneficial influences to the poor and to
 the children of the poor1 it is equally
 beneficial to the rich in the facility 
it affords for the instruction of their 
children4 ,is it not worth something to 
the rich man1 who cannot1 from the      
circumstances of the case1 teach        
self-reliance around the family hearth1 
to send his child to school to learn    
this lesson with other children1 that he
 may be stimulated1 that he may be      
provoked to exertions which he would not
 otherwise have made8 ,for1 be it       
remembered that in our schools public   
sentiment is as well marked as in a     
college1 or a town1 or a nation2 that it
 moves forward in the same way4 ,and the

 great object of a teacher should be to 
create a public sentiment in favor of   
virtue4 ,there should be some pioneers  
in favor of forming a correct public    
sentiment2 and when it is formed it     
moves on irresistibly4 ,it is like the  
river made up of drops from the mountain
 side1 moving on with more and more     
power1 until everything in its waters is
 carried to the destined end4  ,so in a 
public school4 ,and it is worth much to 
the man of wealth that there may be1    
near his own door1 an institution to    
which he may send his children1 and     
under the influence of which they may be
 carried forward4 ,for1 depend upon it1 
after all we say about schools and      
institutions of learning1 it is         
nevertheless true of education1 as a    
statesman has said of the government1   
that the people look to the school for  
too much4 ,it is not1 after all1 a great
 deal that the child gets there2 but1 if
 he only gets the ability to acquire    
more than he has1 the schools accomplish

 something4 ,if you give a child a      
little knowledge of geography or        
arithmetic1 and have not developed the  
power to accomplish something for       
himself1 he comes to but little in the  
world4 ,but put him into the            
school1--the primary1 grammar1 and high 
school1 where he must learn for         
himself1--and he will be fitted for the 
world of life into which he is to enter4
  ,you will see in this statement that1 
with the same parties1 the same means of
 education1 the same teachers1 the      
public schools will accomplish more than
 private schools4  ,i find everywhere1  
and especially in the able address of   
,mr4 ,gulliver1 to which ,i have        
referred1 that the public schools are   
treated as of questionable morality1 and
 it is implied that something would be  
gained by removing certain children from
 the influence of these schools4 ,if ,i 
were speaking from another point of     
view1 very likely ,i should feel bound  
to hold up the evils and defects which  

actually exist in public schools2 but   
when ,i consider them in contrast with  
endowed and private schools1 ,i do not  
hesitate to say that the public schools 
compare favorably2 and1 as the work of  
education goes on1 the comparison will  
be more and more to their advantage4    
,why8 ,i know something of the private  
institutions in ,massachusetts2 and     
there are boys in them who have left the
 public schools because they have fallen
 in their classes1 and the public       
interest would not justify their        
continuance in the schools4 ,it was     
always true that private schools did not
 represent the world exactly as it was4 
,it is worth everything to a boy or     
girl1 man or woman1 to look the world in
 the face as it is4  ,therefore1 the    
public school1 when it represents the   
world as it is1 represents the facts of 
life4 ,the private school never has done
 and never will do this2 and as time    
goes on1 it will be less and less a true
 representative of the world4 ,from this

 point of view1 it seems to be a mistake
 on the part of parents to exclude their
 children from the world4 ,is it not    
better that the child should learn      
something of society1 even of its evils1
 when under your influence1 and when you
 can control him by your counsel and    
example1 than to permit him finally to  
go out1 as you must when his majority   
comes1 perhaps to be seduced in a       
moment1 as it were1 from his allegiance 
to virtue8 ,virtue is not exclusion from
 the presence of vice2 but it is        
resistance to vice in its presence4 ,and
 it is the duty of parents to provide   
safeguards for the support of their     
children against these temptations4     
,when ,cicero was called on to defend   
,muraena against the slander that1 as he
 had lived in ,asia1 he had been guilty 
of certain crimes1 and when the         
testimony failed to substantiate the    
charge1 the orator said1 ,and if ,asia  
does carry with it a suspicion of       
luxury1 surely it is a praiseworthy     

thing1 not never to have seen ,asia1 but
 to have lived temperately in ,asia4    
,and we have yet higher authority4 ,it  
is not the glory of ,christ1 or of      
,christianity1 that its ,divine ,author 
was without temptation1 but that1 being 
tempted1 he was without sin4 ,this is   
the great lesson of the day4  ,the duty 
of the public is to provide means for   
the education of all4 ,to do that1 we   
need the political1 social1 and moral   
power of all1 to sustain teachers and   
institutions of learning2 and1 endowed  
or free schools1 depending upon the     
contributions of individuals1 can never1
 in a free country1 be raised to the    
character of a system4 ,if you rob the  
public schools of the influence of our  
public-spirited men1 if they take away a
 portion of their pupils from them1 our 
system is impaired4 ,it must stand as a 
whole1 educating the entire people1 and 
looking to all for support1 or it cannot
 be permanently maintained4     ,,the   
,,high ,,school ,,system4  ,an ,address 

delivered at the ,dedication of the     
,powers ,institute1 ,bernardston4       
,there cannot be a more gratifying      
spectacle than the universal homage     
offered to education and to the young4  
,childhood is attractive in itself2 and 
it is peculiarly an object of solicitude
 for its promises concerning the future4
 ,hence the labors of philanthropists1  
reformers1 and ,christians1 as well as  
of teachers1 are devoted to the culture 
and improvement of the rising           
generation1 as the chief security       
possible for the prevalence of better   
ideas in the state and in the world4    
,massachusetts has been peculiarly      
favored in the means of education2 and  
we ought ever to recognize the divine   
influence in the wisdom which led our   
fathers to lay the foundations of a     
system that contemplated the education  
of the whole people4 ,the power of this 
great idea1 universal education1 has not
 been limited to ,massachusetts2 the    
states of the ,west1 the states of the  

,south1 receive it as the basis of a    
wise public policy2 and had our         
ancestors contributed nothing else to   
the glory of the republic1 they would   
yet be entitled to the distinguished    
consideration of every age and people4  
,the vigor of our culture and the       
hardihood of our institutions are more  
manifest out of ,massachusetts than in  
it4 ,the immigrant in his new home in   
the great valley of prairies1 on the    
northern shores of the ,american lakes1 
in ,oregon1 ,california1 or the islands 
of the ,pacific1 invokes the spirit of  
,new ,england in the establishment of a 
free church and a free school4 ,and in  
the spirit and discipline of ,new       
,england1 the thoughts of her sons are  
turned homeward in adversity1 seeking   
consolation at the sources of early1    
vigorous1 and happy life2 or1 in        
prosperity1 that they may offer1 in     
gratitude to man and to ,god1 some      
tribute1 always noble1 however humble1  
to the principles and institutions that 

first formed their characters1 and then 
controlled their destiny2 or1 in old    
age1 the wanderer1 like ,jacob in       
,egypt1 with his blessing upon the      
tribes and families of men1 says1 ,i am 
to be gathered unto my people2 bury me  
with my fathers4 ,this occasion and its 
honors are due to the memory of him     
whose name this institution bears2 and  
his last will and testament is an       
illustration1 or rather the cause1 of   
these prefatory remarks4 ,as the        
reasonably extended and eminently       
prosperous life of your wise benefactor 
approached its close1 he1 in the        
principles of ,old ,england and of ,new 
,england1 ordered and directed the      
payment of all his just debts2 and then1
 secondly1 expressed the wish1 if       
practicable1 to be buried by the side of
 his parents in the cemetery at         
,bernardston4 ,first justice1 and then  
affection for parents1 kindred1 and     
home1 animated the vital1 never-dying   
soul1 as the life of the body ebbed and 

flowed1 and flowed and ebbed1 to flow no
 more4 ,for every good the ancients     
imagined and named a divinity2 and there
 is in every good something divine4  ,we
 do not deify the living nor the dead2  
yet such foundations and institutions as
 the ,lawrence ,scientific ,school1 the 
,peabody ,institute1 the ,powers        
,institute1 will bear to a grateful     
posterity a knowledge of the virtues of 
their respective founders1 and of the   
exactness1 rectitude1 and wisdom1 of the
 public sentiment which religiously     
consecrates the means provided to the   
ends proposed4  ,but just eulogy of the 
dead is the appropriate duty of those   
who were the associates and friends of  
the founder of this school4--,it will be
 my purpose1 in the humble part ,i take 
in the services of this honored         
occasion1 to point out1 as ,i may be    
able1 the connection between learning   
and wisdom1 and then1 by the aid of some
 general remarks upon education1 to     
examine the fitness of this foundation1 

and the rules here established1 to      
promote human progress and virtue4  ,the
 actual available power of a state is in
 its adult population2 but its hope is  
in the classes of children and youth    
whose plastic minds yield to good       
influences1 and are moulded to higher   
forms of beauty than have been conceived
 by ,italian or ,grecian art4           
,excellence is always adorable and to be
 adored4 ,if it appear in beauty of     
person1 it commands our admiration2 and 
how much more ought wisdom1 which is the
 beauty of the mind and the excellency  
of the soul1 to be cultivated and       
cherished by every human being6 ,for    
what is there1 ,o1 ye gods6 says        
,cicero1 more desirable than wisdom8    
,what more excellent and lovely in      
itself8 ,what more useful and becoming  
for a man8 ,or what more worthy of his  
reasonable nature8  ,but wisdom cannot  
be acquired in a day1 nor without       
devotion and toil4 ,it is the           
achievement of a life4 ,it is to be     

pursued carefully through schools1      
colleges1 and the world1--to be mastered
 by study1 intense thought1 rigid mental
 discipline1 and an extensive           
acquaintance with the best authors of   
ancient and modern times4 ,it is not the
 child of ease1 indolence1 or luxury2   
and it is well that it is not1 ,the best
 of human possessions are cheapened     
their attainment is no longer difficult4
 ,the wealth of ,california and         
,australia has made silver1 as an       
article of luxury1 the rival of gold2   
and the pearl loses its beauty when the 
mountain streams are as fertile as the  
depths of the sea4 ,wisdom comprehends  
learning1 but learning is often found   
where wisdom is wanting4 ,wisdom is not 
accomplishment in study1 or perfection  
in art1 or supremacy in poetry or       
eloquence4 ,learning is essential to    
wisdom1 for we cannot imagine a wise man
 who is not also a learned man2 and the 
extent and soundness of his learning may
 be a measure of his wisdom4 ,wisdom    

must always have a basis of learning1   
but learning is not always a basis of   
wisdom4 ,learning is a knowledge of     
particulars1 of details2 wisdom is such 
a combination of these particulars as   
enables us to harmonize our lives with  
the laws of nature and of ,god4         
,learning is manifested in what we know2
 wisdom in what we are1 based upon what 
we know4 ,philosophy1 even1 is love for 
wisdom rather than wisdom itself4 ,the  
old philosophers defined wisdom to be   
the knowledge of things1 both divine and
 human1 together with the causes on     
which they depend2 and in the proverb of
 ,solomon1 ,the fear of the ,lord is the
 instruction of wisdom4 ,purity1 truth1 
and justice1 are also of its foundation4
 ,wise men of the ,jewish and ,pagan    
world built on this foundation1 and the 
,christian can build on none other4     
,having combined learning with these    
essential virtues1 a liberal1           
symmetrical1 comprehensive character may
 be built up4 ,in the formation of such 

a character1 industry1 powers of        
observation1 strength of will and       
intellectual humility1 are requisite4   
,the virtue and the glory of industry   
cannot be presented too often to the    
young4 ,i know of no worldly good or    
human excellence that can be attained   
without it2 nor is there any inherited  
possession of name1 or wealth1 or       
position1 that can be preserved in its  
extent and quality without active1      
systematic1 judicious labor4  ,it is not
 necessary to consider industry as      
habitual diligence in a pursuit1 manual 
or intellectual2 but rather as a        
judicious arrangement of business and   
recreation1 so as always to have time   
for the necessary duties of life4 ,mere 
diligence is not industry in a good     
sense2 it is labor in a bad sense4 ,our 
time should be systematically           
appropriated to our employments1 and    
each measure of time should be equal to 
the work or duty appointed for it4      
,moreover1 each work or duty should be  

accomplished in its appointed time2 and 
this can be secured only by a strong    
will4 ,the power of will admits of      
education1 culture1 improvement1 as much
 as any faculty of the mind or quality  
of character4 ,a fickle1 planless life  
cannot accomplish much4 ,system in our  
plans1 and firmness of will in their    
execution1 will place us beyond the     
reach of ordinary disasters2 yet how    
often do young men go through a course  
of school studies without a plan1 even  
for the moment1 and enter upon life the 
slaves of chance1 the victims of what   
they call fortune1 while they might by  
industry1 system and firmness of will1  
rise superior to circumstances1 and     
extort a measure of success not unworthy
 of a noble ambition6  ,idleness is a   
wasting disease1 a consuming fire1 a    
destroying demon2 in youth it is a      
calamity1 in the vigor of manhood it is 
a disgrace and a sin1 and in old age it 
can be honorably accepted only as the   
symbol of reflective leisure earned by a

 life of industry and virtue4 ,industry 
is a badge of honor1 an introduction    
everywhere to the true nobility of the  
world1 the security that each may take  
of the future for his own happiness and 
prosperity in it4  ,cardinal1 personal  
virtues shrink and wither1 or are       
blasted and die1 in the company of      
idleness2 and1 without firmness of will1
 the noblest principles and purest      
sentiments sometimes wear the livery of 
vice1 and often they give encouragement 
to it4 ,good principles1 good purposes1 
good ideas1 are made fruitful by a      
strong resolution2 while without it they
 are like bubbles of water1 brilliant in
 the sun-light1 but destined to collapse
 by the changing1 silent force of the   
medium in which they float4 ,and can any
 life1 not positively vicious and       
criminal1 be less desirable than that of
 the young man who quietly accepts      
whatever condition circumstances assign 
to him8 ,i speak now of his moral and   
intellectual condition rather than of   

his social position among men4 ,the     
latter is not in itself important1 and  
only becomes so through the exhibition  
of high qualities of mind and character4
 ,social and political consideration we 
cannot demand as a right2 but we may    
acquire knowledge1 develop qualities of 
character1 give evidences of wisdom that
 entitle us to the respect of our       
fellows4  ,it may be agreeable1 but it  
is not absolutely essential1 for us to  
enjoy the public confidence1 or even the
 public consideration2 though we can be 
happy ourselves only when we are        
conscious of not being totally unworthy4
 ,but no social or political concession 
or consideration is acceptable to a     
noble mind1 that is grudgingly yielded  
or doubtingly bestowed2 and the lustre  
of great intellects is dimmed when they 
become subservient to claims that they  
despise4  ,but can we acquire a         
knowledge of things1 either divine or   
human1 unless we cultivate our powers of
 observation8 ,partial or inaccurate    

observation1 especially of natural      
things1 is a great defect of character2 
and in ,new ,england1 where the aim of  
educators and of the public in matters  
of education is elevated1 a remedy for  
this defect ought at once to be sought  
and applied4 ,our ideas are vague       
concerning many subjects of common sight
 and common observation4 ,is adult life1
 even among the educated classes1 equal 
to a description of the common animals1 
trees1 fruits and flowers8 ,who will    
paint with words the elm or the oak so  
that its species will be known while the
 name is withheld8 ,the introduction of 
drawing into the schools will improve   
the power of observation among the      
people1 especially if the pupils are    
required to make nature their model4    
,and this should always be done4 ,o1 how
 is education belittled and the mind    
dwarfed by those teachers who keep their
 pupils' thoughts upon signs and        
definitions1 when they ought to deal    
continually with the facts1 things and  

life of the world6 ,it is no fable that 
a student of the higher mathematics1    
when his master1 a practical engineer   
upon the ,boston water-works1 required  
his services1 exclaimed1 ,i had no idea 
that you had sines and tangents out of  
doors4 ,with such1        ,nothing goes 
for sense or light      ,that will not  
with old rules jump right2      ,as if  
rules were not in the schools           
,derived from truth1 but truth from     
rules4   ,and ,butler1 in his satirical 
description of ,sir ,hudibras1 ascribes 
to his hero more practical philosophy   
than he appears to have intended1 and   
more1 certainly1 than is found in some  
modern systems of education3        ,in 
mathematics he was greater      ,than   
,tycho ,brahe or ,erra ,pater2      ,for
 he1 by geometric scale1      ,could    
take the size of pots of ale2           
,resolve by sines and tangents straight1
      ,if bread or butter wanted weight2
      ,and wisely tell what hour o' th' 
day      ,the clock does strike1 by     

algebra4   ,another prerequisite of     
wisdom is intellectual humility1        
,solomon1 says1 ,before honor is        
humility2 and humility is before wisdom1
 and even before learning4 ,we ought not
 to be ashamed of involuntary ignorance4
 ,franklin1 when asked how he came to   
know so much1 replied1 ,by never being  
ashamed to ask a question4  ,it is idle 
for any one to imagine that there is    
nothing more for him to learn4 ,indeed1 
such a theory is good evidence of       
defective education and limited         
attainments1 if not of a defective      
mental and moral structure4             
,naturalists delight and instruct their 
pupils and auditors with the wonderful  
truths folded in the flower1 garnered in
 the plant1 or imprisoned in the rock4  
,yet how much more there must be of     
,god's wisdom in the humblest of the    
beings created in his image6 ,there are 
distinctions among men2 and out of these
 distinctions come the truth and the    
necessity that each may be both a       

teacher and a pupil of every other4 ,no 
man1 however learned he may be1 does    
know or can know all that is known by   
his neighbor1 though that neighbor be   
the humblest of shepherds or of         
fishermen4 ,we are not independent of   
each other in anything4 ,the earnest and
 faithful disciple of wisdom goes       
through life everywhere diffusing       
knowledge1 and everywhere gathering it  
up4 ,over the great gateway of life is  
the inscription1 ,none but learners     
enter here2 and along its paths and in  
its groves are tablets1 on which is     
written1 ,none but learners sojourn     
here4 ,he is a poor teacher who is not a
 learner1 and he is but little of a     
learner who is not something of a       
teacher also4 ,the best teachers are    
they who are pupils1 and the best pupils
 are already teachers4 ,such was the    
real and avowed character of the great  
teachers of antiquity2 such is the best 
practice of modern continental ,europe1 
and such is the requirement of nature in

 all ages4 ,he who does not learn cannot
 teach4 ,socrates professed to know only
 this1 that he knew nothing4 ,plato was 
a disciple of ,socrates and ,euclid2 a  
pupil in the school of ,pythagoras2 and1
 as a traveller1 under the disguise of a
 merchant and a seller of oil1 he       
visited ,egypt1 and thus gained a       
knowledge of astronomy1 and added       
something to his learning in other      
departments4 ,he numbered among his     
pupils ,isocrates1 ,lycurgus1           
,aristotle1 and ,demosthenes2 and for   
eight years ,alexander the ,great was   
the pupil of ,aristotle1 while          
,demosthenes        ,wielded at will    
that fierce ,democratie1      ,shook the
 arsenal1 and fulmined over ,greece     
,to ,macedon1 and ,artaxerxes' throne4  
,thus we trace ,demosthenes and         
,alexander1 the master spirits in the   
struggle of ,grecian independence       
against ,macedonian supremacy1 through  
teachers and culture up to ,socrates1   
the wanderer in the streets1 and the    

disturber of the peace of ,athens4  ,it 
is stated that a distinguished modern   
philosopher often says1 ,i don't know1  
when the curiosity or science of his    
pupils suggests questions that he has   
not considered4 ,if we respect and      
admire the wisdom of the wise1 how ought
 we to be humbled1 intellectually1 by   
the reflection that the unknown far     
exceeds the known1 and that all become  
as little children when they enter the  
temple of the sages6 ,the ancients      
prized schools1 teachers1 and learning1 
because they were essential to wisdom2  
and wisdom enabled them to live         
temperately1 justly1 and happily1 in the
 present world2 while we prize schools1 
teachers1 and learning1 because they    
contribute to what we call success in   
life4 ,the population of ,new ,england1 
is composed of skilful artisans1        
intelligent merchants1 shrewd or        
eloquent lawyers1 industrious and       
intelligent farmers2 and to these       
results our system of education is too  

exclusively subservient4 ,these results 
are not to be condemned1 nor are the    
processes by which they are secured to  
be neglected4 ,but our schools ought to 
do something always and for every one1  
for the full development of a character 
that is essential to artisans1          
merchants1 lawyers1 or farmers4         
,learning should not be prized merely as
 an aid to the daily work of            
life1--though this it properly is and   
ever ought to be1--but for its expansive
 power in the mind and soul1 by which we
 attain to a more perfect knowledge of  
things human and divine4 ,there are many
 persons who accomplish satisfactorily  
the tasks assigned them1 but who do not 
always comprehend the processes of life1
 in its political1 social1 literary1    
scientific and industrial relations1 by 
which the affairs of the world are      
guided4  ,something of this is due1     
speaking of ,america1 and especially of 
,new ,england1 to the universal desire  
to be engaged in active business4 ,young

 men destined for the farm or the shop1 
the counting-house or the store1 leave  
home and school so early that their     
apprenticeship is ended long before     
their majority commences2 and they are  
thus prepared to enter early and        
vigorously upon the business of life4   
,this course has its advantages1 and it 
is also attended by many evils4 ,our    
youth have but little opportunity for   
observation1 and a great deal of time   
for experience4 ,they fall into mistakes
 that should have been observed1 and    
consequently shunned4 ,moreover1 this   
custom tends to make business men too   
exclusively and rigidly technical and   
professional2 that is1 in plain         
language1 speaking relatively1 they know
 too much of their own vocation1 and too
 little of everything else4 ,business   
life follows so closely upon home life  
and school life1 that the lessons of the
 latter fail to exert an immediate and  
controlling influence1 and it is often  
only in maturer years that the fruits of

 early training are seen4 ,the          
connection is such that the boy or youth
 becomes a devotee of business before he
 is developed into complete manhood4    
,this is movement1 but not true         
progress2 activity1 but not culture2    
appropriation and accumulation1 but not 
natural development4 ,this peculiarity  
is less prominent in ,england1 and it is
 hardly known in the central states of  
,europe4 ,it is to some extent a        
national1 and especially is it a ,new   
,england characteristic4 ,it is a       
manifestation of the forward moving     
spirit of our people1 and it is also at 
once a promise and the security for the 
ultimate supremacy of the ,american race
 and nation in the affairs of the world4
 ,in ,athens young men attained their   
majority when they were sixteen2 but    
they usually prosecuted their studies   
afterwards1 and ,aristotle thought them 
unfit for marriage until they were      
thirty-seven years of age4 ,this rule   
was observed by ,aristotle in his own   

case2 but we are unable to say whether  
the rule was made before or after his   
marriage1 which is a fact of much       
importance when we consider the wisdom  
of the precept1 and the real principles 
and philosophy of its famous author4    
,moreover1 regardless of one-half of    
creation1 he has neither stated the age 
at which females are marriageable1 nor  
given us that of his own wife4 ,this    
neglect justly detracts from his        
authority2 and it will not be strange if
 young men and women view with distrust 
an opinion that is so manifestly partial
 and one-sided4 ,if schools make merely 
learned people1 in a narrow and         
technical sense1 they are not doing     
their whole work4 ,such learning makes  
an efficient population1 which is       
certainly desirable2 but it ought also  
to be a well-educated population in a   
broad1 comprehensive1 philosophic sense4
 ,by the force of nature and the        
developing influences of society1       
including the church1 the school1 and   

the home1 we ought first to be educated 
men and women1 and then apply that      
education to the particular work we have
 in hand4 ,by learning1 in this         
connection1 ,i do not mean the learning 
of ,agassiz as a naturalist1 the        
learning of ,choate as a lawyer1 or the 
learning of ,everett as an orator2 but a
 more general and less minute culture1  
by which men are prepared to form an    
accurate judgment upon subjects that    
usually attract public attention4  ,in  
the gardens of the wealthy1 we often see
 peach-trees and pear-trees trained     
against brick or stone walls1 to which  
they are attached by substantial thongs4
 ,these trees are carefully and         
systematically trained1 and they are    
trained so as to accomplish certain     
results4 ,they present a large surface1 
in proportion to the whole1 to the sun  
and air2 in addition to the direct rays 
of the sun1 they receive the reflected  
and accumulated heat of the walls to    
which they are fastened2 and they       

furnish ripe fruit much in advance of   
trees in the gardens and fields of the  
common farmers4 ,here art and nature1 in
 brick walls1 manure1 the germinating   
power of the peach or pear1 and rigid   
training and pruning1 have produced very
 good machines for the manufacture of   
fruit2 but for the full-grown1          
symmetrically developed tree1 or even   
for the choicest fruit in its season1 we
 must look elsewhere4 ,and who does not 
perceive1 if all the trees of the       
gardens1 fields1 and forests1 were      
treated in the same way1 that the world 
would be deprived of a part of its      
beauty and glory1 and that many species 
of trees would soon become extinct8 ,who
 would not give back the luscious pear  
and peach to their native acritude1     
rather than subject the highest forms of
 vegetable life to such irreverence8    
,and1 upon reflection1 we shall say that
 such cruelty to inanimate life can be  
justified only as we justify the        
naturalist who dexterously and suddenly 

extracts a vital organ from a reptile1  
that he may observe the effect upon that
 form of animal existence4  ,but the    
tree is not to be left in its native    
state4 ,by culture its growth is so     
aided1 that it is first and always a    
tree after its own kind1 whether it be  
peach1 pear1 apple1 elm1 or oak2 at once
 ornamental and graceful1 stately or    
majestic1 according to the germinating  
principle which diffuses itself through 
each individual creation4 ,for the earth
 bringeth forth fruit of herself2 first 
the blade1 then the ear1 after that the 
full corn in the ear4 ,so in the human  
heart1 mind1 and soul1 nature bringeth  
forth fruit of herself2 and it is the   
work of schools and teachers to aid     
nature in developing a full and         
attractive character1 that shall yield  
fruit while all its powers are enlarged 
and strengthened1 as the almond in the  
peach is not only more luscious in its  
fruit1 but more graceful in its         
branches4 ,culture1 in a broad sense1 is

 the aid rendered to each individual    
creation in its work of                 
self-improvement4 ,it is not a noble and
 generous culture which dwarfs the tree 
that early ripened or peculiarly        
flavored fruit may be obtained2 and it  
is not a noble and generous culture of  
the child which forces into unnatural   
activity certain faculties or powers    
that surprise us by their precocity1 or 
excite wonder by the skill exhibited in 
their use4 ,rather let the child grow1  
expand1 mature1 according to the law of 
its own being1 giving it only           
encouragement and example1 which are the
 light and air of mental and moral life4
 ,i am not conscious that any one has   
given us a philosophical1 logical system
 of development1 that relates to the    
physical1 intellectual1 and moral       
character2 and to-day ,i state the      
educational want in this particular1 but
 ,i do not attempt to supply it4 ,yet in
 nature such a system there must be1 and
 only powers of observation are needed  

that we may avail ourselves of it4 ,and 
in stating this want more particularly1 
,i offer1 as my first suggestion1 the   
opinion1 common among educators1 that1  
speaking generally and with reference to
 a system1 we have no physical training 
whatever4  ,in the days of our          
ancestors1 one hundred or two hundred   
years ago1 this training1 as a part of a
 system of education1 was not needed4   
,we had no cities1 and but few large    
towns4 ,agriculture and the ruder forms 
of mechanical labor were the chief      
occupations of the people4 ,populous    
cities1 narrow streets1 dark lanes1     
cellar habitations1 crowded workshops1  
over-filled and over-heated factories1  
and the number of sedentary pursuits    
that tax and wear and destroy the       
physical powers1 and undermine the moral
 and mental1 were unknown4 ,these are   
the attendants of our civilization1 and 
they have brought a melancholy train of 
evils with them4 ,in the seventeenth    
century1 men perished from exposure1    

from ignorance of the laws of health1   
from the prevalence of malignant        
diseases that defied the science of the 
times2 and1 as a consequence1 the       
average length of human life was not    
greater than it now is4 ,at present1    
there is but little exposure that is    
followed by fatal results2 malignant    
diseases are deprived of many of their  
terrors2 rules of living1 founded upon  
scientific principles1 are accessible to
 all2 and yet we daily meet young men   
and women who are manifestly unequal to 
the lot that is before them4 ,in some   
cases1 the sin of the parent is visited 
upon the children1 and the measure of   
life meted out to them is limited and   
insufficient4 ,in other cases1 the      
individuals1 first yielding in their own
 persons1 are the victims of positive   
vice1 or of some of the evils stated4   
,civilization is not an unmixed good2   
and we cannot offer to the city or the  
factory any adequate compensation for   
the loss of pure water1 pure air1 and   

the healthful exercise of body1 which   
may be enjoyed in the country villages  
and agricultural districts of the state4
  ,yet even in cities and large towns   
the culture of home and school should   
diminish these evils2 and it is a       
pleasure to believe that our system of  
domestic and public education is doing  
something at the present moment in      
behalf of the too much neglected body2  
but nowhere1 either in city or country1 
do we observe the evidences of juvenile 
health and strength that a friend of the
 race would desire to see4 ,and it is1  
,i fear1 specially true of schools1 and 
to some extent it is true of teachers1  
as a class1 that too little attention is
 given to those exercises and habits    
which secure good health4 ,there are    
many causes which tend to lower the     
average health and strength of our      
people4 #ast4 ,the practice of sending  
children to school at the tender age of 
five1 four1 or even three years4 ,every 
school necessarily imposes some         

restraint upon the pupils2 and ,i assume
 that no child under five years of age  
should be subject to such restraints4   
,but the education of the child is not1 
therefore1 to be neglected4 ,parents1   
brothers and sisters1 may all do        
something for the young inquirer2 but he
 should never have lessons imposed1 nor 
be subject to the rules of a school of  
any description4 ,the moment of his     
admission must be determined by         
circumstances1 and the force of the     
circumstances must be judged of by      
parents4 ,if a child is blessed with    
kind1 considerate1 intelligent parents1 
the first eight years of his life can be
 spent nowhere else as profitably as at 
home4 ,the true mother is the model     
teacher4 ,no other person can ever      
acquire the control over her off-spring 
that is her own rightful possession4    
,when she neglects the trust confided to
 her1 she is guilty of a serious wrong2 
and when she transfers it to another1   
she takes upon herself a greater        

responsibility than she yields up4 ,the 
instinctive judgment of the world cannot
 be an erroneous judgment4 ,the mother  
has always1 to a great extent1 been made
 responsible for the child2 and the     
honor of his virtues or the disgrace of 
his crimes has been traced through him  
to her4  #b;dly4 ,some portion of every 
school-day should be systematically and 
strictly devoted to recreation1 physical
 exercise and manual labor2 and the     
hours given to study ought to be defined
 and limited4 ,some persons say1 ,let a 
child study as much as he will1 there is
 time enough to play4 ,this may be      
generally true1 but it is not           
universally so4 ,i cannot but think that
 the practice of assigning lessons and  
giving the pupil the free use of the    
four-and-twenty hours is a bad practice4
 ,would it not be better to give to each
 pupil certain hours for study8--assign 
him lessons1 by topics if possible1     
allow him to do what he can in the      
allotted time1 and then prohibit the    

appropriation of an additional minute8  
,why should a dull scholar1 or one who  
has but little taste or talent for a    
given study1 be required to plod twelve1
 sixteen1 or eighteen hours at unwelcome
 tasks1 while another more favored      
disposes of his work in six8 ,why should
 a pupil1 who is laboring under some    
mental or physical debility1 be required
 to apply his mind unceasingly when he  
most needs rest and recreation8 ,why    
should the pages of a spelling-book1    
grammar1 geography1 or arithmetic1 be   
the measure of each pupil's capacity8   
,lessons are to be assigned1 not        
necessarily to be mastered by the pupil1
 though they should have just reference 
to his capacity1 but as the subject of  
his studies for a given period of time4 
,the pupil should be responsible for    
nothing but the proper use of that time4
 ,two advantages might result from this 
practice4 ,first1 the pupil would       
acquire the habit of performing the     
greatest amount of labor possible in the

 given time2 and1 secondly1 he would    
naturally throw off all care for books  
and school when the hour for relaxation 
arrived4 ,if particular studies are     
assigned to specified hours1 the pupil  
must master his thoughts1 and give them 
the required direction4 ,this in itself 
is a great achievement4 ,i put it1 in   
practical value1 before any of the      
studies that are taught and learned in  
the schools4 ,the danger to which pupils
 are often exposed1 in this connection1 
is quite apparent4 ,a lesson is assigned
 for a succeeding day4 ,the attention is
 not immediately fixed upon it4 ,one    
hour passes1 and then another4 ,nothing 
is accomplished1 yet the pupil is       
continually oppressed by the            
consciousness of duty unperformed1 and  
the result is1 that he neither does what
 he ought to do1 nor does anything else4
 ,would it not be better to measure and 
assign his time1 and then require him to
 abandon all thought of the matter8     
,this practice might give our people the

 faculty and the habit of throwing off  
cares and occupations1 when they leave  
the scenes of them4 ,it is a just       
criticism upon ,american character1 that
 our business men carry their           
occupations with them wherever they go4 
,i should put high up among the elements
 of worldly success the ability to give 
assiduously1 studiously and devotedly1  
the necessary time to a subject of      
business1 and then to throw off all     
thought of it4 ,there can be no peace of
 mind for the business man who does not 
possess this quality2 and ,i think it   
will contribute essentially to a long   
life and a quiet old age4 ,no wise man  
ever attempts more than one thing at a  
time2 and the man who attempts to do    
more than one thing at a time has no    
security that he can do anything well4  
,the statements of biography and        
history1 that ,napoleon was accustomed  
to do several things at once1 rest upon 
a misconception of the operations of the
 human mind4 ,his facility for the      

direction and transaction of business   
depended upon the quality ,i am now     
considering4 ,he had the faculty of     
giving his attention1 undivided and     
strongly fixed1 to a subject for an     
hour1 half-hour1 minute1 half-minute1 or
 second1 and then of dismissing the     
matter altogether1 and directing his    
thoughts1 without loss of time1 to      
whatever next might be presented4 ,one  
thing at a time is a law which no finite
 power can violate2 and ability in      
execution depends upon the ability to   
concentrate all the powers of the mind1 
at a given moment1 upon the assigned    
topic1 and then to change1 without      
friction or loss of time1 to something  
else4  ,the institution is a high       
school1 and the question is now         
agitated1 especially in the ,state of   
,connecticut1 ,how can the advantages of
 a high school education be best        
secured8 ,this question ,i propose to   
consider4 ,and1 first1 the high school  
must be a public school4 ,a public      

school ,i understand to be a school     
established by the public1--supported   
chiefly or entirely by the public1      
controlled by the public1 and accessible
 to the public upon terms of equality   
without special charge for tuition4     
,private schools may be established and 
controlled by an individual1 or by an   
association of individuals1 who have no 
corporate rights under the government1  
but receive pupils upon terms agreed    
upon1 subject to the ordinary laws of   
the land4  ,private schools may be      
founded also by one or more persons1 and
 by them endowed with funds1 for their  
partial or entire support4 ,in such     
cases1 the founder1 through the money   
given1 has the right to prescribe the   
rules by which the school shall be      
controlled1 and also to provide for the 
appointment of its managers or trustees 
through all time4 ,in such cases1       
corporate powers are usually granted by 
the government for the management of the
 business4 ,but the chief rights of such

 an institution are derived from the    
founder1 and the facilities for their   
easy exercise and quiet enjoyment are   
derived from the state4  ,such schools  
are sometimes1 upon a superficial view1 
supposed to be public1 because they     
receive pupils upon terms of equality1  
and no rule of exclusion exists which   
does not apply to all4 ,and especially  
has it been assumed that a free school  
thus founded1 as the ,norwich ,free     
,academy1 which makes no charges for    
tuition1 and is open to all the         
inhabitants of the city1 is therefore a 
public school4 ,these institutions are  
public in their use1 but not in their   
foundation or control1 and are therefore
 not public schools4 ,the character of a
 school1 as of any eleemosynary         
institution1 is derived from the will of
 the founder2 and when the beneficial   
founder is an individual1 or a number of
 individuals less than the whole        
political organization of which the     
individuals are a part1 the institution 

is private1 whatever the rules for its  
enjoyment may be4 ,to say that a school 
is a public school because it receives  
pupils free of charge for tuition1 or   
because it receives them upon conditions
 that are applied alike to all1 is to   
deny that there are any private schools1
 for all come within the definition thus
 laid down4  ,nor is there any good     
reasoning in the statement that a school
 is public because it receives pupils   
from a large extent of country4         
,dartmouth ,college is a private school1
 though its pupils come from all the    
land or all the world2 while the ,boston
 ,latin ,school is a public school2     
though it receives those pupils only    
whose homes are within the limits of the
 city4 ,the first is a private school1  
because it was founded by ,president    
,wheelock1 and has been controlled by   
him and his successors1 holding and     
governing and enjoying through him1 from
 the first until now2 while the ,boston 
,latin ,school is a public school1      

because it was established by the city  
of ,boston1 through the votes of its    
inhabitants1 under the laws of the      
state1 and is at all times subject1 in  
its government and existence1 to the    
popular will which created it4 ,when we 
speak of the public we do not           
necessarily mean the world1 nor the     
nation1 nor even the state2 but the word
 public1 in a legal sense1 may stand for
 any legal political organization1      
territorially defined1 and intrusted in 
any degree with the administration of   
its own affairs4 ,and the public        
character of a particular school1 as the
 ,boston ,latin ,school1 for example1   
may be determined1 by a process of      
reasoning quite independent of that     
already presented4 ,the ,state of       
,massachusetts1 a complete sovereignty  
in itself1 has provided by her          
constitution and laws1 which are the    
expressed judgment of her people1 for   
the establishment of a system of public 
schools1 through the agency and action  

of the respective cities and towns of   
the commonwealth4 ,these towns and      
cities1 under the laws1 set up the      
schools2 and of course each school      
partakes of the public character which  
the action of the state1 followed by the
 corporate public action of the city or 
town1 has given to it4 ,thus it is seen 
that our public schools answer to the   
requirement already stated4 ,they are   
established by the public1 supported    
chiefly or entirely by the public1      
controlled by the public1 and accessible
 to the public upon terms of equality1  
without special charge for tuition4 ,nor
 is the public character of a school    
changed by the fact that private        
citizens may have contributed to its    
maintenance1 if such contributors do not
 assume to stand in the relation of     
founders4 ,it is well understood that   
the beneficial founder of a school is he
 who makes the first gift or bequest to 
it1 and the legal founder is the        
government which grants a charter1 or in

 any way confers upon it a corporate    
existence4 ,if a town establish a high  
school1 as in ,bernardston to-day1 and  
accept a gift or bequest1 the character 
of the school is not changed thereby4   
,mr4 ,powers did not attempt to         
establish a new school4 ,he gave the    
income of ten thousand dollars for the  
aid of schools then existing1 and for   
the aid of a school whose existence was 
already contemplated by the laws of the 
state4 ,no change has been wrought in   
your institutions2 they are still       
public1--your generous testator has only
 contributed to their support4 ,and1 in 
considering yet further the question1   
,how can the advantages of a high-school
 education be best secured8 ,i shall    
proceed to compare1 with what brevity ,i
 can command1 the public high school    
with the free high school or academy    
upon a private foundation4 ,my reasoning
 is general1 and the argument does not  
apply to all the circumstances of       
society4 ,it is not everywhere possible 

to establish a public high school4 ,in  
some cases the population may not be    
sufficient1 in others there may not be  
adequate wealth1 and in others there may
 not be an elevated public sentiment    
equal to the emergency4 ,in such        
circumstances1 those who desire         
education must obtain it in the best    
manner possible2 and academies1 whether 
free or not1 and private schools1       
whether endowed or not1 should be       
thankfully accepted and encouraged4 ,nor
 will high schools meet all the wants of
 society4 ,there must always be a place 
for classical schools1 scientific       
schools1 professional schools1 which1 in
 their respective courses of study1     
either anticipate or follow1 in the     
career of the student1 his four years of
 college life4 ,with these conditions   
and limitations stated1 the point ,i    
seek to establish is that a public high 
school can do the work usually done in  
such institutions more faithfully1      
thoroughly1 and economically1 than it   

can be done anywhere else4  #ast4 ,the  
supervision of the public school is more
 responsible1 and consequently more     
perfect4 ,in private schools1 academies 
and free high schools which are endowed1
 there is a board of trustees1 who      
perpetuate1 as a corporation1 their own 
existence4 ,each member is elected for  
life1 and he is not only not responsible
 to the public1 but he is not even      
responsible1 except in extraordinary    
cases1 to his associates4               
,responsibility is1 in all governments1 
the security taken for fidelity4 ,the   
election of representatives1 in the     
state or national legislature1 for life1
 would be esteemed a great and dangerous
 innovation4  ,it maybe said that boards
 of trustees are usually better         
qualified to manage a school than the   
committees elected by the respective    
cities and towns4 ,judged as            
individuals1 this is probably true2     
though upon this point ,i prefer to     
admit a claim rather than to express an 

opinion4 ,but positively incompetent    
school committees are the exception in  
,massachusetts2 usually the people make 
the selection from their best men4 ,but 
in the public school you get the        
immediate1 direct supervision of the    
public4 ,not merely in the election of  
committees1 but in a daily interest and 
vigilance whose results are freely      
disclosed to the superintending         
committee1 as every inhabitant feels    
that his contribution1 as a tax-payer1  
gives him the right to judge the        
character of the school1 and makes it   
his duty to report its defects to those 
charged with its management4 ,the real  
defects of a school1 especially of a    
high school1 will be first discovered by
 pupils2 and they are likely to report  
these defects to their parents4 ,in the 
case of the endowed private school1 the 
parent feels that he buys whatever the  
trustees have to sell1 or takes as a    
gift whatever they have to offer free2  
and he does not1 logically nor as a     

matter of fact1 infer from either of    
these relations his right to participate
 in the government of the school4 ,in   
one case you have the observation1 the  
judgment1 the supervision1 of the whole 
community2 in the other case you have   
the learning and judgment of five1      
seven1 ten1 or twelve men4  #b;dly4 ,the
 faithfulness of the teacher is very    
much dependent upon the supervision to  
which he is subject4 ,this is only      
saying that the teacher is human4 ,in   
the public school there is no motive    
which can influence a reasonable man    
that would lead him to swerve in the    
least from his fidelity to the interest 
of the school as a whole4 ,no partiality
 to a particular individual1 no desire  
to promulgate a special idea1 can ever  
stand in the place of that public       
support which is best secured by a just 
performance of his duties4 ,in the      
private school1 with a self-perpetuating
 board of trustees1 the temptation is   
strong to make the organization         

subservient to some opinion in politics1
 religion1 or social life4 ,this may not
 always be done2 but in many cases it   
has been done1 and there is no reason to
 expect different things in the future4 
,i concur1 then1 unreservedly in the    
judgment which has placed this          
institution1 in all its interests and in
 all its duties1 under the control of   
the inhabitants of ,bernardston4 ,when  
they who live in its light and enjoy its
 benefits cease to respect it1 when they
 to whom it is specially dedicated cease
 to love and cherish it1 it will no     
longer be entitled to the favorable     
consideration of a more extended public 
sentiment4 ,as all trustworthy national 
patriotism must be built on love for    
state1 town1 and home1 so every school  
ought to esteem its power for usefulness
 in its own neighborhood its chief means
 of good4  ,it will naturally be        
inferred1 from the remarks made upon the
 singleness of purpose and fidelity of  
the public school to the cause of       

education1 that the instruction given in
 it is more thorough than is usually    
given in the private school4 ,but1 in   
examining yet further the claim of the  
public school to superior thoroughness1 
,i must assume that it enjoys the       
advantages of comfortable rooms1        
adequate apparatus and competent        
teachers4 ,and this assumption ought to 
be supported by the facts4 ,there is no 
good reason why any town in             
,massachusetts should be negligent or   
parsimonious in these particulars4 ,true
 economy requires liberal               
appropriations4 ,with these             
appropriations1 the best teachers1 even 
from private schools and academies1 can 
be secured1 and all the aids and        
encouragements to liberal culture can be
 provided4 ,is it possible that any of  
the means of a common-school education  
are necessarily denied to a million and 
a quarter of industrious people1 who    
already possess an aggregate capital of 
seven or eight hundred millions of      

dollars8 ,but the character of a high   
school must always depend materially    
upon the previous training of the       
pupils1 and the qualifications required 
for admission4 ,when the high school is 
a public school1 the studies of the     
primary and grammar or district schools 
are arranged with regard to the system  
as a system4 ,there is no inducement to 
admit a pupil for the sake of the       
tuition fees1 or for the purpose of     
adding to the number of scholars4 ,the  
applicant is judged by his merits as a  
scholar2 and where there is a wise      
public sentiment1 the committee will be 
sustained in the execution of just      
rules4  ,in the public high school we   
avoid a difficulty that is almost       
universal in academies and private      
schools--the presence of pupils whose   
attainments are so various that by a    
proper classification they would be     
assigned to two1 if not to three grades1
 where the graded system exists4 ,the   
vigilance1 industry and fidelity of     

teachers1 cannot overcome this evil4    
,the instruction given is inevitably    
less systematic and thorough4 ,the      
character which the high school1 whether
 public or private1 presents1 is not its
 own character merely2 it reflects the  
qualities and peculiarities of the      
schools below4 ,it follows1 then1 that  
the attention of the public should be as
 much directed to the primary and       
grammar or district schools as to the   
high school itself4 ,of course1 it ought
 not to be assumed that the existence of
 a high school will warrant any         
abatement of appropriations for the     
lower grades2 indeed1 the interest and  
resources of these schools ought        
continually to increase4  ,nor can it be
 assumed that your contributions to the 
cause of education will be diminished by
 the bequest of your generous testator4 
,he did not seek to lessen your burdens1
 but to add to the means of education   
among you4  ,there is also an inherent  
power of discipline in the public       

schools1 where they are graded and a    
system of examinations exists1 that is  
not found elsewhere4 ,neither the pupil 
nor the parent is viewed by the teacher 
in the light of a patron2 hence1 he     
seeks only to so conduct his school as  
to meet the public requirement4         
,moreover1 as admission to a high school
 can be secured by merit only1 the      
results of the preliminary training must
 have been such as to create a          
reasonable presumption in favor of the  
applicant1 mentally and morally4 ,hence1
 the public schools are filled by youth 
who are there as the reward of          
individual1 personal merit4             
,practically1 the motive by which the   
pupils are animated has much to do with 
their success4 ,if they are moved by a  
love for learning1 they attain the      
object of their desires even without the
 aid of teachers2 but where they are    
aided and encouraged by faithful        
teachers1 the school is soon under the  
control of a public sentiment which     

secures the end in view4  ,this public  
sentiment is not as easily built up in a
 private school2 for1 in the nature of  
things1 some pupils will find their way 
there who are not true disciples of     
learning2 and such persons are obstacles
 to general progress1 while they advance
 but little themselves4  ,and1 gentlemen
 trustees and citizens of ,bernardston1 
may ,i not personally and especially    
invite you to consider the importance of
 a fixed standard of admission and a    
careful examination of candidates8 ,this
 course is essential to the improvement 
of your district and village schools4   
,it is essential to the true prosperity 
of this seminary1 and it is also        
essential to the intellectual           
advancement of the people within your   
influence4 ,you expect pupils from the  
neighboring towns4 ,your object is not  
pecuniary profit1 but the education of  
the people4 ,if your requirements are   
positive1 though it may not be difficult
 to meet them in the beginning1 every   

town that depends upon this institution 
for better learning than it can furnish 
at home will be compelled to maintain   
schools of a high order4 ,on the other  
hand1 negligence in this particular will
 not only degrade the school under your 
care here1 but the schools in this town 
and the cause of education in the       
vicinity will be unfavorably affected4  
,nor let the objection that a rigid     
standard of qualifications will exclude 
many pupils1 and diminish the attendance
 upon the school1 have great weight2 for
 you perform but half your duty when you
 provide the means of a good education  
for your own students4 ,you are also1   
through the power inherent in this      
authority1 to do something to elevate   
the standard of learning in other       
schools1 and in the country around4     
,what harm if this school be small1     
while by its influence other schools are
 made better1 and thus every boy and    
girl in the vicinity has richer means of
 education than could otherwise have    

been secured8 ,thus will tens1 and      
hundreds1 and thousands1 of successive  
generations1 have cause to bless this   
school1 though they may never have sat  
under its teachers1 or been within its  
walls4  ,in a system of public schools1 
everything may be had at its prime cost4
 ,there need be no waste of money1 or of
 the time or power of teachers4 ,as the 
public system must everywhere exist1 it 
is a matter of economy to bring all the 
children under its influence4 ,the      
private system never can educate all2   
therefore the public system cannot be   
abandoned1 unless we consent to give up 
a part of the population to ignorance4  
,it may1 then1 be said that the private 
schools1 essential in many cases1 ought 
to give way whenever the public schools 
are prepared to do the work2 and when   
the public schools are so prepared1 the 
existence of private schools adds their 
own cost to the necessary cost of       
popular education4  ,but we are not to  
encourage parsimony in education2 for   

parsimony in this department is not true
 economy4 ,it is true economy for the   
state and for a town to set up and      
maintain good schools as cheaply as they
 can be had1 yet at any necessary cost1 
so only that they be good4              
,massachusetts is prosperous and wealthy
 to-day1 respected in evil report as    
well as in good1 because1 faithful to   
principle and persistent in courage1 she
 has for more than two hundred years    
provided for the education of her       
children2 and now the re-flowing tide of
 her wealth from seaboard and cities    
will bear on its wave to these quiet    
valleys and pleasant hill-sides the     
lovers of agriculture1 friends of art1  
students of science1 and such as worship
 rural scenes and indulge in rural      
sports2 but the favored and first-sought
 spots will be those where learning has 
already chosen her seat1 and offers to  
manhood and age the culture and society 
which learning only can give1 and to    
childhood and youth1 over and above the 

training of the best schools1 healthful 
moral influences1 and elements of       
physical growth and vigor1 which ever   
distinguish life in the country and     
among the mountains from life in the    
city or on the plain4 ,and over a       
broader field and upon a larger sphere  
shall the benignant influence of this   
system of public instruction be felt4   
,in the affairs of this great republic1 
the power of a state is not to be       
measured by the number of its votes in  
,congress4 ,public opinion is mightier  
than ,congress2 and they who wield or   
control that do1 in reality1 bear rule4 
,power in the world1 upon a large view1 
and in the light of history1 has not    
been confided to the majorities of men4 
,greece1 unimportant in extent of       
territory1 a peninsula and archipelago  
in the sea1 led the way in the          
civilization of the west1 and1 through  
her eloquence1 poetry1 history and art1 
became the model of modern culture4     
,rome1 a single city in ,italy1 that    

stretches itself into the sea as though 
it would gaze upon three continents1    
subjugated to her sway the savage and   
civilized world1 and impressed her arms 
and jurisprudence upon all succeeding   
times2 then ,venice1 without a single   
foot of solid land1 guarded inviolate   
the treasure of her sovereignty for     
thirteen hundred years against the      
armies of the ,east and the ,west2      
while1 in our own time1 ,england1       
unimportant in the extent of her insular
 territory1 has been able1 by the       
intelligence and enterprise of her      
people1 to make herself mistress of the 
seas1 arbiter of the fortunes of        
,europe1 and the ruler of a hundred     
millions of people in ,asia4  ,these    
things have happened in obedience to a  
law which knows no change4 ,power in    
,america is with those who can bring the
 greatest intellectual and moral force  
to bear upon a given point4 ,and        
,massachusetts1 limited in the extent of
 her territory1 without salubrity of    

climate1 fertility of soil1 or wealth of
 mines1 will have influence1 through her
 people at home and her people abroad1  
proportionate to her fidelity to the    
cause of universal public education4    
,,normal ,,school ,,training4  ,an      
,address delivered at the ,dedication of
 the ,state ,normal ,school1 at ,salem4 
,the human race may be divided into two 
classes4 ,one has no ideal of a future  
different from the present2 or1 if it is
 not always satisfied with this view1 it
 has yet had no clear conception of a   
higher existence4  ,the other class is  
conscious of the power of progress1 is  
making continual advances1 and has an   
ideal of a future such as1 in its       
judgment1 the present ought to be4 ,both
 of these classes have institutions2 for
 institutions are not the product of    
civilization1 as they exist wherever our
 social nature is developed4 ,man is    
also a dependent being1 and he therefore
 seeks the company1 counsel and support 
of his fellows4 ,from the right of      

numbers to act comes the necessity of   
agreement1 or at least so much          
concurrence in what is to be done as to 
secure the object sought4 ,the will of  
numbers can only be expressed through   
agencies2 and these1 however simple1 are
 indeed institutions--the evidence of   
civilization1 rather than its product4  
,they are always the sign1 symbol1 or   
language1 by which the living man       
expresses the purpose of his life4      
,therefore1 institutions differ1 as the 
purposes of men vary4  ,the savage and  
the man of culture do not seek the same 
end2 hence they will not employ the same
 means4  ,the institutions of the savage
 are those of the family1 clan1 or      
tribe1 to which he belongs4 ,there the  
child is instructed in the art of dress1
 in manners and language1 in the rude   
customs of agriculture1 the chase1 and  
war4 ,this with him is life1 and the    
history of one generation is often the  
history of many generations4 ,their     
ideal corresponds with their actual     

life2 and1 as a necessary result1 there 
is little or no progress4  ,but the     
other class establishes institutions    
which indicate the existence of new     
relations1 and exact the performance of 
new duties4 ,as man is a social being1  
he necessarily creates institutions of  
government and education corresponding  
to the sphere in which he is to act4 ,if
 a nation desires to educate only a part
 of its people1 its institutions are    
naturally exclusive2 but wherever the   
idea of universal education has been    
received1 the institutions of the       
country look to that end4  ,when        
,massachusetts was settled there were no
 truly popular institutions in the      
world1 for there was really no belief in
 popular rights4 ,and why should those  
be encouraged to think who have no right
 to act8 ,the principle that every man  
is to take a part in the affairs of the 
community or state to which he belongs  
seems to be the foundation of the       
doctrine that every man should be       

educated to think for himself4 ,free    
schools and general education are the   
natural results of the principles of    
human equality1 which distinguish the   
people and political systems of         
,america4  ,the purposes of a people are
 changeable and changing1 but           
institutions are inflexible2 therefore  
these latter often outlast the ideas in 
which they originated1 or the ideas may 
be acting in other bodies or forms4     
,institutions are the visible forms of  
ideas1 but they are useful only while   
those ideas are living in the minds of  
men4 ,if an institution is suffered to  
remain after the idea has passed away1  
it embarrasses rather than aids an      
advancing people4 ,such are monastic    
establishments in ,protestant countries2
 such is the ,church of ,england1 as an 
institution of religion and government1 
to all classes of dissenters2 such are  
many seminaries of learning in ,europe1 
and some in ,america4  ,massachusetts   
has had one living idea1 from the       

first1--that general intelligence is    
necessary to popular virtue and liberty4
 ,this idea she has expressed in various
 ways2 the end it promises she has      
sought by various means4 ,in obedience  
to this idea1 she has established       
colleges1 common schools1 grammar       
schools1 academies1 and at last the     
,normal ,school4  ,the institution only 
of the ,normal ,school is new2 the idea 
is old4 ,the ,normal system is but a    
better expression of an idea partially  
concealed1 but nevertheless to be found 
in the college1 grammar school and      
academy of our fathers4 ,nor have we    
accepted the institution so readily from
 a knowledge of its results in other    
countries1 as from its manifest fitness 
to meet a want here4 ,it is not1 then1  
our fortune to inaugurate a new idea1   
but only to clothe an old one again1 so 
that it may more efficiently advance    
popular liberty1 intelligence and       
virtue4 ,and this is our duty to-day4   
,the proprieties of this occasion would 

have been better observed1 had his      
excellency1 ,governor ,washburn1 found  
it convenient to deliver the address1   
which1 at a late moment1 has been       
assigned to me4 ,but we are all in some 
degree aware of the nature and extent of
 his public duties1 and can1 therefore1 
appreciate the necessity which demands  
relief from some of them4               
,massachusetts has founded four ,normal 
,schools1 and at the close of the       
present century she may not have        
established as many more1 for she now   
satisfies the just demands of every     
section of her territory1 and presents  
the benefits of this system of          
instruction to all her inhabitants4 ,the
 building we here set apart1 and the    
school we now inaugurate to the service 
of learning1 are to be regarded as the  
completion of the original plan of the  
state1 and any future extension will    
depend upon the success of the ,normal  
system as it shall appear in other years
 to other generations of men4 ,but we   

have great faith that the ,normal       
system1 in itself and in its            
connections1 will realize the cherished 
idea of our whole history2 and if so1 it
 will be extended until every school is 
supplied with a ,normal teacher4  ,this1
 then1 is an occasion of general        
interest2 but to the city of ,salem1 and
 the county of ,essex1 it is specially  
important4 ,similar institutions have   
been long established in other parts of 
the state2 but some compensation is now 
to be made to you1 in the experience and
 improvements of the last fifteen years4
 ,intelligent labor sheds light upon the
 path of the laborer1 and1 though the   
direct benefits of this system have not 
been here enjoyed1 many resulting       
advantages from the experience of       
similar institutions in other places    
will now inure to you4  ,the city of    
,salem1 with wise forecast1 anticipated 
these advantages1 and generously        
contributed a sum larger even than that 
appropriated by the state itself4 ,this 

bounty determined the location of the   
school1 but determined it fortunately   
for all concerned4  ,salem is one of the
 central points of the state2 and in    
this respect no other town in the       
vicinity1 however well situated1 is a   
competitor4 ,pupils may reside at their 
homes in ,newburyport1 ,lynn1 ,lawrence1
 ,haverhill1 ,gloucester and ,lowell1 or
 at any intermediate place1 and enjoy   
the benefit of daily instruction within 
these walls4 ,this is a great privilege 
for parents and pupils2 and it could not
 have been so well secured at any other 
point4 ,here1 also1 pupils and teachers 
may avail themselves of the libraries1  
literary institutions and cabinets of   
this ancient and prosperous town4 ,these
 are no common advantages4  ,we are     
wiser and better for the presence of    
great numbers of books1 though we may   
never know what they contain4 ,we see   
how much perseverance and labor have    
accomplished1 and are sensible that what
 has been may be equalled if not        

excelled4 ,in great libraries1 we       
realize how the works of the ambitious  
are neglected1 and their names          
forgotten1 while we cannot fail to be   
impressed with the value of the truth1  
that the only labor which brings a      
certain reward is that performed under a
 sense of duty4  ,salem is itself the   
intelligent and refined centre of an    
intelligent and prosperous population2  
and we may venture so far1 in just      
eulogy1 as to attribute to it the united
 advantages of city and country1 without
 a large share of the privations of the 
one1 or the vices of the other4 ,of the 
four ,normal ,schools1 this is1         
unquestionably1 the most fortunate in   
its position and surroundings4 ,we1     
therefore1 ask for the concurrence of   
the public in the judgment which has    
established it in this city4 ,if it     
shall be the fortune of the government  
to assemble a body of instructors       
qualified for their stations1 there will
 then remain no reason why these        

accommodations and advantages should not
 be fully enjoyed4  ,the ,normal ,school
 differs from all other seminaries of   
learning1 and only because it is an     
auxiliary to the common schools can it  
be deemed their inferior in importance4 
,the academy and college take young men 
from the district and high schools1 and 
furnish them with additional aids for   
the business of life2 but the ,normal   
,school is truly the helper of the      
common schools4 ,it receives its pupils 
from them1 fits these pupils for        
teachers1 and sends them back to        
superintend where a few months before   
they were scholars4 ,the ,normal        
,schools are sustained by the common    
schools2 and these latter1 in return1   
draw their best nutriment from the      
former4 ,this institution stands with   
the common school2 it is as truly       
popular1 as really democratic in a just 
sense1 and its claim for support rests  
upon the same foundation4  ,in          
,massachusetts we have abandoned the    

idea1 never1 ,i think1 general1 that    
instruction in the art of teaching is   
unnecessary4  ,the ,normal ,school is1  
with us1 a necessity2 for it furnishes  
that tuition which neither the common   
school1 academy1 nor college can4 ,these
 institutions were once better adapted  
to this service than now4 ,there has    
been a continual increase of academic   
studies1 until it has become necessary  
to establish institutions for special   
purposes2 and of these the ,normal      
,school is one4 ,its object is definite4
 ,the true ,normal ,school instructs    
only in the art of teaching2 and1 in    
this respect1 it must be confessed we   
have failed1 sadly failed1 to realize   
the ideal of the system4 ,it is not a   
substitute for the common school1       
academy1 or college1 though many pupils1
 and in some degree the public1 have    
been inclined thus to treat it4 ,there  
should be no instruction in the         
departments of learning1 high or low1   
except what is incidental to the main   

business of the institution2 yet some   
have gone so far in the wrong course as 
to suggest that not only the common     
branches should be studied1 but that    
tuition should be given in the languages
 and the higher mathematics4 ,a little  
reflection will satisfy us how great a  
departure this would be from the just   
idea of the ,normal ,school4 ,yet       
circumstances1 rather than public       
sentiment1 have compelled the government
 to depart in practice1 though never in 
theory1 from the true system4  ,it so   
happens that much time is occupied in   
instruction in those branches which     
ought to be thoroughly mastered by the  
pupil before he enters the ,normal      
,school1--that is1 before he begins to  
acquire the art of teaching what he has 
not himself learned4  ,such is the state
 of our schools that we are obliged to  
accept as pupils those who are not      
qualified1 in a literary point of view1 
for the post of teachers4 ,by sending   
better teachers into the public schools1

 you will effectually aid in the removal
 of this difficulty4 ,the ,normal       
,school is1 then1 no substitute for the 
high school1 academy1 or college4 ,nor  
do we ask for any sympathy or aid which 
properly belongs to those institutions4 
,he is no friend of education1 in its   
proper signification1 who patronizes    
some one institution1 and neglects all  
others4 ,we have no seminaries of       
learning which can be considered        
useless1 and he only is a true friend   
who aids and encourages any and all as  
he has opportunity4 ,what is popularly  
known as learning is to be acquired in  
the common school1 high school1 academy 
and college1 as heretofore4 ,the ,normal
 ,school does not profess to give       
instruction in reading and arithmetic1  
but to teach the art of teaching reading
 and arithmetic4 ,so of all the         
elementary branches4 ,but1 as the art of
 teaching a subject cannot be acquired  
without at the same time acquiring a    
better knowledge of the subject itself1 

the pupil will always leave the ,normal 
,school better grounded than ever before
 in the elements and principles of      
learning4 ,it is not1 however1 to be    
expected that complete success will be  
realized here more than elsewhere2 yet  
it is well to elevate the standard of   
admission1 from time to time1 so that a 
larger part of the exercises may be     
devoted to the main purpose of the      
institution4 ,the struggle should be    
perpetual and in the right direction4   
,first1 elevate your common schools so  
that the education there may be a       
sufficient basis for a course of        
training here4 ,if the ,normal ,school  
and the public schools shall each and   
all do their duty1 candidates for       
admission will be so well qualified in  
the branches required1 that the art of  
teaching will be the only art taught    
here4 ,when this is the case1 the time  
of attendance will be diminished1 and a 
much larger number of persons may be    
annually qualified for the station of   

teachers4  ,next1 let the committees and
 others interested in education make    
special efforts to fill the chairs of   
your hall with young women of promise1  
who are likely to devote themselves to  
the profession4 ,it is1 however1        
impossible for human wisdom to guard    
against one fate that happens to all1 or
 nearly all1 the young women who are    
graduated at our ,normal ,schools4 ,but 
this remark is not made publicly1 lest  
some anxious ones avail themselves of   
your bounty as a means to an end not    
contemplated by the state4  ,the house  
you have erected is not so much         
dedicated to the school as to the       
public2 the institution here set up is  
not so much for the benefit of the young
 women who may become pupils1 as for the
 benefit of the public which they       
represent4 ,the appeal is1 therefore1 to
 the public to furnish such pupils1 in  
number and character1 that this         
institution may soon and successfully   
enter upon the work for which it is     

properly designed4  ,but the character  
and value of this school depend on the  
quality of its teachers more than on all
 things else4 ,they should be thoroughly
 instructed1 not only in the branches   
taught1 but in the art of teaching them4
  ,the teacher ought to have attained   
much that the pupil is yet to learn2 if 
he has not1 he cannot utter words of    
encouragement1 nor estimate the chances 
of success4 ,it is not enough to know   
what is contained in the text-book2 the 
pupil should know that1 at least2 the   
teacher should know a great deal more4  
,a person is not qualified for the      
office of teacher when he has mastered a
 book2 and has1 in fact1 no right to    
instruct others until he has mastered   
the subject4  ,text-books help us a     
little on the road of learning2 but1 by 
and by1 whatever our pursuit or         
profession1 we leave them behind1 or    
else content ourselves with a           
subordinate position4 ,practical men    
have made book-farmers the subject of   

ridicule2 and there is some propriety in
 this2 for he is not a master in his    
profession who has not got1 as a general
 thing1 out of and beyond the books     
which treat of it4  ,books are necessary
 in the school-room2 but the good       
teacher has little use for them in his  
own hands1 or as aids in his own proper 
work4 ,he should be instructed in his   
subject1 aside from and above the       
arbitrary rules of authors2 and he will 
be1 if he is himself inspired with a    
love of learning4 ,inspired with a love 
of learning6 ,whoever is1 is sure of    
success2 and whoever is not1 has the    
best possible security for the failure  
of his plans4 ,there cannot be a good   
school where the love of learning in    
teacher and pupil is wanting2 and there 
cannot be a bad one where this spirit   
has control4 ,as the master1 so is the  
disciple2 as the teacher1 so is the     
pupil2 for the spirit of the teacher    
will be communicated to the scholars4   
,there must also be habits of industry  

and system in study4 ,we have multitudes
 of scholars who study occasionally1 and
 study hard2 but we need a race of      
students who will devote themselves     
habitually1 and with love1 to literature
 and science4  ,on the teachers1 then1  
is the chief responsibility1 whether the
 young women who go out from this       
institution are well qualified for their
 profession or not4 ,the study of       
technicalities is drudgery of the worst 
sort to the mere pupil2 but the scholar 
looks upon it as a preparation for a    
wide and noble exercise of his          
intellectual powers--as a key to unlock 
the mysteries of learning4 ,it is the   
business of the teacher to lighten the  
labors of to-day by bright visions of   
to-morrow4  ,there is a school in       
medicine1 whose chief claim is1 that it 
invites and prepares ,nature to act in  
the removal of disease4  ,we pass no    
judgment upon this claim2 but he is1 no 
doubt1 the best teacher who does little 
for his pupils1 while he incites and    

encourages them to do much for          
themselves4 ,extensive knowledge will   
enable the teacher to do this4  ,he is a
 poor instructor of mathematics who sees
 only the dry details of rules1 tables  
and problems1 and never ascends to the  
contemplation of those supreme wonders  
of the universe which mathematical      
astronomy has laid open4 ,the grammar of
 a language is defined to be the art of 
reading and writing that language with  
propriety4 ,the study of its elements is
 dry and uninteresting2 and1 while the  
teacher dwells with care upon the merits
 of the text1 he should also lift the   
veil from that which is hidden1 and lead
 his pupils to appreciate those riches  
of learning which the knowledge of a    
language may confer upon the student4   
,it is useful to know the division of   
the globe into continents and oceans1   
islands and lakes1 mountains and        
rivers--and this knowledge the          
text-books contain2 but it is a higher  
learning to understand the effect of    

this division upon climate1 soil and    
natural productions--upon the character 
and pursuits of the human race4 ,books  
are so improved that they may very well 
take the place of poor1 or even ordinary
 teachers4  ,explanations and           
illustrations are numerous and          
appropriate1 and very little remains for
 the mere text-book teacher to do4 ,but1
 when the duties of teacher and the     
exercises of the school-room are        
properly performed1 the entire range of 
science1 business1 literature and art1  
is presented to the student4 ,may it be 
your fortune to see education thus      
elevated here1 and then will the same   
spirit be infused into the public       
schools of the vicinity4  ,the          
,massachusetts system of education is a 
noble tribute to freedom of thought4    
,the power of educating a people1 which 
is1 in fine1 the chief power in a state1
 has been often1 if not usually1        
perverted to the support of favored     
opinions in religion and government4    

,the boasted system of ,prussia is only 
a prop and ally of the existing order of
 things4 ,in ,france1 ,napoleon makes   
the press1 which has become in civilized
 countries an educator of the people1   
the mere instrument of his will4        
,tyrants do not hesitate to pervert     
schools and the press1 learning and     
literature1 to the support of tyranny4  
,but with us the press and the school   
are free2 and this freedom1 denied      
through fear in other countries1 is the 
best evidence of the stability of our   
institutions4 ,it is now a hundred years
 since an attempt was made in           
,massachusetts to exercise legal        
censorship over the press2 but we       
occasionally hear of movements to make  
the public schools of ,america          
subservient to sect or party4 ,the      
success of these movements would be as  
great a calamity as can ever befall a   
free people4 ,ignorance would take the  
place of learning1 and slavery would    
usurp the domain of liberty4  ,no       

defence1 excuse1 or palliation1 can be  
offered for such movements2 and their   
triumph will safely produce all the     
evils which it is possible for an       
enlightened people to endure4 ,our      
system of instruction is what it        
professes to be1--a public system4 ,as  
sects or parties1 we have no claim      
whatever upon it4 ,a man is not taxed   
because he is of a particular faith in  
religion1 or party in politics2 he is   
not taxed because he is the father of a 
family1 or excused because he is not2   
but he contributes to the cause of      
education because he is a citizen1 and  
has an interest in that general         
intelligence which decides questions of 
faith and practice as they arise4 ,it is
 for the interest of all that all shall 
be educated for the various pursuits and
 duties of the time4 ,the education of  
children is1 no doubt1 first in         
individual duty4 ,it is the duty of the 
parent1 the duty of the friend2 but1    
above all1 it is the duty of the public4

 ,this duty arises from the relations of
 men in every civilized state2 but in a 
popular government it becomes a         
necessity4 ,the people are the source of
 power--the sovereign4 ,and is it more  
important in a monarchy than in a       
republic that the ruler be intelligent1 
virtuous1 and in all respects qualified 
for his duties8  ,the institution here  
set up is an essential part of our      
system of public instruction1 and1 as   
such1 it claims the public favor1       
sympathy and support4  ,this is a period
 of excitement in all the affairs and   
relations of men1 and ,america is fast  
becoming the central point of these     
activities4 ,they are1 no doubt1        
associated with many blessings1 but they
 may also be attended by great evils4   
,we claim for our country preeminence in
 education4 ,this may be just1 but it is
 also true that ,americans1 more than   
any other people1 need to be better     
educated than they are4 ,where else is  
the field of statesmanship so large1 or 

the necessity for able statesmen so     
great8  ,with the single exception of   
,great ,britain1 there is no nation     
whose relations are such as to require a
 union in rulers of the rarest practical
 abilities with accurate1 sound and     
varied learning2 and there is no nation 
whose people are so critical in the     
tests they apply to their public agents4
 ,we need men thoroughly educated in all
 the departments of learning2 to which  
ought to be added1 travel in foreign    
countries1 and an intimate acquaintance 
with every part of our own4 ,such men we
 have had--such men we have now2 but    
they will be more and more important as 
we advance in numbers1 territory and    
power4 ,a corresponding culture is      
necessary in theology1 in law1 and in   
all the pursuits of industry4  ,no other
 nation has so great a destiny4 ,that   
destiny is manifest1 and may be read in 
the heart and purpose of the people4    
,they seek new territories1 an increase 
of population1 the prosperity of        

commerce1 of all the arts of industry1  
and preeminence in virtue1 learning and 
intellectual power4 ,and all this they  
can attain2 for the destiny of a people1
 within the limits prescribed by reason1
 is determined by themselves4 ,if1      
however1 by conquest1 annexation and    
absorption1 we acquire new territories1 
and strange races and nations of men1   
and yet neglect education1 every step   
will but increase our burdens and       
perils1 and hasten our decay4           
,,female ,,education4  ,an ,address     
before the ,newburyport ,female ,high   
,school4   ,i accepted1 without a       
moment's delay1 the invitation of the   
principal of this school to deliver the 
customary address on this1 the fifteenth
 anniversary of its establishment4 ,my  
presence here in connection with public 
instruction is not a proper subject for 
comment by myself2 but ,i have now come1
 allow me to say1 with unusual alacrity1
 that we may together recognize the     
claims of an institution which furnishes

 the earliest evidence existing among us
 of a special design on the part of the 
public to provide adequate intellectual 
and moral training for the young women  
of the state4  ,those movements which   
have accomplished most for religion1    
liberty1 and learning1 have not been    
sudden in their origin nor rapid in     
their progress4 ,christianity has been  
preached eighteen hundred years1 yet it 
is not now received1 even               
intellectually1 by the larger part of   
the human race4 ,magna ,charta is six   
centuries old1 but its principles are   
not accepted by all the nations of      
,europe and ,america2 and it is not1    
therefore1 strange that a system of     
public instruction1 originated by the   
,puritans of ,new ,england1 should yet  
be struggling against prejudice and     
error4 ,in ,asia woman is degraded1 and 
in ,europe her common condition is that 
of apparent and absolute inferiority4   
,when ,america was settled she became a 
participator in the struggles and       

sufferings which awaited the pioneers of
 civilization and liberty on this       
continent1 and she thus earned a place  
in family1 religious1 and even in public
 life1 which foreshowed her certain and 
speedy disenthrallment from the tyranny 
of tradition and time4 ,her rights with 
us are secure1 and the anxiety and      
boisterous alarm exhibited by some      
strong-minded women1 and the            
horror-fringed apprehensions and        
prophecies of some weak-minded men1 are 
equally unreasonable and absurd4 ,woman 
is sharing the lot of humanity1 and     
therewith she ought to be content4 ,man 
does not remove the burden of ignorance 
and oppression from his sex1 merely1 but
 generally from his kind4 ,at least1    
this is the experience and promise of   
,america4 ,if woman does not vote       
because she is woman1 so and for the    
same reason she is not subject to       
personal taxation4 ,it is an error to   
suppose that voting is a privilege1 and 
taxation1 ever and always1 a burden4    

,both are duties2 and the privilege of  
the one and the burden of the other are 
only incidental and subordinate4 ,the   
human family is an aggregation of       
families2 and the family1 not the man   
nor the woman1 is the unit of the state4
 ,the civil law assumes the existence of
 the family relation1 and its unity     
where it exists2 hence taxation of the  
woman brings no revenue to the state    
that might not have been secured by the 
taxation of the man2 and hence the      
exercise of the elective franchise by   
the woman brings no additional political
 power2 for1 in the theory of the       
relation to which there are1 in fact1   
but few exceptions1 there is in the     
household but one political idea1 and   
but one agent is needed for its         
expression4 ,the ballot is the judgment 
of the family2 not of the man1 merely1  
nor of the woman1 nor yet1 indeed1      
always of both1 even4 ,the first smile  
that the father receives from the child 
affects every subsequent vote in        

municipal concerns1 and likely enough   
also in national affairs4 ,from that    
moment forward1 he judges constables1   
selectmen1 magistrates1 aldermen1       
mayors1 school-committees1 and          
councillors1 with an altered judgment4  
,the result of the election is not the  
victory or defeat of the man alone2 it  
is the triumph or prostration of a      
principle or purpose with which the     
family is identified4  ,is it said that 
there is occasionally1 if not           
frequently1 a divided judgment in the   
household upon those questions that are 
decided by the ballot8 ,this must1 of   
course1 be granted as an exceptional    
condition of domestic life2 but1 for the
 wisest reasons of public policy1 whose 
avoidance by the state would be         
treachery to humanity1 the law universal
 can recognize only the general         
condition of things4 ,so1 and for       
kindred but not equally strong reasons1 
the elective franchise is exercised by  
men without families1 and denied to     

those women who by the dispensations of 
,divine ,providence are called to       
preside in homes where the father's face
 is seen no more4 ,but why1 in the eye  
of the state1 shall the man stand as the
 head of the family1 rather than the    
woman8 ,because ,god has so ordained it2
 and no civil community has ever yet    
escaped from the force of ,his decree in
 this respect4 ,those whose physical    
power defends the nation1 or tribe1 or  
family1 are naturally called upon to    
decide what the means of defence shall  
be4 ,is not woman1 then1 the equal of   
man8 ,we cannot say of woman1 with      
reference to man1 that she is his       
superior1 or his inferior1 or his equal2
 nor can we say of man1 with reference  
to woman1 that he is her superior1 or   
her inferior1 or her equal4 ,he is her  
protector1 she is his helpmeet4 ,his    
strength is sufficient for her weakness1
 and her power is the support of his    
irresolution and want of faith4 ,woman's
 rights are not man's rights2 nor are   

man's rights the measure of woman's     
rights4 ,if she should assert her       
independence1 as some idiosyncratic     
persons desire1 she could only declare  
her intention to do all those acts and  
things which woman may of right do4     
,given that this is accomplished1 and ,i
 know not that she would possess one    
additional domestic1 political1 or      
public right1 or enjoy one privilege in 
the family1 neighborhood1 or state1 to  
which she is not1 in some degree1 at    
least1 already accustomed4  ,these views
 and reflections may serve to illustrate
 and enforce the leading position of    
this address--that we are to educate    
young women for the enjoyments and      
duties of the sphere in which they are  
to move4 ,we speak to-day of public     
instruction2 but it should ever be borne
 in mind that the education of the      
schools is but a part1 and often only   
the least important part1 of the        
training that the young receive4 ,there 
is the training of infancy and early    

childhood1 the daily culture of home1   
with its refining or deadening          
influences1 and then the education of   
the street1 the parlor1 the festive     
gathering1 and the clubs1 which exert a 
power over the youth of both sexes that 
cannot often be controlled entirely by  
the school4  ,womanhood is sometimes    
sacrificed in childhood1 when the mother
 and the family fail to develop the     
womanly qualities of modesty1 grace1    
generosity of character1 and geniality  
of temper1 which dignify1 adorn1 and    
protect1        ,the sex whose presence 
civilizes ours4   ,the child1 whether   
girl or boy1 reflects the character of  
its home2 and therefore we are compelled
 to deal with all the homes of the      
district or town1 and are required often
 to counteract the influences they      
exert4 ,early vicious training is quite 
as disastrous to the girl as to the boy2
 for1 strange as it may seem1 the world 
more readily tolerates ignorance1       
coarseness1 rudeness1 immodesty1 and all

 their answering vices1 in man than in  
woman4 ,in the period of life from eight
 to twenty years of age the progress of 
woman is1 to us of sterner mould1       
inconceivably rapid2 but from twenty to 
forty the advantages of education are   
upon the other side4 ,it then follows   
that a defective system of education is 
more pernicious to woman than to man4   
,we may contemplate woman in four       
relations with their answering          
responsibilities--as pupil1 teacher1    
companion1 and mother4 ,as a pupil1 she 
is sensitive1 conscientious1 quick1     
ambitious1 and possesses in a marvellous
 degree1 as compared with the other sex1
 the power of intuition4 ,the boy is    
logical1 or he is nothing2 but logic is 
not necessary for the girl4 ,not that   
she is illogical2 but she usually sees  
through1 without observing the steps in 
the process which a boy must discern    
before he can comprehend the subject    
presented to his mind4 ,in the use of   
the eye1 the ear1 the voice1 and in the 

appropriation of whatever may be        
commanded without the highest exercise  
of the reasoning and reflective         
faculties1 she is incomparably superior4
 ,she accepts moral truth without       
waiting for a demonstration1 and she    
obeys the law founded upon it without   
being its slave4 ,she instinctively     
prefers good manners to faulty habits2  
and1 in the requirements of family1     
social1 and fashionable life1 she is    
better educated at sixteen than her     
brother is at twenty4 ,she is an adept  
in one only of the vices of the         
school--whispering--and in that she     
excels4 ,but she does not so readily    
resort to the great vice--the crime of  
falsehood--as do her companions of the  
other sex4 ,i call falsehood the great  
vice1 because1 if this were unknown1    
tardiness1 truancy1 obscenity1 and      
profanity1 could not thrive4 ,holmes has
 well said that sin has many tools1 but 
a lie is the handle that will fit them  
all4  ,in many primary and district     

schools the habits and manners of       
children are too much neglected4 ,we    
associate good habits and good manners  
with good morals2 and1 though we are    
deceived again and again1 and           
soliloquize upon the maxim that all is  
not gold that glitters1 we instinctively
 believe1 however often we are betrayed4
 ,habits and manners are the first      
evidence of character2 and so much of   
weight do we attach to such evidence1   
that we give credit and confidence to   
those whom in our calmer moments we know
 to be unworthy4 ,the first aim in the  
school should be to build up a character
 that shall be truthfully indicated by  
purity and refinement of manner and     
conversation4 ,it does1 indeed1         
sometimes happen that purity of         
character is not associated with        
refinement of manners4 ,this misfortune 
is traceable to a defective early       
education1 both in the school and the   
home2 for1 had either been faithful and 
intelligent1 the evil would have been   

averted4 ,and1 as there are many homes  
in city and country where refinement of 
manners is not found1 and1 of course1   
cannot be taught1 the schools must      
furnish the training4 ,in this          
connection1 the value of the high school
 for females--whether exclusively so or 
not1 does not seem to me important--is  
clearly seen4 ,young women are naturally
 and properly the teachers of primary1  
district1 and subordinate schools of    
every grade2 and society as naturally   
and properly looks to them to educate1  
by example as well as by precept1 all   
the children of the state in good       
habits1 good manners1 and good morals4  
,we are also permitted to look forward  
to the higher relations of life1 when1  
as wives and mothers1 they are to exert 
a potent influence over existing and    
future generations4 ,the law and the    
lexicons say home is the house or the   
place where one resides4 ,this          
definition may answer for the law and   
the lexicons1 but it does not meet the  

wants of common life4  ,the wife will   
usually find in her husband less        
refinement of manners than she herself  
possesses2 and it is her great          
privilege1 if not her solemn duty1 to   
illustrate the line of ,cowper1 and show
 that she is of        ,the sex whose   
presence civilizes ours4   ,it is the   
duty of the teacher to make the school  
attractive2 and what the teacher should 
do for the school the wife should do for
 the home4 ,the home should be preferred
 by the husband and children to all     
other places4 ,much depends upon        
themselves2 they have no right to claim 
all of the wife and mother4 ,but1       
without her aid1 they can do but little4
 ,with her aid1 every desirable result  
may be accomplished4 ,that this result  
may be secured1 female education must be
 generous1 critical1 and pure1 in       
everything that relates to manners1     
habits1 and morals4 ,much may be added  
to these1 but nothing can serve in their
 stead4 ,we should add1 no doubt1       

thorough elementary training in reading1
 writing1 and spelling1 both for her own
 good and for the service of her        
children4 ,intellectual training is     
defective where these elements are      
neglected1 and their importance to the  
sexes may be equal4 ,we should not omit 
music and the culture of the voice4 ,the
 tones of the voice indicate the tone of
 the mind2 but the temper itself may    
finally yield to a graceful and gentle  
form of expression4 ,it is not probable 
that we shall ever give due attention to
 the cultivation of the human voice for 
speaking1 reading1 and singing4 ,this is
 an invaluable accomplishment in man4   
,many of us have listened to ,new       
,england's most distinguished living    
orator1 and felt that well-known lines  
from the ,english poets derived new     
power1 if not actual inspiration1 from  
the classic tones in which the words    
were uttered4  ,a cultivated voice in   
woman is at once the evidence and the   
means of moral power4 ,as the moral     

sensibilities of the girl are more acute
 than those of the boy1 so the moral    
power of the woman is greater than that 
of the man4 ,many young women are       
educating themselves for the business of
 teaching2 and ,i can commend nothing   
more important1 after the proper        
ordering of one's own life1 than the    
discreet and careful training of the    
voice4 ,it is itself a power4 ,it       
demands sympathy before the suffering or
 its cause is revealed by articulate    
speech2 its tones awe assemblies1 and   
command silence before the speaker      
announces his views2 and the rebellious 
and disorderly1 whether in the school1  
around the rostrum1 or on the field1 bow
 in submission beneath the authority of 
its majestic cadences4 ,it is hardly    
possible to imagine a good school1 and  
very rare to see one1 where this power  
is wanting in the teacher4 ,women are   
often called to take charge of schools  
where there are lads and youth destitute
 of that culture which would lead them  

to yield respect and consequent         
obedience4 ,physical force in these     
cases is not usually to be thought of2  
but nature has vouchsafed to woman such 
a degree of moral power1 of which in the
 school the voice is the best           
expression1 as often to fully compensate
 for her weakness in other respects4    
,it is unnecessary to commend reading as
 an art and an accomplishment2 but good 
readers are so rare among us1 that we   
cannot too strongly urge teachers to    
qualify themselves for the great work4  
,i say great work1 because everything   
else is comparatively easy to the       
teacher1 and comparatively unimportant  
to the pupil4 ,grammar is merely an     
element of reading4 ,it should be       
introduced as soon as the child's       
reasoning faculties are in any degree   
developed1 and presented by the living  
voice1 without the aid of books4 ,the   
alphabet should be taught in connection 
with exercises for strengthening and    
modulating the voice1 and the elementary

 sounds of the letters should be deemed 
as important as their names4 ,all this  
is the proper work of the female        
teacher2 and1 when she is ignorant or   
neglects her duty1 the evil is usually  
so great as to admit of no complete     
remedy4  ,reading is at once an         
imitative and an appreciative art on the
 part of the pupil4 ,he must be trained 
to appreciate the meaning of the writer2
 but he will depend upon the teacher at 
first1 and1 indeed1 for a long time1 for
 an example of the true mode of         
expression4 ,this the teacher must be   
ready to give4 ,it is not enough that   
she can correct faults of pronunciation1
 censure inarticulate utterances1 and   
condemn gruff1 nasal1 and guttural      
sounds2 but she must be able to present1
 in reasonable purity1 all the opposite 
qualities4 ,the young women have not yet
 done their duty to the cause of        
education in these respects2 nor is     
there everywhere a public sentiment that
 will even now allow the duty to be     

performed4  ,it is difficult to see why 
the child of five1 and the youth of     
fifteen1 should be kept an equal number 
of hours at school4 ,each pupil should  
spend as much time in the school-room as
 is needed for the preparation of the   
exercise and the exercise itself4 ,the  
danger from excessive confinement and   
labor is with young pupils4 ,those in   
grammar and high schools may often use  
additional hours for study2 but a pupil 
should be somewhat advanced1 and should 
possess considerable physical strength  
and endurance1 before he ventures to    
give more than six hours a day to severe
 intellectual labor4 ,it must often     
happen that children in primary schools 
can learn in two hours each day all that
 the teacher has time to communicate1 or
 they have power to receive and         
appropriate4 ,indeed1 ,i think this is  
usually so4 ,it may not1 however1 be    
safe to deduce from this fact the       
opinion that children should never be   
kept longer in school than two hours a  

day2 but it seems proper to assume that1
 if blessed with good homes1 they may be
 relieved from the tedium of confinement
 in the school-room1 when there is no   
longer opportunity for improvement4  ,we
 are beginning to realize the advantages
 of well-educated female teachers in    
primary schools2 nor do ,i deem it      
improbable that they shall become       
successful teachers and managers of     
schools of higher grade1 according to   
the present public estimation4 ,but1 in 
regard to the latter position1 ,i have  
neither hope1 desire1 nor anxiety4      
,whenever the public judge them1        
generally1 or in particular cases1      
qualified to take charge of high schools
 and normal schools1 those positions    
will be assigned to them2 and1 till that
 degree of public confidence is         
accorded1 it is useless to make         
assertions or indulge in conjectures    
concerning the ability of women for such
 duties4 ,it is my own conviction that a
 higher order of teaching talent is     

required in the primary school1 or for  
the early1 judicious education of       
children1 than is required in any other 
institutions of learning4 ,nor can it be
 shown that equal ability for government
 is not essential4 ,there must be       
different manifestations of ability in  
the primary and the high school2 but1   
where proper training has been enjoyed1 
pupils in the latter ought to be far    
advanced in the acquisition of the      
cardinal virtue of self-control1 whose  
existence in the school and the state   
renders government comparatively        
unnecessary4  ,where there is a human   
being1 there are the opportunity and the
 duty of education4 ,but our present    
great concern1 as friends of learning1  
is with those schools where children are
 first trained in the elements4 ,if in  
these we can have faithful1 accurate1   
systematic1 comprehensive teaching1     
everything else desirable will be added 
thereunto4 ,but1 if we are negligent1   
unphilosophical1 and false1 the         

reasonable public expectation will never
 be realized in regard to other         
institutions of learning4  ,the work    
must be done by women1 and by           
well-educated women2 and1 when it is    
said that in ,massachusetts alone we    
need the services of six thousand such  
persons1 the magnitude of the work of   
providing teachers may be appreciated4  
,have we not enough in this field for   
every female school and academy1 where  
high schools are not required1 or cannot
 exist1 and for every high school and   
normal school in the commonwealth8 ,if  
it is asserted that the supply of female
 teachers is already greater than the   
demand1 it must be stated1 in reply1    
that there are persons enough engaged in
 teaching1 but that the number of       
competent teachers is1 and ever has     
been1 too small4 ,it is something1 my   
friends1 it is often a great deal1 to   
send into a town a well-qualified female
 teacher4 ,she is not only a blessing to
 those who are under her tuition1 but   

her example and influence are often such
 as to change the local sentiment       
concerning teachers and schools4 ,when  
may we expect a supply of such persons8 
,the hope is not a delusion1 though its 
realization may be many years postponed4
 ,how are competent persons to be       
selected and qualified8 ,the change will
 be gradual1 and it is to be made in the
 public opinion as well as in the       
character of teachers and schools4 ,and 
is it not possible1 even in view of all 
that has been accomplished1 that we are 
yet groping in a dark passage1 with only
 the hope that it leads to an           
outward-opening door1 where1 in         
marvellous but genial light we shall    
perceive new truths concerning the      
philosophy of the human mind1 and the   
means of its development8 ,at this      
moment we are compelled to admit that   
practical teachers and theorists in     
educational matters are alike uncertain 
in regard to the true method of teaching
 the alphabet1 and divided and          

subdivided in opinion concerning the    
order of succession of the various      
studies in the primary and grammar      
schools4 ,perfect agreement on these    
points is not probable2 it may not be   
desirable4 ,i am satisfied that no      
greater contribution can be made to the 
cause of learning than a presentation of
 these topics and their elucidation1 so 
that the teacher shall feel that what he
 does is philosophical1 and therefore   
wise4  ,the only way to achieve success 
is to apply faithfully the means at     
hand4 ,generations of children cannot   
wait for perfection in methods of       
teaching2 but teachers of primary       
schools ought not to neglect any        
opportunity which promises aid to them  
as individuals1 or progress in the      
profession that they have chosen4 ,as   
teachers improve1 so do schools2 and1 as
 schools improve1 so do teachers4 ,the  
influence exerted by teachers is first  
beneficial to pupils1 but1 as a result1 
we soon have a class of better qualified

 teachers4 ,with these ideas of the     
importance of the teacher's vocation to 
primary instruction1 and1 consequently1 
to all good learning1 it is not strange 
that ,i place a high value upon         
professional training4 ,a degree of     
professional training more or less      
desirable is1 no doubt1 furnished1 by   
every school2 but the admission does not
 in any manner detract from the force of
 the statement that a young man or woman
 well qualified in the branches to be   
taught1 yet without experience1 may be  
strengthened and prepared for the work  
of teaching1 by devoting six1 twelve1 or
 eighteen months1 under competent       
instructors1 in company with a hundred  
other persons having a similar object in
 view1 to the study1 examination1 and   
discussion1 of those subjects and topics
 which are sometimes connected with1 and
 sometimes independent of1 the          
text-books1 but which are of daily value
 to the teacher4  ,at present only a    
portion of this necessary professional  

training can be given in the normal     
schools4 ,if1 however1 as ,i trust may  
sometimes be the case1 none should be   
admitted but those who are already      
qualified in the branches to be taught1 
the time of attendance might be         
diminished1 and the number of graduates 
proportionately increased4 ,there are   
about one hundred high schools in the   
state1 and1 within the sphere of their  
labors1 they are not equalled by any    
institutions that the world has seen4   
,young men are fitted for the colleges1 
for mechanical1 manufacturing1          
commercial1 agricultural1 and scientific
 labors1 and young men and young women  
are prepared for the general duties of  
life4 ,they are also furnishing a large 
number of well-qualified teachers4 ,some
 may say that with these results we     
ought to be content4 ,regarding only the
 past1 they are entirely satisfactory2  
but1 animated with reasonable hopes     
concerning the future1 we claim         
something more and better4 ,it is not   

disguised that the members of normal    
schools1 when admitted1 do not sustain  
an average rank in scholarship with     
graduates of high schools4 ,this is a   
misfortune from which relief is sought4 
,it is a suggestion1 diffidently made1  
yet with considerable confidence in its 
practicability and value1 that graduates
 of high schools will often obtain      
additional and necessary preparation by 
attending a normal school1 if for the   
term of six months only4 ,and ,i am     
satisfied1 beyond all reasonable doubt1 
that1 when the normal schools receive   
only those whose education is equivalent
 to that now given in the high schools1 
a body of teachers will be sent out who 
will surpass the graduates of any other 
institution1 and whose average          
professional attainments and practical  
excellence will meet the highest        
reasonable public expectation4 ,nor is  
it claimed that this result will be due 
to anything known or practised in normal
 schools that may not be known and      

practised elsewhere2 but it is rather   
attributable to the fact that in these  
institutions the attention of teachers  
and pupils is directed almost           
exclusively to the work of teaching1 and
 the means of preparation4 ,the studies1
 thoughts1 and discussions1 are devoted 
to this end4 ,if1 with such             
opportunities1 there should be no       
progress1 we should be led to doubt all 
our previous knowledge of human         
character1 and of the development of the
 youthful mind4  ,and now1 ladies and   
gentlemen1 before ,i conclude1 allow me 
to remove1 or at least to lessen1 an    
impression that these remarks are       
calculated to produce4 ,i have assumed  
that teaching is a profession--an       
arduous profession--and that perfection 
has not yet been attained4 ,i have      
assumed1 also1 that there are many      
persons engaged in teaching1 especially 
in the primary and mixed district       
schools1 whose qualifications are not as
 great as they ought to be4 ,but let it 

not be thence inferred that ,i am       
dissatisfied with our teachers and      
schools4 ,there has been continual      
progress in education1 and a large share
 of this progress is due to teachers2   
but the time has not yet come when we   
can wisely fold our arms1 and accept the
 allurements of undisturbed repose4     
,nor have ,i sought1 on this occasion1  
to present even an outline of a system  
of female education4 ,in all the public 
institutions of learning among us1 it   
should be as comprehensive1 as minute1  
as exact1 as that furnished for youth of
 the other sex4 ,nor is it necessary to 
concern ourselves about the effect of   
this liberal culture upon the character 
and fortunes of society4 ,i do not      
anticipate any sudden or disastrous     
effects4 ,the right of education is a   
common right2 and it is unquestionably  
the right of woman to assert her rights2
 and it is a wrong and sin if we        
withhold any1 even the least4 ,having   
faith in humanity1 and faith in ,god1   

let us not shrink from the privilege we 
enjoy of offering to all1 without       
reference to sex or condition1 the      
benefits of a public and liberal system 
of education1 which seeks1 in an        
alliance with virtue and religion1 whose
 banns are forbidden by none1 to        
enlighten the ignorant1 restrain and    
reform the depraved1 and penetrate all  
society with good learning and          
civilization1 so that the highest idea  
of a well-ordered state shall be        
realized in an advanced and advancing   
condition of individual and family life4
     ,,the ,,influence1 ,,duties1 ,,and 
,,rewards1 ,,of ,,teachers4  ,a ,lecture
 delivered at ,teachers' ,institutes4   
,it is the purpose1 and we believe that 
it will be the destiny1 of              
,massachusetts1 to build up a           
comparatively perfect system of public  
instruction4 ,to this antiquity did not 
aspire2 and it is the just boast of     
modern times1 and especially of the     
,american ,states1 that learning is not 

the amusement of a few only1 whom wealth
 and taste have led into its paths1 but 
that it is encouraged by governments1   
and cherished by the whole people4      
,antiquity had its schools and teachers2
 but the latter were1 for the most part1
 founders of sects in politics1 morals1 
philosophy1 religion1 or the habits of  
daily life2 while its schools were      
frequented and sustained by those who   
sought to build on the civilization of  
the times such structures as their      
tastes conceived or their opinions      
dictated4  ,there were not in ,athens or
 ,rome1 according to the ,american idea1
 any schools for the people2 and        
,carlyle1 ,brownson1 and ,emerson1 are  
such teachers in kind1 though not in    
power and influence1 as were ,socrates1 
,plato1 and ,aristotle4 ,these men were 
leaders as well as teachers1 and their  
followers were disciples and            
controversialists rather than pupils4   
,but it is not possible for modern      
leaders in politics1 philosophy1 and    

social life1 to rival the ancients4     
,manual labor is not more divided and   
subdivided than is the influence of the 
human intellect4 ,the newspaper has     
inspired every man with the love of     
self-judgment1 and the common school has
 qualified him1 in some degree1 for its 
exercise4 ,the ancients1 whose names and
 fame have come down to us1 taught by   
conversations1 discussions1 and         
lectures2 the moderns1 as ,carlyle1     
,brownson1 and ,emerson1 by lectures1   
essays1 and reviews4 ,but these systems 
are quite inadequate to meet the wants  
of ,american civilization4  ,indeed1    
however men of talent may strive1 there 
cannot be another ,socrates1 ,plato1 or 
,aristotle2 for the printing-press has  
come1 and their occupation has gone4    
,teachers were philosophers1 pupils were
 followers and disciples1 while learning
 was devoted to the support of          
speculations and theories4  ,but1 while 
we have no such teachers as those of    
,athens1 and need no such schools as    

they founded1 we have teachers and      
schools whose character and genius      
correspond to the age in which we live4 
,teaching is a profession2 not merely an
 ignoble pursuit1 nor a toy of          
scholastic ambition1 but a profession   
enjoying the public confidence1         
requiring great talents1 demanding great
 industry1 and securing1 permit me to   
say1 great rewards4 ,to be the leader of
 a sect or the founder of a school1 is  
something2 but the acceptable teacher is
 superior to either2 he is the first and
 chief exponent of a popular sovereignty
 which seeks happiness and immortality  
for itself by elevating and refining the
 parts of which it is composed4 ,the    
ancient teacher gathered his hearers1   
disciples1 and pupils1 in the streets1  
groves1 and public squares4 ,the modern 
teacher is comparatively secluded2 but  
let him not hence infer that he is      
without influence4 ,socrates1 ,plato1   
and ,aristotle1 had their triumphs2 but 
none more distinguished than that of a  

,massachusetts teacher1 who1 at the age 
of fourscore years1 on a festive day1   
received from his former pupils--and    
among them were the most eminent of the 
land--sincere and affectionate          
assurances of esteem and gratitude4 ,the
 pupil may be estranged from the master 
in opinion1 for our system does not     
concern itself with opinions1 political 
or religious2 but the faithful teacher  
will always find the evidence of his    
fidelity in the lives of those intrusted
 to his care4 ,no position is more      
important than the teacher's2 and his   
influence is next to that of the parent4
 ,it is his high and noble province to  
touch the youthful mind1 test its       
quality1 and develop its                
characteristics4 ,he often stands in the
 place of the parent4 ,he aids in giving
 character to the generations of men2   
which is at once a higher art and a     
purer glory than distinguishes those who
 build the walls of cities1 or lay the  
foundations of empires4 ,the cities     

which contested for the honor of being  
the birthplace of ,homer are forgotten1 
or remembered only because they         
contested for the honor1 while ,homer   
himself is immortal4 ,if1 then1 the mere
 birth of a human being is an honor to a
 city1 how illustrious the distinction  
of those who guide the footsteps of     
youth along the rugged paths of         
learning1 and develop in a generation   
the principles of integrity and mercy1  
justice and freedom1 government and     
humanity6 ,if in a lifetime of toil the 
teacher shall bring out of the mass of  
common minds one ,franklin1 or ,howard1 
or ,channing1 or ,bowditch1 he will have
 accomplished more than is secured by   
the devotees of wealth1 or the disciples
 of pleasure4 ,as the man is more       
important than the mere philosopher1 so 
is the modern teacher more elevated than
 the ancient4  ,the true teacher takes  
hold of the practical and elementary1 as
 distinguished from the learning whose  
chief or sole value is in display4      

,present gratification is desirable1    
especially to parents and teachers2 but 
it may be secured at the cost of solid  
learning and real progress4 ,this is a  
serious error among us1 and it will not 
readily be abandoned2 but it is the duty
 of teachers1 and of all parents who are
 friends to genuine learning1 to aid in 
its removal4 ,we are inclined to treat  
the period of school-life as though it  
covered the entire time that ought      
properly to be devoted to education4    
,the first result--a result followed by 
pernicious consequences--is that the    
teacher is expected to give instruction 
in every branch that the pupil1 as      
child1 youth1 or adult1 may need to     
know4 ,it is impossible that instruction
 so varied should always be good4       
,learning is knowledge of subjects based
 and built upon a thorough acquaintance 
with their elements4 ,the path of duty1 
therefore1 should lead the teacher to   
make his instruction thorough in a few  
branches1 rather than attempt to extend 

it over a great variety of subjects4    
,this1 to the teacher who is employed in
 a district or town but three or six    
months1 is a hard course1 and many may  
not be inclined to pursue it4           
,something1 no doubt1 must be yielded to
 parents2 but they1 too1 should be      
educated to a true view of their        
children's interests4 ,as the world is1 
a well-spoken declamation is more       
gratifying to parents1 and more         
creditable to teachers1 than the most   
careful training in the vowel-sounds2   
yet the latter is infinitely more       
valuable to the scholar4 ,neither       
progress in the languages nor knowledge 
of mathematics can compensate for the   
want of a thorough etymological         
discipline4 ,this training should be    
primary in point of time1 as well as    
elementary in character2 and a classical
 education is no adequate compensation4 
,elements are all-important to the      
teacher and the student4 ,it is not     
possible to have an idea of a square    

without some idea of a straight line1   
nor to express with pencil or words the 
arc of a circle without a previous      
conception of the curve4 ,combination   
follows in course4 ,we are driven to it4
 ,our own minds1 all nature1 all        
civilization1 tend to the combination of
 elements4  ,we think fast1 live fast1  
learn fast1 and1 as the fashion of the  
world requires a knowledge of many      
things1 we crowd the entire education of
 our children into the short period of  
school-life4 ,here1 and just here1      
public sentiment ought to relieve the   
teacher by reforming itself4  ,it should
 be understood that school-life is to be
 devoted to the thorough discipline of  
the mind to study1 and to an            
acquaintance with those simple1         
elementary branches1 which are the      
foundation of all good learning4 ,when a
 knowledge of the elements is secured1  
then the languages1 mathematics1 and all
 science1 may be pursued with enthusiasm
 and success by a class of men well     

educated in every department4 ,public   
sentiment must allow the teacher to give
 careful instruction in reading and     
spelling1 for example1 in the most      
comprehensive meaning of those terms--in
 the sound and power of letters1 in the 
composition and use of words1 and in the
 natural construction of sentences4     
,this1 of course1 includes a knowledge  
of grammar1 not as a dry1 philological  
study1 but as a science2 not as composed
 of arbitrary rules1 merely1 but as the 
common and best judgment of men         
concerning the use and power of         
language1 of which rules and definitions
 are but an imperfect expression4  ,nor 
do we herein assign the teacher to      
neglect or obscurity4 ,he1 as well as   
others1 must have faith in the future4  
,his reward may be distant1 but it is   
certain4  ,it is1 however1 likely that  
the labors of a faithful elementary     
teacher will be appreciated immediately1
 and upon the scene of his toil4 ,but1  
if they are not1 his pupils1 advancing  

in age and increasing in knowledge1 will
 remember with gratitude and in words   
the self-sacrificing labors of their    
master4  ,we are not so constituted as  
to labor without motive4 ,with some the 
motive is high1 with others it is low   
and grovelling4 ,the teacher must be    
himself elevated1 or he cannot elevate  
others4 ,the pupil may1 indeed1 advance 
to a higher sphere than that occupied by
 the teacher2 but it is only because he 
draws from a higher fountain elsewhere4 
,in such cases the success of the pupil 
is not the success of the master4 ,he   
who labors as a teacher for mere money1 
or for temporary fame1 which is even    
less valuable1 cannot choose a calling  
more ignoble1 nor can he ever rise to a 
higher2 for his sordid motives bring all
 pursuits to the low level of his own   
nature4  ,yet it is not to be assumed   
that the teacher1 more than the         
clergyman1 is to labor without pecuniary
 compensation2 for1 while money should  
not be the sole object of any man's     

life1 it is1 under the influence of our 
civilization1 essential to the happiness
 of us all4 ,wealth1 properly acquired  
and properly used1 may become a means of
 self-education4 ,it purchases relief   
from the harassing toil of uninterrupted
 manual labor4 ,it is the only          
introduction we can have to the         
thoroughfares of travel by which we are 
made acquainted personally with the     
globe that we inhabit4 ,it brings to our
 firesides books1 paintings1 and        
statuary1 by which we learn something of
 the world as it is and as it was4 ,it  
gives us the telescope and the          
microscope1 by whose agency we are able 
to appreciate1 even though but          
imperfectly1 the immensity of creation  
on the one hand1 and its infinity on the
 other4 ,the teacher is not to labour   
without money1 nor to despise it more   
than other men2 and the public might as 
well expect the free services of the    
minister1 lawyer1 physician1 or farmer1 
as to expect the gratuitous or cheap    

education of their children4 ,while the 
teacher is educating others1 he must    
also educate himself4 ,this he cannot do
 without both leisure and money4 ,the   
advice of ,iago is1 therefore1 good     
advice for teachers3 ,go1 make money4 99
 99 ,put money enough in your purse4    
,the teacher's motives should be above  
mere gain2 though this view of the      
subject does not1 as some might infer1  
lead to the conclusion that he ought to 
labor for inadequate compensation4      
,when ,george ,,iii4 was first insane1  
,dr4 ,willis was called to the immediate
 personal charge of the king4 ,dr4      
,willis had been educated to the church1
 and a living had been assigned him2    
but1 becoming interested in the subject 
of insanity1 he had established an      
asylum1 and gained a distinguished      
position in his new profession4 ,the    
suffering monarch was sadly puzzled to  
know why ,dr4 ,willis was with him1 and 
how he had been brought there4 ,the     
custodian was not very definite in his  

explanations1 but suggested that he came
 to comfort the king in his afflictions2
 and1 said he1 ,you know that our       
,saviour went about doing good4--,yes1  
said the king1 but he never received    
seven hundred pounds a year for it4     
,this was good wit1 especially good     
royal wit1 because unexpected4 ,but     
there is no reason why actual monarchs  
of ,england1 or coming monarchs of      
,america1 should be treated or taught   
gratuitously4 ,the compensation1 the    
living of the teacher1 is one thing2 the
 motive may and ought to be quite       
different4 ,the teacher should labor in 
his profession because he loves it1     
because he does good in it1 and because 
he can in that sphere answer a high     
purpose of existence4 ,these being the  
motives of the teacher1 he should       
educate1 draw out1 corresponding ones in
 his pupils4  ,the teacher is not to    
create--he is to draw out4 ,every child 
has the germs of many1 and1 it may be1  
quite different qualities of character4 

,look at the infant4 ,it is so          
constituted that it may have a stalwart 
arm1 broad chest1 and well-rounded1     
vigorous muscles2 but yet it may come to
 adult age destitute of these physical  
excellences4 ,yet you will not say that 
the elements did not exist in the child4
 ,they were there2 but1 being neglected1
 they followed a law of our nature1 that
 the development of a faculty depends   
upon its exercise4 ,nature will develop 
some quality in every man2 for our      
existence demands the exercise of a part
 of our faculties4 ,the faculty used    
will be developed in excess as compared 
with other faculties4 ,it is the        
business of the teacher to aid nature4  
,for the most part1 he must stimulate1  
encourage1 draw out1 develop1 though it 
may happen that he will be required     
occasionally to check a tendency which  
threatens to absorb or overshadow all   
the others4 ,he must1 at any rate1      
prevent the growth of those powers which
 tend towards the savage state4  ,while 

the teacher creates nothing1 he must so 
draw out the qualities of the child that
 it may attain to perfect manhood4 ,he  
moulds1 he renders symmetrical1 the     
physical1 the intellectual1 the moral   
man4 ,nature sometimes does this        
herself1 as though she would            
occasionally furnish a model man for our
 imitation1 as she has given lines1 and 
forms1 and colors1 which all artists of 
all ages shall copy1 but cannot equal4  
,but1 do the best we can1 education is  
more or less artificial2 and hence the  
child of the school will suffer by      
comparison with the child of nature1    
when she presents him in her best forms4
  ,in a summer ramble ,i met a man so   
dignified as to attract the notice and  
command the respect of all who knew him4
 ,i was with him upon the lakes and     
mountains several days and nights1 and  
never for a moment did the manliness of 
his character desert him4 ,i have seen  
no other person who could boast such    
physical beauty4 ,accustomed to a       

hunter's life2 carrying often a pack of 
thirty or forty or fifty pounds2        
sleeping upon the ground or a bed of    
boughs2 able1 if necessity of interest  
demanded1 to travel in the woods the    
ordinary distance which a good horse    
would pass over upon our roads2 with    
every organ of the arm1 the leg1 the    
trunk1 fully expressed2 with a manly1   
kind1 intelligent countenance1 a beard  
uncut1 in the vigor of early manhood1 he
 seemed a model which the statuaries of 
,greece and ,rome desired to see1 but   
did not4 ,he had at once the bearing of 
a soldier and the characteristics of a  
gentleman4 ,he was ignorant of          
grammatical rules and definitions1 yet  
his conversation would have been        
accepted in good circles of ,new        
,england society4 ,this man had his     
faults1 but they were not grievous      
faults1 nor did they in any manner      
affect the qualities of which ,i have   
spoken4  ,this is what nature sometimes 
does2 this is what we should always     

strive to do1 extending this symmetry1  
if possible1 to the moral as well as to 
the intellectual and physical           
organization4 ,this man is ignorant of  
science1 of books1 of the world of      
letters1 and the world of art1 yet we   
respect him4 ,why8 ,because nature has  
chosen to illustrate in him her own     
principles1 power and beauty4  ,that we 
may draw out the qualities of the human 
mind as they exist1 we must first       
appreciate our influence upon childhood 
and youth4 ,our own experience is the   
best evidence of what that influence is4
 ,all along our lives the lessons of    
childhood return to us4 ,the hills and  
valleys1 the lakes1 rivers1 and         
rivulets1 of our early home1 come not in
 clearer visions before us than do the  
exhortations to industry1 the incentives
 to progress1 the lessons of learning1  
and the principles of truth1 uttered and
 offered by the teachers of early years4
 ,in the same way the lines of the poet1
 the reflections of the philosopher1 the

 calm truths of the historian1 read once
 and often carelessly1 and for many     
years forgotten1 return as voices of    
inspiration1 and are evermore with us4  
,that the teacher may have influence1   
his ear must be open to the voice of    
truth1 and his mouth must be liberal    
with words of consolation1              
encouragement1 and advice4 ,he rules in 
a little world1 and the scales of       
justice must be balanced evenly in his  
hands4 ,he should go in and out before  
his scholars free from partiality or    
prejudice2 indifferent to the voice of  
envy or detraction2 shunning evil and   
emulous of good2 patient of inquiries in
 the hours of duty2 filled with the     
spirit of industry in his moments of    
leisure2 gathering up and spreading     
before his pupils the choicest gems of  
literature1 art1 and science1 that they 
may be early and truly inspired with the
 love of learning4  ,the public school  
is a little world1 and the teacher rules
 therein4 ,it contains the rich and the 

poor1 the virtuous and the corrupt1 the 
studious and the indifferent1 the timid 
and the brave1 the fearful and the      
hearts elate with hope and courage4     
,life is there no cheat2 it wears no    
mask1 it assumes no unnatural positions1
 but presents itself as it is4 ,deformed
 and repulsive in some of its features1 
yet to him whose eye is as quick to     
discover its beauty as its deformity1   
its harmony as its discord1 there is    
always a bright spot on which he may    
gaze1 and a fond hope to which he may   
cling4 ,artificial life1 whether in the 
select school or the select party1 tends
 to weaken our faith in humanity2 and a 
want of faith in our race is an omen of 
ill-success in life4 ,teachers should   
have faith in humanity1 and should labor
 constantly to inspire others with the  
belief that the true law of our nature  
is the law of progress4  ,those who come
 early in life to the conclusion that   
the many cannot be moved by the higher  
sentiments and ideas which control a few

 favored mortals1 cease to labor for the
 advancement of the race4 ,they         
consequently lose their hold upon       
society1 and society neglects them4 ,for
 such men there can be no success4      
,others1 like ,jefferson and ,channing1 
never lose confidence in their species1 
and their species never lose confidence 
in them4 ,when the teacher comes to     
believe that the world is worse than it 
was1 and never can be better1 he need   
wait for no other evidence that his days
 of usefulness are over4  ,the          
school-room will teach the child1 even  
as the prison will instruct maturity and
 age1 that few persons are vicious in   
the extreme1 and that no one lives      
without some ennobling traits of        
character and life4 ,the teacher's faith
 is the measure of the teacher's        
usefulness4 ,it is to him what          
conception is to the artist2 and1 if the
 sculptor can see the image of grace and
 beauty in the fresh-quarried marble1 so
 must the teacher see the full form of  

the coming man in the trembling child or
 awkward youth4  ,the teacher ought not 
to grow old4 ,to be sure1 time will lay 
its hand on him1 as it does on others2  
but he should always cultivate in       
himself the feelings1 sentiments1 and   
even ambitions of youth4 ,far enough    
removed from his pupils in age and      
position to stimulate them by his       
example1 and encourage them by his      
precepts1 he should yet be so near them 
that he can appreciate the steps and    
struggles which mark their progress in  
the path of learning4 ,there must be    
some points of contact1 something common
 to teacher and pupils4 ,indeed1 for us 
all it is true that age loses nothing of
 its dignity or respect when it accepts 
the sentiments and sports of youth and  
childhood4 ,but above all should the    
teacher remember the common remark of   
,la ,place1 in his ,celestial           
,mechanics1 and the observation of ,dr4 
,bowditch upon it4 ,whenever ,i meet in 
,la ,place with the words1 ',thus it    

plainly appears1' ,i am sure that hours1
 and perhaps days1 of hard study1 will  
alone enable me to discover how it      
plainly appears4 ,the good teacher will 
seek first to estimate each scholar's   
capacity1 and then adapt his            
instructions accordingly4 ,though he may
 be far removed from his pupils in      
attainments1 he should be able to mark  
the steps by which ordinary minds pass  
from common principles to their noblest 
application4  ,this observation may by  
some be deemed unnecessary2 but there   
are living teachers who1 having mastered
 the noblest sciences1 are unable to    
appreciate and lead ordinary minds4     
,the teacher must be in earnest4 ,this  
is the price of success in every        
profession4 ,the law1 it is said1 is a  
jealous mistress1 and permits no rivals2
 the indifferent1 careless minister is  
but a blind leader of the blind1 and the
 undevout astronomer is mad4  ,sincerity
 of soul and earnestness of purpose will
 achieve success4 ,according to an      

eminent authority1 there are three kinds
 of great men3 those who are born great1
 those who achieve greatness1 and those 
who have greatness thrust upon them4 ,if
 we take greatness of birth to be in    
greatness of soul and intellect1 and not
 in the mere accident of ancestry1 it is
 such only who have greatness thrust    
upon them2 for the world1 after all1    
rarely makes a mistake in this respect4 
,but there is a larger and a nobler     
class1 whose greatness1 whatever it is1 
must be achieved2 and to this class ,i  
address myself4  ,success is            
practicable4 ,there need be no failures4
 ,a man of reflection will soon find    
whether he can succeed in his pursuit2  
if not1 he has mistaken his calling1 or 
neglected the proper means of success4  
,in either case1 a remedy is at hand4   
,if a teacher is indifferent to his     
calling1 and cannot bring himself to    
pursue it with ardor1 it is a duty to   
himself1 to his profession1 to his      
pupils1 to abandon it at once4 ,it is   

idle to suppose that we are doing good  
in a work to which we are not attracted 
by our sympathies1 and in which we are  
not sustained by our faith and hopes4   
,the men who succeed are the men who    
believe that they can succeed4 ,the men 
who fail are those to whom success would
 have been a surprise4 ,there is no     
doubt some appropriate pursuit in life  
for every man of ordinary talents2 but  
no one can tell whether he has found it 
for himself until he has made a vigorous
 and persistent application of his      
powers4 ,if the teacher fail to do this1
 he need not seek for success in another
 profession1 when he has already        
declined to pay its price4  ,the choice 
of a profession is one of the great acts
 of life4 ,it should not be done        
hastily1 nor without a careful          
examination and just appreciation of the
 elements of character4 ,a competent    
teacher may aid his pupils in this      
respect4 ,a mistake in occupation is a  
calamity to the individual1 and an      

injury to the public4 ,our school-rooms 
contain artists1 farmers1               
mathematicians1 mechanics1 poets1       
lawyers1 statesmen1 orators1 and        
warriors2 but some one must do for them 
what ,shakspeare says the monarch of the
 hive has done for all his              
subjects--assigned them                 
,officers of sorts2      ,where some1   
like magistrates1 correct at home2      
,others1 like merchants1 venture trade  
abroad2      ,others1 like soldiers1    
armed in their stings1      ,make boot  
upon the summer's velvet buds2          
,which pillage1 they with merry march   
bring home      ,to the tent-royal of   
their emperor2      ,who1 busied in his 
majesty1 surveys      ,the singing      
masons1 building roofs of gold2         
,the civil citizens kneading up the     
honey2      ,the poor mechanic porters  
crowding in      ,their heavy burdens at
 his narrow gate2      ,the sad-eyed    
justice1 with his surly hum1            
,delivering o'er to executors pale      

,the lazy1 yawning drone4   ,teachers   
are so situated that they may give      
wholesome advice2 while parents--and ,i 
say it with respect--are quite likely1  
under the influence of an instinctive   
belief that their children are fitted   
for any place within the range of human 
labor or human ambition1 to make fatal  
mistakes4 ,while all pursuits and       
professions1 if honest1 are equally     
honorable1 the individual selection must
 be determined by taste1 circumstances1 
individual habits1 and often by physical
 facts4 ,it is not for one person to do 
everything1 but it is for each person to
 do at least one thing well4 ,as a      
general rule1 the painter1 who has spent
 his youth and manhood in studying the  
canvas1 had better not study the stars2 
and the artist1 who has power to bring  
the form of life from the cold marble1  
has no right to solve problems in       
geometry1 weigh planets1 or calculate   
eclipses4 ,the proper choice of the     
business of life may do much to perfect 

our social system1 and it will certainly
 advance our material prosperity4 ,there
 is everywhere in our civilization      
mutual dependence1 and there must be    
mutual support4 ,in no other way can we 
advance to our destiny as becomes an    
enlightened people4  ,but all of life   
and education1 either to pupil1 teacher1
 or man1 is not to be found in the      
school-room4 ,the common period of      
school-life is sufficient only for      
elementary education4 ,the average      
school-going period is ten years4 ,of   
this1 one-half is spent in vacations and
 absences1 so that each child has about 
five years of school-life4 ,only        
one-fourth of each day is spent in the  
school-room2 and the continuous         
attendance1 therefore1 is about fifteen 
months1 equal to the time which most of 
us give to sleep1 every four or five    
years of our existence4 ,this view leads
 me to say again that it is the duty of 
the teacher in this brief period to lay 
a good foundation for subsequent        

scientific and classical culture4 ,more 
than this cannot be accomplished2 and1  
where this is accomplished1 and a taste 
for learning is formed1 and the means to
 be employed are comprehended1 a        
satisfactory school-life has been       
passed4  ,education--universal          
education--is a necessity2 and1 as there
 is no royal road to learning1 so there 
is no aristocracy of mental power       
depending upon social or pecuniary      
distinctions4 ,the ,new ,england        
colonies1 and ,massachusetts first of   
all1 established the system of education
 now called universal or public4 ,it was
 not then easy to comprehend the        
principle which lies at the foundation  
of a system of public instruction4 ,we  
are first to consider that a system of  
public instruction implies a system of  
universal taxation4 ,the only rule on   
which taxes can be levied justly is that
 the object sought is of public         
necessity1 or manifest public           
convenience4 ,it quite often happens    

that men of our own generation are      
insensible or indifferent to the true   
relation of the citizen to the cause of 
education4 ,some seem to imagine that   
their interest in schools1 and of course
 their moral obligation to support them1
 ceases with the education of their own 
children4 ,this is a great error4 ,the  
public has no right to levy a tax for   
the education of any particular child1  
or family of children2 but its right of 
taxation commences when the education or
 plan of education is universal1 and    
ceases whenever the plan is limited1 or 
the operations of the system are        
circumscribed4  ,no man can be taxed    
properly because he has children of his 
own to educate2 this may be a reason    
with some for cheerful payment1 but it  
has in itself no element of a just      
principle4 ,when1 however1 the people   
decide that education is a matter of    
public concern1 then taxation for its   
promotion rests upon the same foundation
 as the most important departments of a 

government4 ,yet1 many generations of   
men came and passed away before the     
doctrine was received that1 as a public 
matter1 a man is equally interested in  
the education of his neighbor's children
 as in the education of his own4 ,as    
parents1 we have a special interest in  
our children2 as citizens1 it is this1  
that they may be honest1 industrious1   
and effective in their labors4 ,this    
interest we have in all children4  ,the 
safety of our persons and property      
demands their honesty2 our right to be  
exempt from pauper and criminal taxes   
requires habits of universal industry2  
and our part in the general wealth and  
prosperity is increased by the          
intelligent application of manual labor 
in all the walks of life4  ,a man may1  
indeed1 be proud of the attainments of  
his family1 as men are often proud of   
their ancestry2 yet they possess little 
real value as a family possession4 ,the 
pride of ancestry has no value2 it      
,is like a circle in the water1         

,which never ceaseth to enlarge itself  
,till1 by broad-spreading1 it disperse  
to naught4   ,i pass from this          
digression to the statement that the    
chief means of self-improvement are     
five3 ,observation1 ,conversation1      
,reading1 ,memory1 and ,reflection4  ,it
 is an art to observe well--to go       
through the world with our eyes open--to
 see what is before us4 ,all men do not 
see alike1 nor see the same things4 ,our
 powers of observation take on the hues 
of daily life4 ,the artist1 in a strange
 city or foreign land1 observes only the
 specimens of taste and beauty or their 
opposites2 the mechanic studies anew the
 principles of his science as applied to
 the purposes of life2 the architect    
transfers to his own mind the images of 
churches1 cathedrals1 temples1 and      
palaces2 while the philanthropist       
rejoices in cellars and lanes1 that he  
may know how poverty and misery change  
the face and heart of man4  ,an         
,american artist1 following the lead of 

,mr4 ,jefferson1 has beautifully        
illustrated the nature of the power of  
observation4 ,we do not see even the    
faces of our common friends alike4 ,the 
stranger observes a family likeness     
which is invisible to the familiar      
acquaintance4 ,the former sees only the 
few points of agreement1 and decides    
upon them2 while the latter has observed
 and studied the more numerous points of
 difference1 until he is blind to all   
others4 ,hence a portrait may appear    
true to a stranger1 which1 to an        
intimate acquaintance1 is barren in     
expression1 and destitute of character4 
,therefore1 the artist wisely and       
properly esteemed himself successful    
when his work was approved by the wife  
or the mother4 ,the world around us is  
full of knowledge4 ,we should so behold 
it as to be instructed by all that is4  
,the distant star paints its image on   
our eye with a ray of light sent forth  
thousands of years ago2 yet its lesson  
is not of itself1 but of the universe   

and its mysteries1 and of the ,creator  
out of whose divine hand all things have
 come4  ,conversation is at once an art1
 an accomplishment1 and a science4 ,it  
leads to valuable practical results4 ,it
 has a place1 and by no means an        
inferior place1 in the schools4 ,facts  
stated1 questions proposed1 or theories 
illustrated1 in conversation1 are       
permanently impressed upon the mind4 ,it
 is in the power of the teacher to      
communicate much information in this    
way1 and it is in the power of us all to
 make conversation a means of           
improvement4  ,but1 when the pupil      
leaves the school1 reading1 so          
systematic and thorough as to be called 
study1 is1 no doubt1 the best culture he
 can enjoy4 ,in the first place1 books  
are accessible to all1 and they may be  
had at all times4 ,they can be used in  
moments of leisure1 in solitude1 in the 
hours when sleep is too proud to wait on
 us1 and when friends are absent or     
indifferent to our lot4 ,conversation   

may be patronizing1 or it may leave us a
 debtor2 when the book-seller's bill is 
settled1 we have no account with the    
author4  ,if ,i am permitted to speak to
 all1 pupils as well as teachers1 ,i am 
inclined to say1 ,do not consider your  
education finished when you leave home  
and the school4 ,your labors of a       
practical sort ought then to commence4  
,with system and care1 you may read     
works of literature and history1 or     
devote yourself to mathematics in the   
higher departments of science4 ,as a    
general thing1 however1 it is not wise  
to attempt too much at once4 ,the custom
 of the schools is to require each pupil
 to attend to several branches at the   
same time2 but this course cannot be    
recommended to adult persons with       
disciplined minds4 ,it seems better to  
select one subject1 and make it the     
leading topic1 for a time1 of our       
studies and thoughts4 ,it may also be   
proper to suggest that works of fiction1
 poetry1 and romance1 ought not to be   

read until the mind is well disciplined1
 and a good foundation of solid learning
 is laid4 ,such works tend to make one's
 style of thought and writing easy1     
flowing1 and agreeable2 but they are    
also calculated to make us dissatisfied 
with the more substantial labors of     
intellectual life4 ,having obtained the 
elements of learning1 one thing is      
absolutely essential--system in study4  
,i fancy that there are two prevalent   
errors among us4 ,first1 that men often 
attain intellectual eminence without    
study2 and1 secondly1 that exclusive    
devotion to books is the price of       
success4 ,whoever neglects study1       
whatever his natural abilities1 will    
find himself distanced by inferior men2 
and1 on the other hand1 whoever will    
devote three hours each day to the      
systematic improvement of his mind will 
finally be numbered among the leading   
persons of the age4 ,but1 while we      
observe1 converse1 and read1 the power  
of memory and the habit of reflection   

should be cultivated4 ,the habit of     
reflection is a great aid to the memory1
 and together they enable us to use the 
knowledge we daily acquire4  ,no        
previous age of the world has offered so
 great encouragement1 whether in fame or
 money1 to men of science and           
literature1 as the present4 ,formerly1  
authors flourished under the patronage  
of princes1 or withered by their        
neglect2 but now they are encouraged and
 paid by the people1 and reap where they
 have sown1 whether kings will or not4  
,the poverty of authors was once        
proverbial2 but now the only authors who
 are poor are poor authors4 ,good       
learning1 integrity1 and ability1 are   
well compensated in all the professions4
 ,some one remarked to ,mr4 ,webster1   
,that the profession of the law was     
crowded4--,yes1 said he1 rather crowded 
below1 but there is plenty of room      
above4 ,littleness and mediocrity always
 seek the paths worn by superior men2   
and the truly illustrious in literature 

and science are few in number compared  
with those who attempt to tread in the  
footsteps of their illustrious          
predecessors2 but none of these things  
ought to deter young men of ability1    
industry1 and integrity1 from boldly    
entering the lists1 without fear of     
failure4 ,the world is usually just1 and
 it will ultimately award the tokens of 
its approbation to those who deserve    
success4  ,and there is a happy         
peculiarity in talent1--the variety is  
so great that the competition is small4 
,of all the living authors1 are there   
two so alike that they can be considered
 competitors or rivals8 ,the nation has 
applauded and set the seal of its       
approbation upon the eloquence of       
,henry1 ,otis1 ,adams1 ,ames1 ,pinckney1
 ,wirt1 ,calhoun1 ,clay1 and ,webster1  
not because these men resembled one     
another1 but because each had           
peculiarities and excellences of his    
own4 ,the same variety of excellence is 
seen in living orators1 and in all the  

eloquence and learning of antiquity     
which time has spared and history has   
transmitted to us4 ,it is said that when
 ,aristides wrote the sentence of his   
own banishment for a humble and unknown 
enemy1 the only reason given by the     
peasant was that he was tired with      
hearing him called the ,just4 ,and the  
world sometimes appears to be restive   
under the influence of men of talent2   
but that influence1 whether always      
agreeable or not1 is both permanent and 
beneficial4  ,not only does each        
generation respect its own leading      
minds1 but it is submissive to the      
learning and intellect of other days4   
,the influence of ancient ,greece still 
remains4 ,we copy her architecture1     
borrow from her philosophy1 admire her  
poetry1 and bow with humility before the
 remnants of her majestic literature4   
,so the policy of ,rome is perceptible  
in the civilization of every ,european  
country1 and it is a potent element in  
the laws and jurisprudence of ,america4 

,the eloquence of ,demosthenes has been 
impressed upon every succeeding         
generation of civilized men2 the genius 
of ,hannibal has stimulated the ambition
 of warriors from his own time to that  
of ,napoleon2 while ,shakspeare's power 
has been the wonder of all modern       
authors and readers4 ,it is a great     
representative fact in mental           
philosophy1 which we cannot too much    
contemplate1 that ,demosthenes and      
,cicero not only enchained the thousands
 of ,greece and ,rome in whose presence 
they stood1 but that their eloquence has
 had a controlling influence over       
myriads to whom the language in which   
they spoke was unknown4 ,the words that 
the houseless ,homer sung in the streets
 of ,smyrna have commanded the          
admiration of all later times2 and even 
the mud walls around ,plato's garden1 on
 which are preserved the fragments of   
statuary with which the garden was once 
adorned1 attract and instruct the       
wanderers and students about ,athens4   

,but let us not deceive ourselves with  
the idea that we can illustrate anew the
 greatness which has distinguished a few
 men only in all the long centuries of  
the world's existence4 ,be not imitators
 nor followers of other men's glory4    
,there is a path for each one1 and his  
duty lies therein4 ,yet the leading men 
of the world are lights which ought not 
to be hid from the young1 for they serve
 to show the extent of the field in     
which human powers may be employed4 ,the
 rule of the successful life is to      
neglect no present opportunity of good  
either to yourself or to others2 and the
 rule of the successful student is to   
gather information from whatever source 
he may1 not doubting that it will prove 
useful to himself or to his fellow-men4 
,our own age has furnished two men1--one
 living1 the other dead1--quite opposite
 in talents and attainments1 whose power
 and influence may not have been        
surpassed in ancient or modern times4 ,i
 speak of ,kossuth and ,webster4 ,our   

history has no parallel for the first4  
,most men1 young or old1 gay or severe1 
radical or conservative1 were touched by
 his mournful strains1 and influenced by
 his magic words4 ,he came from a land  
of which we knew little1 and so laid    
open the history of its wrongs that he  
enlisted multitudes in its behalf4 ,i   
speak not now of the views he presented1
 nor of the demands he made upon the    
,american people4 ,if he taught error   
and asked wrong1 so the more wonderful  
was his career4 ,no doubt his cause did 
much for him2 but other patriots and    
exiles have had equal opportunities with
 ,kossuth1 yet no one has so swayed the 
public mind4  ,he was distinguished in  
intellect1 a master of much learning1 a 
man of nice moral feeling and strong    
religious sentiments1 all of which were 
combined and blended in his addresses to
 the people4 ,but he spoke a language   
whose rudiments he first learned in     
manhood4 ,in his speech he neglected the
 chief rule of ,grecian eloquence4 ,with

 one theme1 only1--the wrongs of        
,hungary2 with one object1 only1--her   
relief and elevation1--he commanded the 
general attention of the ,american mind4
 ,the mission of ,kossuth in ,america   
deserves to be remembered as an         
intellectual phenomenon1 whose like1 we 
of this generation may not again see4   
,mr4 ,webster had never great personal  
popularity4 ,his presence was majestic1 
but forbidding4 ,his manners were       
agreeable1 and sometimes fascinating to 
his friends1 when he was in a genial    
mood2 but he was often reserved or even 
austere to strangers1 and terrible to   
his enemies4 ,his style of thought was  
mathematical1 his language expressive1  
but never popular4 ,he wrote as a man   
would dictate an essay which was to     
appear as a posthumous work4 ,his       
eloquence was not that which often      
passes for eloquence upon the stump or  
at the bar4 ,he seldom attempted to     
court the people1 and when he did1 it   
was as if he mocked himself1 and scorned

 the spirit which could be moved by the 
breezes of popular favor4 ,he was not   
free from faults1 personal and          
political2 yet he acquired a control    
which has not been possessed by any man 
since ,washington4 ,whenever he was to  
speak1 the public were anxious to hear  
and to read4 ,hardly any man has had the
 fortune to present his views in        
addresses1 letters1 and speeches1 to so 
large a portion of his countrymen2 yet  
the people whom he addressed1 and who   
were anxious for his words and opinions1
 did not always1 or even generally1     
agree with him4 ,mr4 ,webster's power   
was chiefly1 if not solely1             
intellectual4 ,he had not the personal  
qualities of ,mr4 ,clay or ,general     
,jackson2 he was not1 like ,mr4         
,jefferson the chosen exponent of a     
political creed1 and the admitted leader
 of a great political party2 nor had he 
the military character and universally  
acknowledged patriotism of ,general     
,washington1 which made him first in the

 hearts of his countrymen4 ,mr4 ,webster
 stands alone4 ,his domain is the       
intellect1 and thus far in ,america he  
is without a rival4 ,to ,mr4 ,webster1  
and to all men proportionately1         
according to the measure of their gifts 
and attainments1 we may apply his great 
words3 ,a superior and commanding human 
intellect1 a truly great man1 when      
,heaven vouchsafes so rare a gift1 is   
not a temporary flame1 burning brightly 
for a while1 and then giving place to   
returning darkness4 ,it is rather a     
spark of fervent heat1 as well as       
radiant light1 with power to enkindle   
the common mass of human mind2 so that1 
when it glimmers in its own decay1 and  
finally goes out in death1 no night     
follows1 but it leaves the world all    
light1 all on fire1 from the potent     
contact of its own spirit4  ,some humble
 measure of this greatness may be       
attained by all2 and1 if ,i have sought 
to lead you in the way of improvement by
 considerations too purely personal and 

selfish1 ,i will implore you1 in        
conclusion1 as teachers and as citizens1
 to consider yourselves as the servants 
of your country and your race4 ,there   
can be no real greatness of mind without
 generosity of soul4 ,if a superior     
human intellect seems to be specially   
the gift of ,god1 how is he wanting in  
true religion who fails to dedicate it  
to humanity1 justice1 and virtue6  ,an  
eminent historian1 seeing at one view1  
and as in the present moment1 the fall  
of great states1 ancient and modern1 and
 anticipating a like fate for his own   
beloved land1 has predicted that in two 
centuries there will be three hundred   
millions of people in ,north ,america   
speaking the language of ,england1      
reading its authors1 and glorying in    
their descent4 ,if this be so1 what     
limits can we assign to the work1 or how
 estimate the duty1 of those intrusted  
with the education of the young8  ,who  
can say what share of responsibility for
 the future of ,america is upon the     

teachers of the land8     ,,liberty     
,,and ,,learning4  ,an ,address         
delivered at ,montague1 ,july #dth1     
#aheg4   ,i congratulate you upon the   
auspicious moments of this1 the         
eighty-first anniversary of our         
,national ,independence2 and its return1
 now and ever1 should be the occasion of
 gratitude to the ,author of all good1  
that ,he hath vouchsafed to our fathers 
and to their descendants the wisdom to  
establish and the wisdom to preserve the
 institutions of ,liberty in ,america4  
,and ,i congratulate you that you accept
 this anniversary as the occasion for   
considering the subject of education4   
,ignorant and blind worshippers of      
,liberty can do but little for its      
support2 but1 whatever of change or     
decay may come to our institutions1     
,liberty itself can never die in the    
presence of a people universally and    
thoroughly educated4 ,it is not1 then1  
inappropriate nor unphilosophical for us
 to connect ,education and ,liberty     

together2 and ,i therefore propose1     
after presenting some thoughts upon the 
,declaration of ,independence1 and its  
relations to the ,american ,union1 to   
consider the value of political         
learning1 its neglect1 and the means by 
which it may be promoted4  ,the events  
and epochs of life are logical in their 
nature1 and are harmonious or           
inharmonious as the affairs of men are  
controlled by principle1 policy1 or     
accident4 ,humboldt1 ,maury1 and ,guyot1
 ,arago1 ,agassiz1 and ,pierce1 by      
observation1 philosophy1 and            
mathematics1 demonstrate the harmony of 
the physical creation4 ,in the          
microscopic animalculae2 in the gigantic
 remains1 whether vegetable or animal1  
of other ages and conditions of life2 in
 the coral reef and the mountain range2 
in the hill-side rivulet that makes the 
meadows green2 in the ocean current that
 bathes and vivifies a continent2 in the
 setting of the leaf upon its stem1 and 
the moving of ,uranus in its orbit1 they

 trace a law whose harmony is its glory1
 and whose mystery is the evidence of   
its divinity4  ,national changes1 the   
movements and progress of the human     
race1 as a whole and in its parts1 are  
obedient1 likewise1 to law2 and are1    
therefore1 logical in their character1  
though generally lacking in precision of
 connection and order of succession4 ,or
 it may be1 rather1 that we lack power  
to trace the connection between events  
that depend in part1 at least1 upon the 
prejudices1 passions1 vices1 and        
weaknesses1 of men4 ,the development of 
the logic of human affairs waits for a  
philosopher who shall study and         
comprehend the living millions of our   
race1 as the philosophers now study and 
comprehend the subjects of physical     
science4 ,we have no guaranty that this 
can ever be done4 ,as mind is above     
matter1 the mental philosopher enters   
upon the most varied and difficult field
 of labor4  ,keeping this fact in mind1 
it appears to be true that every person 

of observation1 reading1 and reflection1
 is something of a mental philosopher1  
though much the larger number have no   
knowledge of physical science4 ,and     
especially must the student of history  
have a system of mental philosophy2 but 
often1 no doubt1 his system is too crude
 for general notice4 ,every historian   
connects the events of his narrative by 
some thread of philosophy or            
speculation2 every reader observes some 
connection1 though he may never develop 
it to himself1 between the events and   
changes of national and ethnological    
life2 and even the observer whose vision
 is limited by his own horizon in time  
and space marks a dependence1 and speaks
 of cause and effect4 ,all this follows 
from the existence and nature of man4   
,man is not inert1 nor even passive1    
merely2 and his activity will           
continually organize itself into facts  
and forms1 ever changing in character1  
it may be1 yet subject to a law as wise 
and fixed as that of planetary motion4  

,the ,independence of the ,british      
,colonies in ,america1 declared on the  
#dth of ,july1 #aggf1 is not an isolated
 fact2 nor is the ,declaration itself a 
hasty and overwrought production of a   
young and enthusiastic adventurer in the
 cause of liberty4  ,the passions and   
the reason of men connected the         
,declaration of ,independence with the  
massacre in ,king-street1 of ,march     
#eth1 #aggj2 with the passage and repeal
 of the ,stamp ,act2 with the attempt to
 enforce the ,writs of ,assistance2 with
 the act to close the port of ,boston2  
with the peace of #agfc2 with the ,act  
of ,settlement of #afhh2 with the       
execution of ,charles ,i41 and the      
,protectorate of ,cromwell2 with the    
death of ,hampden2 with the             
confederation of #afdc2 with the royal  
charters granted to the respective      
colonies2 with the compact made on board
 the ,mayflower2 and1 finally1 and      
distinctly1 and chiefly1--as the basis  
of the greatest legal argument of modern

 times1 made by the ,massachusetts      
,house of ,representatives1 from #agfe  
to #agge1--with the events at           
,runnymede1 and the grant of the ,great 
,charter to the nobles and people of    
,england in #abae1 which is itself based
 upon the concessions of ,edward the    
,confessor1 and the affirmation of the  
,saxon laws in the eleventh century4    
,our ,independence is1 then1 one logical
 fact or event in a long succession1 to 
the enumeration of which we may yet add 
the confederation of #aggh1 the         
constitution of #aghg1 the ,french      
,revolution of #aghi1 the rapid increase
 of ,american territory and ,states1 the
 revolutionary spirit of continental    
,europe1 the reforms in the ,british    
government at home1 the wise            
modifications of its colonial policy1   
and for us a long career of prosperity  
based upon the cardinal doctrine of the 
equality of all men before the law4     
,nor can any reader of the ,declaration 
itself assume that it contains one      

statement1 proposition1 idea1 or word1  
not carefully considered1 and carefully 
expressed4 ,it was not the production of
 hasty1 thoughtless1 or reckless men4   
,the country had been gradually prepared
 for the great event4 ,states1 counties1
 and towns1 had made the most distinct  
expressions of opinion upon the         
relations of the colonies to the mother 
country4 ,on the #gth of ,june1 #aggf1  
,richard ,henry ,lee1 of ,virginia1     
moved1 in the ,congress of the ,united  
,colonies1 a resolution declaring1 ,that
 these ,united ,colonies are1 and of    
right ought to be1 free and independent 
states2 that they are absolved from all 
allegiance to the ,british crown1 and   
that all political connection between   
them and the state of ,great ,britain   
is1 and ought to be1 totally dissolved4 
,the subject was considered on the      
tenth2 and1 on the eleventh instant1 the
 committee1 consisting of ,thomas       
,jefferson1 ,john ,adams1 ,dr4          
,franklin1 ,roger ,sherman1 and ,robert 

,r4 ,livingston1 was appointed4 ,on the 
twenty-fifth of ,june1 a ,declaration of
 the ,deputies of ,pennsylvania1 in     
favor of ,independence1 was read4 ,on   
the twenty-eighth1 the credentials of   
the delegates from ,new ,jersey1 in     
which they were instructed to favor     
,independence1 were presented2 and on   
the first of ,july similar instructions 
to the ,maryland delegates were laid    
before ,congress4 ,at this time         
,congress proceeded to consider the     
,declaration and resolution reported by 
the committee4 ,the ,declaration was    
carefully considered1 and materially    
amended in committee of the whole1 on   
the first1 second1 third1 and fourth1   
when it was finally adopted4 ,it was    
then signed by the president and        
secretary1 and copies were transmitted  
to the several colonies4 ,the order for 
its engrossment1 and for the signature  
by every member1 was not passed until   
the nineteenth of ,july1 and it was not 
really signed until the second of       

,august following4 ,it is not likely1   
considering the circumstances1 and the  
known character of the members of       
,congress1 among whom may be mentioned  
,john ,hancock1 ,samuel ,adams1         
,benjamin ,rush1 ,robert ,morris1       
,benjamin ,harrison1 ,elbridge ,gerry1  
,john ,witherspoon1 a descendant of     
,john ,knox1 the ,scottish ,reformer1   
,charles ,carroll1 and ,samuel          
,huntington1--all distinguished for     
coolness1 probity1 and patriotism1--that
 the immortal document can contain one  
thought or word unworthy its sacred     
associations1 and the character of the  
,american people6  ,and it is among the 
alarming symptoms of public sentiment   
that the ,declaration of ,independence  
is by some publicly condemned1 and by   
others quietly accepted as entitled to  
just the consideration1 and no more1    
that is given to an excited advocate's  
speech to a jury1 or a demagogue's      
electioneering harangue1 or the daily   
contribution of the partisan editor to  

the stock of political capital that aids
 the election of his favorite           
candidates4 ,and upon this evidence is  
the nation and the world to be taught   
that but little was meant by the        
assertions1 that all men are created    
equal2 that they are endowed by their   
,creator with certain inalienable       
rights2 that among these are life1      
liberty1 and the pursuit of happiness2  
that1 to secure these rights1           
governments are instituted among men1   
deriving their just powers from the     
consent of the governed8 ,would it not  
be wiser to test the government we have1
 by a statesmanlike application of the  
principles of the ,declaration of       
,independence in the management of      
public affairs8  ,the ,union is         
connected with the ,declaration of      
,independence4 ,the ,union is an        
institution3 the ,declaration of        
,independence is an assertion of rights1
 and an exposition of principles4 ,when 
principles are disregarded1 institutions

 do not1 for any considerable time1     
retain their original value4 ,and it    
would be the folly of other nations1    
without excuse in us1 were we to worship
 blindly any institution1 whatever its  
origin or its history4 ,i do not1       
myself1 doubt the value of the ,american
 ,union4 ,it was the necessity of the   
time when it was formed2 it is the      
necessity of the present moment2 it was1
 indeed1 the claim of our whole colonial
 life1 and its recognition could be     
postponed no longer when the colonies   
crossed the threshold of national       
existence4  ,the colonies had carried on
 a correspondence among themselves upon 
important matters2 the ,new ,england    
settlements formed a confederation in   
#afdc1 that was the prototype of the    
present ,union2 and the convention at   
,albany1 in #aged1 considered in        
connection with various resolutions and 
declarations1 indicated a growing desire
 to form a more perfect union1 establish
 justice1 insure domestic tranquillity1 

provide for the common defence1 promote 
the general welfare1 and secure the     
blessings of liberty to the successive  
generations that should occupy the      
,american continent4  ,for these exalted
 purposes the ,constitution was framed1 
and the ,union established2 and the     
,constitution and the ,union will remain
 as long as these exalted purposes1 with
 any considerable share of fidelity1 are
 secured4 ,the ,union will not be       
destroyed by declamation1 nor can       
declamation preserve it4 ,words have    
power only when they awaken a response  
in the minds of those who listen4 ,the  
,union will be judged1 finally1 by its  
merits2 and they are not powerful       
enemies for evil who attack it through  
the press and from the rostrum2 but     
rather they who1 clothed with authority1
 brief or permanent1 interpret the      
constitution so as to defeat the end for
 which it was framed4 ,nor are they the 
best friends of the ,union who lavishly 
bestow upon it nicely-wrought encomiums1

 as though the gilding of rhetoric and  
the ornament of praise could shield a   
human institution from the judgment of a
 free people2 but rather they who1 under
 ,heaven1 and in the presence of men1   
seek to so interpret the constitution   
as1 in the language and in the order of 
its preamble1 to form a more perfect    
union1 establish justice1 insure        
domestic tranquillity1 provide for the  
common defence1 promote the general     
welfare1 and secure the blessings of    
liberty to themselves and their         
posterity4 ,words are powerless1 and    
enemies--envious1 jealous1 or           
deluded--are powerless1 when they war   
upon a system of government that secures
 such exalted results4 ,and1 if in these
 later days of our national existence   
patriotism has been weakened1 respect   
and reverence for the constitution and  
the ,union have been diminished1 it is  
because the actual government under the 
constitution has1 in the judgment of    
many1 failed to realize the government  

of the constitution4  ,but let no one   
despair of the ,republic4 ,men are now  
building better than they know2         
possibly1 better than they wish4 ,a     
great government1 powerful in its       
justice1 and therefore to be respected  
and maintained1 must also be powerful in
 its errors1 prejudices1 and wrongs1 and
 therefore to be changed and reformed in
 these respects4 ,the declaration that  
all men are created equal is vital1 and 
will live in the presence of all        
governments1 strong as well as weak1    
hostile as well as friendly4 ,it has no 
respect for worldly authority1 so       
evidently is it a direct emanation of   
the ,divine ,mind1 and so does it       
harmonize with the highest              
manifestations of the nature of man4    
,but the ,declaration of ,independence  
does not1 in this particular1 assert    
that all men are created equal in height
 or weight1 equal in physical strength1 
intellectual power1 or moral worth4 ,it 
is not dealing with these qualities at  

all1 but with the natural political     
rights and relations of men4 ,in its    
view1 all are born free from any        
political subordination to others on    
account of the accidents or incidents of
 family or historic name4 ,and hence it 
follows that no man1 by birth or nature1
 has any right in political affairs to  
control his fellow-man2 and hence it    
follows further1 as there is neither    
subjection anywhere nor authority       
anywhere1 that all men are created      
equal1 that governments derive their    
just powers from the consent of the     
governed4 ,and hence it must1 ere long1 
be demonstrated by this country1 under  
the light of ,christianity1 and in the  
presence of the world1 that man cannot  
have property in his fellow-man4  ,and1 
again1 let no one despair of the        
,republic or of the ,union2 nor let any1
 with rash confidence1 believe that they
 are indestructible4 ,they are human    
institutions built up through great     
sacrifices1 and by the exercise of a    

high order of worldly wisdom4 ,but the  
government is not an end--it is a means4
 ,the end is ,liberty regulated by law2 
and the means will exist as long as the 
end thereof is attained4 ,but1 should   
the time ever come when the institutions
 of the country fail to secure the      
blessings of liberty to the living      
generation1 and hold out no promise of  
better things in the future1 ,i know not
 that these institutions could longer   
exist1 of that they ought longer to     
exist4 ,to be sure1 the horizon is not  
always distinctly seen4 ,the sky is not 
always clear2 there are dark spots upon 
the disk of ,liberty1 as upon the sun in
 the heavens2 but1 like the sun1 its    
presence is for all4 ,and1 whether there
 be night1 or clouds1 or distance1 its  
blessings can never be wholly withdrawn 
from the human race4  ,it is not to be  
concealed1 however1 that the affections 
of the people have been alienated from  
the ,american ,union during the last    
seven years1 as they were from the union

 with ,great ,britain during the years  
of our colonial life immediately        
previous to the ,massacre in            
,king-street1 in #aggj4 ,this solemn    
personal and public experience is       
fraught with a great lesson4 ,it should 
teach those who are intrusted with the  
administration of public affairs to     
translate the language of the           
constitution into the stern realities of
 public policy1 in the light of the     
,declaration of ,independence1 and of   
,liberty2 and it should warn those who  
constitute the government1 and who judge
 it1 not to allow their opposition to   
men or to measures to degenerate into   
indifference or hostility to the        
institutions of the country4  ,a little 
distrust of ourselves1 who see not      
beyond our own horizon1 might sometimes 
lend charity to our judgment1 and       
discretion to our opposition2 for1 in   
the turmoil of politics1 and the        
contests of statesmanship1 even1 it is  
not always          ----the sea that    

sinks and shelves1        ,but          
ourselves1      ,that rook and rise     
,with endless and uneasy motion1        
,now touching the very skies1           
,now sinking into the depths of ocean4  
,and1 as there must be in every society 
of men something of evil that can be    
traced to the government1 and something 
of good neglected that a wise and       
efficient government might have         
accomplished1 it is easy to build up an 
argument against an existing government1
 however good when compared with others4
 ,this is a narrow1 superficial1        
unsatisfactory1 dangerous view to take  
of public affairs4  ,we should seek to  
comprehend the relations of the         
government1 the principles on which it  
is founded2 and1 while we justly        
complain of its defects1 and seek to    
remedy them1 we ought also to compare it
 with other systems that exist1 or that 
might be established4 ,this proposition 
involves an intelligent realization by  
the people of the character of their    

institutions2 and ,i am thus led to     
express the apprehension that the       
popular political education of our day  
is inferior to that of the revolutionary
 era1 and of the age that immediately   
succeeded it4  ,there is1 no doubt1 a   
disposition and a tendency to extol the 
recent past4 ,the recollections of      
childhood are quite at variance with the
 real truth1 and tradition is often the 
dream of old age concerning the events  
of early life4 ,as rivers1 hills1       
mountains1 roads1 and towns1 are all    
magnified by the visions of childhood1  
it is not strange that men should be    
also4 ,hence comes1 in part1 the popular
 belief in the superior physical        
strength and greater longevity of the   
people who lived fifty or a hundred     
years ago4 ,each generation is familiar 
with its predecessor2 but of the one    
next remote it knows only the marked    
characters4 ,those who possessed great  
physical excellences remain2 but they   
are not so much the representatives of  

their generation as its exceptions4 ,the
 weak1 the diseased1 have fallen by the 
way2 and1 as there is an intimate       
connection between physical and         
intellectual power1 the remnant of any  
generation1 whatever its common         
character1 will retain a                
disproportionate number of strong-minded
 men4 ,hence it is not safe to judge a  
generation as a whole by those who      
remain at the age of sixty or seventy   
years2 especially if we reflect that    
public opinion and tradition are most   
likely to preserve the names and        
qualities of those who were             
distinguished for physical or mental    
power4 ,yet1 after making due allowance 
for these exaggerations1 ,i cannot      
escape the conclusion that we have1 as a
 people1 deteriorated in average sound  
political learning2 and ,i proceed to   
mention some of the causes and evidences
 of our degeneracy1 and of the          
superiority of our ancestors4  ,i4 ,the 
political condition of the country has  

been essentially changed4--,general     
personal and family comfort1 according  
to the ideas now entertained1 was not a 
feature of ,american society for one    
hundred and seventy years from the      
settlement at ,plymouth4 ,life was a    
continual contest--a contest with the   
forest1 with the climate1 with the      
,indians1 and especially was it a       
continual contest with the mother       
country4 ,the colonists sought to       
maintain their own rights without       
infringement1 while they accorded to the
 sovereign his constitutional           
privileges4 ,conflicts were frequent1   
and apprehensions of conflict yet more  
frequent4 ,hence those who had the      
conduct of public affairs were compelled
 to give some attention to ,english     
history1 and to the constitutional law  
of ,great ,britain4 ,moreover1 it was   
always important to secure and keep a   
strong public sentiment on the side of  
liberty2 and there were usually in every
 town men who thoroughly investigated   

questions of public policy4 ,there was  
one topic1 more absorbing than any      
other1 that involved the study of the   
legal history and usage of ,great       
,britain1 and a careful consideration of
 the general principles of liberty2     
namely1 the constitutional rights of a  
,british subject4 ,here was a broad     
field for inquiry1 investigation1 and   
study2 and it was faithfully cultivated 
and gleaned4 ,there has never been a    
political topic for public discussion in
 ,america more important in itself1 or  
better calculated to educate an         
,american in a knowledge of his         
political rights1 than the examination  
of the political relations of the       
subject to the crown and parliament of  
,great ,britain previous to the         
,declaration of ,independence4 ,it was  
not an abstraction4 ,it had a practical 
value to every man in the colonies1 and 
it was the prominent feature of the     
masterly exposition made by the         
,massachusetts ,house of                

,representatives1 to which ,i have      
already referred4 ,and we can better    
estimate the political education which  
the times furnished1 when we consider   
that the revolutionary war was made     
logical and necessary through a         
knowledge of positions1 facts1 and      
arguments1 scattered over the history of
 the colonies4 ,but1 when our           
,independence had been established and  
recognized1 constitutions had been      
framed1 and the governments of the      
states and nation set in motion1 the    
beauty and harmony of our political     
system seemed to render continued       
attention to political principles and   
the rights of individual men            
unnecessary4 ,hence1 we may anticipate  
the judgment of impartial history in the
 admission that public attention was    
gradually given to contests for office  
which did not always involve the        
maintenance of a fundamental principle  
of government1 or the recognition of an 
essential human right4 ,it does not1    

however1 follow1 from this admission1   
that we are indifferent to our political
 lot1--occasional contests upon         
principle refute such a conjecture1--but
 that men are not anxious concerning    
those things which appear to be secure4 
,and the differences of political       
parties of the last fifty years have not
 been so much concerning the nature of  
human rights1 as in regard to the       
institutions by which those rights can  
be best protected4 ,therefore our       
political questions have been questions 
of expediency rather than of principle4 
,and1 if there is any foundation for the
 popular impression that public offices 
are conferred on men less eminently     
qualified to give dignity to public     
employments1 the reason of this         
degeneracy--less noteworthy than it is  
usually represented--is to be found in  
this connection4  ,governments and      
political organizations accept the      
common law of society4 ,when an         
individual or a corporation is          

prosperous1 places of trust and         
emolument are often gained and occupied 
by unworthy men2 but1 when profits are  
diminished1 or when they disappear      
entirely2 when dividends are passed1    
when loss and bankruptcy are imminent1  
then1 if hope and courage still remain1 
places of importance are filled by the  
appointment of abler and worthier men4  
,the charge made against official       
character1 to whatever extent true1 is  
better evidence of confidence and       
prosperity than it is of the degeneracy 
of the people2 and a public exigency1   
serious and long-continued1 would call  
to posts of responsibility the highest  
talent and integrity which the country  
could produce4 ,but it is1 nevertheless1
 to be admitted as a necessary          
consequence of the facts already stated1
 and the views presented1 that the      
average amount of sound political       
learning among those engaged in public  
employments is less than it was during  
the revolutionary era4 ,it is1 however1 

also to be observed1 that1 when such    
learning seems to be specially required1
 the people demand it and secure it4    
,hence the work of framing              
constitutions1 even in the new states1  
has1 in its execution1 commanded the    
approval of political writers in this   
country and in ,europe4 ,and it must1   
also1 be admitted that peace and        
prosperity render sound political       
learning and great experience less      
necessary1 and at the same time multiply
 the number of men who are considered   
eligible to office4 ,candidates are put 
in nomination and elected because they  
have been good neighbors1 honorable     
citizens1 competent teachers of youth1  
or faithful spiritual guides2 or1       
possibly1 because they have been        
successful in business1 are of the      
military or of the fire department1 or  
because they are leaders and benefactors
 of special classes of society4 ,in     
ordinary times these facts are all      
worthy of consideration and real        

deference2 but when1 as in the          
,revolution1 every place of public      
service is a post of responsibility1 or 
sacrifice1 or danger1 candidates and    
electors will not meet upon these       
grounds1 but1 disregarding such         
circumstances1 the canvass will have    
special reference to the work to be     
done4 ,for civil employments1 political 
learning and experience are required2   
and for military posts1 skill1 sagacity1
 and courage4 ,it may be said that our  
whole colonial life was a preparatory   
school for the revolutionary contest2   
and1 therefore1 the major part of the   
enterprise1 ambition1 and patriotism1 of
 the country1 was given to the training1
 studies1 and pursuits1 calculated to   
fit men for so stern a struggle4 ,but   
now that other avenues are inviting in  
themselves1 and promise political       
preferment1 we are liable to the        
criticism that our young men1 well      
educated in the schools and in a        
knowledge of the world1 are not well    

grounded in political history and       
constitutional law1 without which there 
can be no thorough and comprehensive    
statesmanship4 ,and1 as ,i pass from    
this branch of my subject1 ,i may       
properly say that ,i do not seek to     
limit the number of candidates for      
public office2 for every office is a    
school1 and the public itself is a great
 and wise teacher4 ,nor do ,i ask any to
 abandon the employments and duties1 or 
to neglect the claims of business and of
 social life2 but ,i seek to impress    
upon our youth a sense of the importance
 of adding something thereto4 ,the      
knowledge of which ,i have spoken is    
valuable in the ordinary course of      
public business1 and absolutely         
essential in the exigences of political 
and national life4 ,and it is with an   
eye single to the happiness of          
individuals1 and the welfare of the     
public1 that ,i invite my               
fellow-citizens1 and especially the     
young men of the state1 to take         

something from the hours of labor1 where
 labor is excessive2 or something from  
amusement1 where amusement has ceased to
 be recreation2 or something from light 
reading1 which often is neither true1   
nor reasonable1 nor useful2 or something
 from indolence and dissipation2 and1 in
 the minutes and hours thus gained1     
treasure up valuable knowledge for the  
circumstances and exigences of          
citizenship and public office4  ,,ii4   
,the claims of business and society are 
unfavorable to political learning4--,i  
assume it to be true of ,massachusetts  
that the proportion of freehold farmers 
to the whole population is gradually    
diminishing1 and that the amount of     
labor performed by each is gradually    
increasing4 ,from the settlement of the 
country to the commencement of the      
present century1 there was a great deal 
of privation1 hardship1 and positive    
suffering2 but the claim for continuous 
labor was not exacting4  ,the necessary 
articles of food and clothing were      

chiefly supplied from the land1 and the 
majority did not contemplate any great  
accumulation of worldly goods1 but      
sought rather to place their political  
and religious privileges upon a sure    
foundation4 ,agriculture was in a rude  
state1 and consequently did not furnish 
steady employment to those engaged in   
it4 ,it is only when there are valuable 
markets1 scientific1 or at least careful
 cultivation1 and large profits1 that   
the farmer can use his evenings and long
 winters in his profession4 ,these      
circumstances did not exist until the   
present century2 and we have thus in    
this discussion found both the motive   
and the opportunity for political       
learning among our ancestors4  ,it is   
also possible that the increased        
activity of business and business men is
 unfavorable to those studies and       
thoughts that are essential to political
 learning4 ,commerce and trade are      
stimulated by never-ceasing competition2
 and manufacturers are not free from the

 influence of markets1 and the necessity
 of variety1 taste1 and skill1 in the   
management of their business4 ,if the   
larger share of the physical and mental 
vigor of a man is given to business1 his
 hours of leisure must be hours of      
relaxation2 and to most minds the study 
of history and of kindred topics is by  
no means equivalent to recreation4      
,moreover1 society presents numerous    
claims which are not easily disregarded4
 ,fashionable life puts questions that  
but few people have the courage to      
answer in the negative4 ,have you read  
the last novel8 the new play8 the       
reviews of the quarter8 the magazines of
 the month8 or the greatest satire of   
the age8 ,these questions have puzzled  
many young men into customary neglect of
 useful reading1 that they may not admit
 their ignorance in the presence of     
those whom they respect or admire4      
,but1 everything valuable is expensive1 
and learning can be secured only by     
severe self-sacrifice4 ,with our        

ancestors1 after religious culture1     
historical and political reading was    
next immediately before them2 but the   
youth of this generation who seek such  
learning are compelled to make their way
 without deference to the daily customs 
of society4 ,there is no fashionable or 
tolerated society that invites young men
 to read the history of ,england prior  
to the time when ,macaulay begins4 ,nor 
does public sentiment recommend ,de     
,lolme on the ,british constitution1 the
 ,federalist1 the writings of           
,jefferson1 ,madison1 ,marshall1 ,story1
 and ,webster1 upon the constitution of 
the ,united ,states1 and the practice of
 the government under it4 ,not but that 
these topics are considered in the      
higher institutions of learning2 but ,i 
address myself to those who have enjoyed
 the advantages of our common schools   
only1 where thorough instruction in     
national and general political history  
cannot be given4 ,this kind of learning 
must be self-acquired1 and acquired by  

some temporary sacrifice2 and the       
sooner1 in the case of every young man1 
this sacrifice is contemplated and      
offered1 the more acceptable and useful 
it will be4 ,and the acquisition of this
 kind of learning does not1 in a        
majority of cases1 admit of delay4 ,it  
should be the work of youth and early   
manhood4 ,the duties of life are so     
constant and pressing that we find it   
difficult to abstract ourselves and our 
thoughts from the world2 but1 from the  
age of sixteen to the age of            
twenty-five1 the attention may be       
concentrated upon special subjects1 and 
their elements mastered4  ,by the       
,athenian law1 minority terminated at   
the age of sixteen years2 and           
,demosthenes1 at that period of his     
life1 commenced a course of             
self-education by which he became the   
first orator of ,athens1 and the        
admiration of the after-world4 ,the     
father of ,demosthenes died worth       
fourteen talents2 and the son1 though   

defrauded by his guardians1 was1 as his 
father had been1 enrolled in the        
wealthiest class of citizens2 yet he did
 not hesitate to subject himself to the 
severest mental and physical discipline1
 in preparation for the great life he   
was to lead4  ,demosthenes received1    
during his youth1 the ordinary          
grammatical and rhetorical education of 
a wealthy ,athenian4444 ,it appears also
 that he was1 from childhood1 of sickly 
constitution and feeble muscular frame2 
so that1 partly from his own            
disinclination1 partly from the         
solicitude of his mother1 he took little
 part1 as boy or youth1 in the exercises
 of the palaestra4444 ,such comparative 
bodily disability probably contributed  
to incite his thirst for mental and     
rhetorical acquisitions1 as the only    
road to celebrity open4 ,but it at the  
same time disqualified him from         
appropriating to himself the full range 
of a comprehensive ,grecian education1  
as conceived by ,plato1 ,isokrates1 and 

,aristotle2 an education applying alike 
to thought1 word1 and action--combining 
bodily strength1 endurance1 and         
fearlessness1 with an enlarged mental   
capacity1 and a power of making it felt 
by speech4  ,the disproportion between  
the physical energy and the mental force
 of ,demosthenes1 beginning in          
childhood1 is recorded and lamented in  
the inscription placed on his statue    
after his death4444 ,demosthenes put    
himself under the teaching of ,isaeus2  
444 and also profited largely by the    
discourse of ,plato1 of ,isokrates1 and 
others4 ,as an ardent aspirant1 he would
 seek instruction from most of the best 
sources1 theoretical as well as         
practical--writers as well as lecturers4
 ,but1 besides living teachers1 there   
was one of the last generation who      
contributed largely to his improvement4 
,he studied ,thucydides with            
indefatigable labor and attention2      
according to one account1 he copied the 
whole history eight times over with his 

own hand2 according to another1 he      
learnt it all by heart1 so as to be able
 to rewrite it from memory1 when the    
manuscript was accidentally destroyed4  
,without minutely criticizing these     
details1 we ascertain1 at least1 that   
,thucydides was the peculiar object of  
his study and imitation4 ,how much the  
composition of ,demosthenes was         
fashioned by the reading of ,thucydides1
 reproducing the daring1 majestic1 and  
impressive phraseology1 yet without the 
overstrained brevity and involutions of 
that great historian1--and contriving to
 blend with it a perspicuity and grace  
not inferior to ,lysias1--may be seen   
illustrated in the elaborate criticism  
of the rhetor ,dionysius4  ,while thus  
striking out for himself a bold and     
original style1 ,demosthenes had still  
greater difficulties to overcome in     
regard to the external requisites of an 
orator4 ,he was not endowed by nature1  
like ,a,eschines1 with a magnificent    
voice2 nor1 like ,demades1 with a ready 

flow of vehement improvisation4 ,his    
thoughts required to be put together by 
careful preparation2 his voice was bad1 
and even lisping2 his breath short2 his 
gesticulation ungraceful2 moreover1 he  
was overawed and embarrassed by the     
manifestations of the multitude4444 ,the
 energy and success with which          
,demosthenes overcame his defects1 in   
such manner as to satisfy a critical    
assembly like the ,athenians1 is one of 
the most memorable circumstances in the 
general history of self-education4      
,repeated humiliation and repulse only  
spurred him on to fresh solitary efforts
 for improvement4 ,he corrected his     
defective elocution by speaking with    
pebbles in his mouth2 he prepared       
himself to overcome the noise of the    
assembly by declaiming in stormy weather
 on the sea-shore of ,phalerum2 he      
opened his lungs by running1 and        
extended his powers of holding breath by
 pronouncing sentences in marching      
up-hill2 he sometimes passed two or     

three months without interruption in a  
subterranean chamber1 practising night  
and day either in composition or        
declamation1 and shaving one-half of his
 head in order to disqualify himself    
from going abroad4#c ,yet all this      
effort and sacrifice were accompanied by
 repeated and humiliating failures2 and 
it was not until he was twenty-seven    
years of age that the great orator of   
the world achieved his first success    
before the ,athenian assembly4  ,but how
 can the youth of this age hope to be   
followers1 even at a distance1 of       
,demosthenes1 and of those his peers1   
who1 by eloquence1 poetry1 art1 science1
 and general learning1 have added       
dignity to the race1 and given lustre to
 generations separated by oceans and    
centuries1 unless they are animated by a
 spirit of progress1 and cheered by a   
faith that shall be manifested in the   
disposition and the power to overcome   
the obstacles that lie in every one's   
path8  ,such a course of training       

requires individual effort and personal 
self-sacrifice4 ,it would not be wise to
 follow the plan of the ,athenian       
orator2 he adapted his training to his  
personal circumstances1 and the customs 
of the country4 ,his history is chiefly 
valuable for the lessons of             
self-reliance1 and the example of       
perseverance under discouragements1 that
 it furnishes4 ,but it is always a      
solemn duty to hold up before youth     
noble models of industry1 perseverance1 
and success1 that they may be stimulated
 to the work of life by the assurance of
 history that1        ,not enjoyment1   
and not sorrow1        ,is our destined 
end or way2      ,but to act1 that each 
to-morrow        ,find us further than  
to-day4   ,,iii4 ,the popular reading of
 the day does not contribute essentially
 to the education of the citizen and    
statesman4--,it is not1 of course1      
expected that every man is to qualify   
himself for the life of a statesman2 but
 it does seem necessary for all to be so

 well instructed in political learning  
as to possess the means of forming a    
reasonable and philosophical opinion of 
the policy of the government4 ,it is as 
discreditable to the intellect and      
judgment of a free people to complain of
 that which is right in itself1 and     
rests upon established principles of    
right1 as to submit without resistance  
or murmur to usurpation or              
misgovernment4 ,i do not mean to        
undervalue the periodical press2 but it 
must always assume something in regard  
to its readers1 and in politics it must 
assume that the principles of government
 and the history of national            
institutions are known and understood4  
,but the young man should subject       
himself to a systematic course of       
training2 and ,i know of nothing more   
valuable in political studies than a    
thorough acquaintance with ,english     
history4 ,our principles of government  
were derived from ,england2 and it is in
 the history of the mother country that 

the best discussion of principles is    
found1 as in that country many of the   
contests for liberty occurred4 ,but1 as 
our government is the outgrowth rather  
than a copy of ,british principles and  
institutions1 the ,american citizen is  
not prepared for his duties until he has
 made himself familiar with ,american   
history1 in all its departments4 ,how   
ill-suited1 then1 for the duties of     
citizenship and public life1 in the     
formation of taste and habits of        
thought1 is much of the reading of the  
present time6 ,and ,i may here call     
attention to the fact that each town in 
,massachusetts is invested with         
authority to establish a public library 
by taxation4 ,this1 it seems to me1 is  
one of the most important legislative   
acts of the present decennial period2   
and1 indeed1 a public library is        
essential to the view ,i am taking of   
the necessity and importance of         
political education4 ,private libraries 
exist1 but they are not found in every  

house1 nor can every person enjoy their 
advantages4 ,public libraries are open  
to all2 and1 when the selection of books
 is judicious1 they furnish             
opportunities for education hardly less 
to be prized than the common schools    
themselves4 ,the public library is not  
only an aid to general learning1 a      
contributor to political intelligence   
and power1 but it is an efficient       
supporter of sound morals1 and all good 
neighborhood among men4   ,if the public
 will not offer to its youth valuable   
reading1 such as its experience1 its    
wisdom1 its knowledge of the claims of  
society1 its morality may select1 shall 
the public complain if its young men and
 women are tempted by frivolous and     
pernicious mental occupations8 ,it is1  
moreover1 the duty of the public to     
furnish the means of self-education1    
especially in the science of government2
 and political learning1 for the most   
part1 must be gained after the          
school-going period of life has passed4 

,let ,american liberty be an intelligent
 liberty1 and therefore a               
self-sustaining liberty4 ,freedom1 more 
or less complete1 has been found in two 
conditions of life4 ,man1 in a rude     
state1 where his condition seemed to be 
normal1 rather than the result of a     
process of mental and moral degeneracy1 
has often possessed a large share of    
independence2 but this should by no     
means be confounded with what in        
,america is called liberty4 ,the        
independence of the savage1 or nomad1 is
 manifested in the absence of law2 but  
the liberty of an ,american citizen is  
the power to do whatever may be         
beneficial to himself1 and not injurious
 to his neighbor nor to the state4 ,the 
first leaves self-protection and        
self-regulation to the individual1 while
 the latter restrains the aggressive    
tendencies of all for the security of   
each4 ,the first is natural equality    
without law2 the second is natural      
equality before the law4 ,with the      

first1 might makes right2 with the      
latter1 right makes might4 ,with the    
first1 the power of the law1 or of the  
will of an individual or clan1 is in the
 rigor and success of execution2 with   
the latter1 the power of the law is in  
the justice of its demand4 ,we1 as a    
people1 have passed the savage and      
nomadic state1 and can return to it only
 after a long and melancholy process of 
decay and change1 out of which          
ultimately might come a new and savage  
race of men4 ,this1 then1 is not our    
immediate1 even if it be a possible     
danger4 ,but we are to guard against    
intellectual1 political1 and moral      
degeneracy4 ,we are1 through family1    
religious1 and public education1 to take
 security of the childhood and youth of 
the land for the preservation of the    
institutions we have1 and for the       
growth1 greatness1 and justice1 of the  
republic4 ,liberty in ,america1 if you  
will admit the distinction1 is a growth 
and not a creation4 ,the institutions of

 liberty in ,america have the same      
character4 ,by many centuries of trial1 
struggle1 and contest1 through many     
years of experience1 sometimes joyous1  
and sometimes sad1 the fact and the     
institutions of liberty in ,america have
 been evolved4 ,it has not been a work  
of destruction and creation1 but a      
process of change and progress4 ,and so 
it must ever be4 ,reformation does not  
often follow destruction2 and they who  
seek to destroy the institutions of a   
country are not its friends in fact1    
however they may be in purpose4         
,ignorance can destroy1 but intelligence
 is required to reform or build up4 ,let
 the prejudice against learning1 not    
common now1 but possibly existing in    
some minds1 be forever banished4        
,learning is the friend of liberty4 ,of 
this ,america has had evidence in her   
own history1 and in her observation of  
the experience of others4 ,the literary 
institutions and the cultivated men of  
,america1 like ,milton and ,hampden in  

,england1 preferred        ,hard liberty
 before the easy yoke      ,of servile  
pomp4   ,it was the intelligence of the 
country that everywhere uttered and     
everywhere accepted the declaration of  
the town of ,boston1 in the             
revolutionary struggle1 ,we can endure  
poverty1 but we disdain slavery4        
,ignorance is quicksand on which no     
stable political structure can be built2
 and ,i predict the future greatness of 
our beloved state1 in those historical  
qualities that outlast the ages1 from   
the fact that she is not tempted by her 
extent of territory1 salubrity of       
climate1 fertility of soil1 or by the   
presence and promise of any natural     
source of wealth1 to falter in her      
devotion to learning and liberty4 ,and  
,i anticipate for ,massachusetts a      
career of influence beneficial to all1  
whether disputed or accepted1 when ,i   
reflect that1 with less good fortune in 
the presence and combination of learning
 and liberty1 ,greece1 ,rome1 ,venice1  

,holland1 and ,england1 enjoyed power   
disproportionate to their respective    
populations1 territory1 and natural     
resources4 ,and1 while the object for   
which we are convened may pardon        
something to local attachments and state
 pride1 the day and the occasion ought  
not to pass without a grateful and      
hearty acknowledgment of the interest   
manifested by other states and sections 
in the cause of general learning1 and   
especially in common-school education4  
,the ,canadas are our rivals2 the states
 of the ,west are our rivals2 the states
 of the ,south are our rivals2 and1 were
 our greater experience and better      
opportunities reckoned against us1 ,i   
know not that there would be much in our
 systems of education of which we could 
properly boast4 ,it is1 indeed1 possible
 that ,north ,carolina1 untoward        
circumstances having their due weight1  
has made more progress in education1    
since #ahdj1 than any other state of the
 ,union4  ,education is not only        

favorable to liberty1 but1 when         
associated with liberty1 it is the basis
 of the ,union and power of the         
,american states4 ,as citizens of the   
republic1 we need a better knowledge of 
our national institutions1 a better     
knowledge of the institutions of the    
several states1 a more intimate         
acquaintance with one another1 and the  
power of judging wisely and justly the  
policies and measures of each and all4  
,these ends1 aided or accomplished by   
general learning1 will so strengthen the
 ,union as no force of armies can--will 
so strengthen the ,union as that by no  
force of armies can it be overthrown4   
,,footnote3  #c ,grote's ,hist41 vol4   
xi41 p4 #bff1 et seq4                   
,,massachusetts ,,school ,,fund4        
,extract from the ,twenty-,second       
,annual ,report of the ,secretary of the
 ,board of ,education4   ,the           
,massachusetts ,school ,fund was        
established by the ,legislature of #ahcd
 7stat4 #ahcd1 chap4 #afi71 and it was  

provided by the act that all moneys in  
the treasury on the first of ,january1  
#ahce1 derived from the sale of lands in
 the ,state of ,maine1 and from the     
claim of the state on the government of 
the ,united ,states for military        
services1 and not otherwise             
appropriated1 together with fifty per   
centum of all moneys thereafter to be   
received from the sale of lands in      
,maine1 should be appropriated to       
constitute a permanent fund1 for the aid
 and encouragement of ,common ,schools4 
,it was provided that the fund should   
never exceed one million of dollars1 and
 that the income only should be         
appropriated to the object in view4 ,the
 mode of distribution was referred to a 
subsequent ,legislature4 ,it was1       
however1 provided that a greater sum    
should never be paid to any city or town
 than was raised therein for the support
 of common schools4 ,there are two      
points in the law that deserve          
consideration4 ,first1 the object of the

 fund was the aid and encouragement of  
the schools1 and not their support2 and 
secondly1 the limit of appropriation to 
the respective towns was the amount     
raised by each4 ,there is an apparent   
inconsistency in this restriction when  
it is considered that the income of the 
entire fund would have been equal to    
only forty-three cents for each child in
 the state between the ages of five and 
fifteen years1 and that each town       
raised1 annually1 by taxation1 a larger 
sum2 but this inconsistency is to be    
explained by the fact that the public   
sentiment1 as indicated by resolves     
reported by the same committee for the  
appointment of commissioners on the     
subject1 tended to a distribution of    
money among the towns according to their
 educational wants4  ,as early as #ahbh1
 the ,committee on ,education of the    
,house of ,representatives1 in a ,report
 made by ,hon4 ,w4 ,b4 ,calhoun1        
declared1 ,that means should be devised 
for the establishment of a fund having  

in view not the support1 but the        
encouragement1 of the common schools1   
and the instruction of school teachers4 
,this report was made in the month of   
,january1 and in ,february following the
 same committee say3 ,the establishment 
of a fund should look to the support of 
an institution for the instruction of   
school teachers in each county in the   
commonwealth1 and to the distribution1  
annually1 to all the towns1 of such a   
sum for the benefit of the schools as   
shall simply operate as an encouragement
 to proportionate efforts on the part of
 the towns4 ,a fund which should be so  
large as to suffice for the support of  
the whole school establishment of the   
state1 as is the case in ,connecticut1  
would1 in the opinion of the committee1 
be rather detrimental than advantageous2
 it would only serve to draw off from   
the mass of the community that animating
 interest which will ever be found      
indispensable where a resolute feeling  
upon the subject is wished for or       

expected4 ,such a result is1 in every   
sense1 to be deprecated1 and whatever   
may tend to it1 even remotely1 should be
 anxiously avoided4 ,a fund which should
 admit of the distribution of one       
thousand dollars to any town which      
should raise three thousand dollars1 in 
any manner within itself1 or in that    
proportion1 would operate as a strong   
incentive to high efforts2 and1 if to   
this should be added the further        
requisition of a faithful return to the 
,legislature1 annually1 of the condition
 of the schools1 the consequences could 
not be otherwise than decidedly         
favorable4 ,this report was accompanied 
by a bill for the establishment of the  
,massachusetts ,literary ,fund4 ,the    
bill followed the report in regard to   
the proportionate amount of the income  
of the fund to be distributed to the    
several towns4 ,this bill failed to     
become a law4  ,in ,january1 #ahcc1 the 
,house of ,representatives1 under an    
order introduced by ,mr4 ,marsh1 of     

,dalton1 appointed a committee to       
consider the expediency of investing a  
portion of the proceeds of the sales of 
the lands of this commonwealth in a     
permanent fund1 the interest of which   
should be annually applied1 as the      
,legislature should from time to time   
direct1 for the encouragement of common 
schools4 ,the adoption of this order was
 the incipient measure that led to the  
establishment of the ,massachusetts     
,school ,fund4 ,on the twenty-third of  
the same month1 ,mr4 ,marsh submitted   
the report of the committee4 ,the       
committee acted upon the expectation    
that all moneys then in the treasury    
derived from the sale of public lands1  
and the entire proceeds of all          
subsequent sales1 were to be set apart  
as a fund for the encouragement of      
common schools2 but1 as blanks were left
 in the bill reported1 they seem not to 
have been sanguine of the liberality of 
the ,legislature4 ,the cash and notes on
 hand amounted to #bcd1dah4cb1 and three

 and a half millions of acres of land   
unsold amounted1 at the estimated price 
of forty cents per acre1 to #a1djj1jjj  
more2 making together a fund with a     
capital of #a1fcd1dah4cb4 ,the income   
was estimated at #ih1jfe4ji4 ,it was    
also stated that there were #adj1jjj    
children in the state between the ages  
of five and fifteen years1 and it was   
therefore expected that the income of   
the fund would permit a distribution to 
the towns of seventy cents for each     
child between the afore-named ages4     
,this certainly was a liberal           
expectation1 compared with the results  
that have been attained4 ,the           
distributive share of each child has    
amounted to only about one-third of the 
sum then contemplated4 ,the committee   
were careful to say1 ,it is not         
intended1 in establishing a school fund1
 to relieve towns and parents from the  
principal expense of education2 but to  
manifest our interest in1 and to give   
direction1 energy1 and stability to1    

institutions essential to individual    
happiness and the public welfare4 ,in   
conclusion1 the committee make the      
following inquiries and suggestions3    
,should not our common schools be       
brought nearer to their constitutional  
guardians8 ,shall we not adopt measures 
which shall bind1 in grateful alliance1 
the youth to the governors of the       
commonwealth8 ,we consider the          
application1 annually1 of the interest  
of the proposed fund1 as the            
establishment of a direct communication 
betwixt the ,legislature and the        
schools2 as each representative can     
carry home the bounty of the government1
 and bring back from the schools returns
 of gratitude and proficiency4 ,they    
will then cheerfully render all such    
information as the ,legislature may     
desire4 ,a new spirit would animate the 
community1 from which we might hope the 
most happy results4 ,this endowment     
would give the schools consequence and  
character1 and would correct and elevate

 the standard of education4  ,therefore1
 to preserve the purity1 extend the     
usefulness1 and perpetuate the benefits 
of intelligence1 we recommend that a    
fund be constituted1 and the            
distribution of the income so ordered as
 to open a direct and more certain      
intercourse with the schools2 believing 
that by this measure their wants would  
be better understood and supplied1 the  
advantages of education more highly     
appreciated and improved1 and the       
blessings of wisdom1 virtue1 and        
knowledge1 carried home to the fireside 
of every family1 to the bosom of every  
child4 ,the bill reported by this       
committee was read twice1 and then1 upon
 ,mr4 ,marsh's motion1 referred to the  
next ,legislature4  ,in #ahcd1 the bill 
from the files of the last ,general     
,court to establish the ,massachusetts  
,school ,fund1 and so much of the       
petition of the inhabitants of ,seekonk 
as related to the same subject1 were    
referred to the ,committee on           

,education4  ,in the month of ,february1
 ,hon4 ,a4 ,d4 ,foster1 of ,worcester1  
chairman of the committee1 made a       
report1 and submitted a bill which was  
the basis of the law of ,march #ca1     
#ahcd4 ,the committee were sensible of  
the importance of establishing a fund   
for the encouragement of the common     
schools4 ,these institutions were       
languishing for support1 and in a great 
degree destitute of the public sympathy4
 ,there were no means of communication  
between the government and the schools1 
and in some sections towns and districts
 had set themselves resolutely against  
all interference by the state4 ,in      
#ahcb1 an effort was made to ascertain  
the amount raised for the support of    
schools4 ,returns were received from    
only ninety-nine towns1 showing an      
annual average expenditure of one dollar
 and ninety-eight cents for each pupil4 
,the interest in this subject does not  
seem to have been confined to the       
,legislature1 nor even to have          

originated there4 ,the report of the    
committee contains an extract from a    
communication made by ,rev4 ,william ,c4
 ,woodbridge1 then editor of the        
,american ,annals of ,education and     
,instruction4 ,his views were adopted by
 the committee1 and they corresponded   
with those which have been already      
quoted4 ,the dangers of a large fund    
were presented1 and the example of      
,connecticut1 and some states of the    
,west1 where school funds had diminished
 rather than increased the public       
interest in education1 was tendered as a
 warning against a too liberal          
appropriation of public money4 ,on the  
other hand1 ,mr4 ,woodbridge claimed    
that the establishment of a fund which  
should encourage efforts rather than    
supply all wants1 and1 without          
sustaining the schools1 give aid to the 
people in proportion to their own       
contributions1 was a measure            
indispensable to the cause of education4
 ,he also referred to the experience of 

,new ,jersey1 which had made a general  
appropriation to be paid to those towns 
that should contribute for the support  
of their own schools2 but1 such was the 
public indifference1 that after many    
years the money was still in the        
treasury4 ,hence it was inferred that   
all these measures were ineffectual1 and
 that mere taxation was1 upon the whole1
 to be preferred to any imperfect       
system4 ,but the example of ,new ,york  
was approved1 where the distribution of 
a small sum1 equal to about twenty cents
 for each pupil1 had increased the      
public interest1 and wrought what then  
seemed to be an effectual and permanent 
revolution in educational affairs4      
,these facts and reasonings1 say the    
committee1 seem to be important and     
sound1 and to result in this1--that no  
provision ought to be made which shall  
diminish the present amount of money    
raised by taxes for the schools1 or the 
interest felt by the people in their    
prosperity2 that a fund may be so used  

as satisfactorily to increase both--and 
that further information in regard to   
our schools is requisite to determine   
the best mode of doing this4 ,these     
opinions are supported generally by the 
judgment of the present generation4 ,yet
 it is to be remarked1 by way of partial
 dissent1 that the public apathy in     
,connecticut and the states of the ,west
 was not in a great degree the effect of
 the funds1 but was rather a coexisting1
 independent fact4 ,it ought not1       
therefore1 to have been expected that   
the mere offer of money for educational 
purposes1 while the people had no just  
idea of the importance of education or  
of the means by which it could be       
acquired1 would lead them even to accept
 the proffered boon2 and it certainly1  
in their judgment1 furnished no reason  
for self-taxation4 ,it is1 however1 no  
doubt true that the power of local      
taxation for the support of schools is  
in its exercise a means of provoking    
interest in education2 and it is        

reasonable to assume that a public      
system of instruction will never be     
vigorous and efficient at all times and 
under all circumstances where the right 
of local taxation does not exist or is  
not exercised4 ,when the entire         
expenditure is derived from the income  
of public funds1 or obtained by a       
universal tax1 and the proceeds         
distributed among the towns1 parishes1  
or districts1 there will often be       
general conditions of public sentiment  
unfavorable1 if not hostile1 to schools2
 and1 there will always be found in any 
state1 however small1 local indifference
 and lethargy which render all gifts1   
donations1 and distributions1           
comparatively valueless4 ,the subject of
 self-taxation annually is important in 
connection with a system of free        
education4 ,it is the experience of the 
states of this country that the people  
themselves are more generous in the use 
of this power than are their            
representatives2 and it is also true    

that when the power has been exercised  
by the people1 there is usually more    
interest awakened in regard to modes of 
expenditure1 and more zeal manifested in
 securing adequate returns4 ,the private
 conversations and public debates often 
arouse an interest which would never    
have been manifested had the means of   
education been furnished by a fund1 or  
been distributed as the proceeds of a   
general tax assessed by the government  
of the state4  ,i have no doubt that    
much of our success is due to the fact  
that in all the towns the question of   
taxation is annually submitted to the   
people4 ,it is quite certain that the   
sum of our municipal appropriations     
never could have been increased from    
#chg1abd4ag1 in #ahcg1 to #a1cda1beb4jc1
 in #aheh1 without the influence of the 
statistical tables that are appended to 
the ,annual ,reports of the ,board of   
,education2 and it is also true that the
 materials for these tables could not   
have been secured without the agency of 

the school fund4 ,our experience as a   
state confirms the wisdom of the reports
 of #ahcc and #ahcd2 and ,i unreservedly
 concur in the opinion that a fund ought
 not to be sufficient for the support of
 schools1 but that such a fund is needed
 to give encouragement to the towns1 to 
stimulate the people to make adequate   
local appropriations1 to secure accurate
 and complete returns from the          
committees1 and finally to provide means
 for training teachers1 and for         
defraying the necessary expenses of the 
educational department4 ,the law of     
#ahcd1 establishing the school fund1 was
 reenacted in the ,revised ,statutes    
7chap4 #aa1 sects4 #ac and #ad74 ,the   
,revised ,statutes 7chap4 #bc1 sects4   
#fb1 #fc1 #fd1 #fe1 #ff1 and #fg7 also  
required that returns should be made1   
each year1 from all the towns of the    
commonwealth1 of the condition of the   
schools in various important            
particulars4 ,the income of the fund was
 to be apportioned among the towns that 

had raised1 the preceding year1 the sum 
of one dollar by taxation for each      
pupil1 and had complied with the laws in
 other respects2 and it was to be       
distributed according to the number of  
persons in each between the ages of four
 and sixteen years4 ,these provisions   
have since been frequently and variously
 modified2 but at all times the state   
has imposed similar conditions upon the 
towns4 ,by the statute of #ahci1 chapter
 #ef1 the income of the school fund was 
to be apportioned among those towns that
 had raised by taxation for the support 
of schools the sum of one dollar and    
twenty-five cents for each person       
between the ages of four and sixteen    
years2 and1 by the law of #ahdi1 chapter
 #aag1 the income was to be apportioned 
among those towns which had raised by   
taxation the sum of one dollar and fifty
 cents for the education of each person 
between the ages of five and fifteen    
years4 ,this provision is now in force4 
,by an act of the ,legislature1 passed  

,april #aeth1 #ahdf1 it was provided    
that all sums of money which should     
thereafter be drawn from the treasury1  
for educational purposes1 should be     
considered as a charge upon the moiety  
of the proceeds of the sales of the     
public lands set apart for the purpose  
of constituting a school fund4 ,this    
provision continued in force until the  
reoerganization of the fund1 in #ahed4  
,by the law of that year 7chap4 #cjj71  
it was provided that one half of the    
annual income of the fund should be     
apportioned and distributed among the   
towns according to the then existing    
provisions of law1 and that the         
educational expenses before referred to 
should be chargeable to and paid from   
the other half of the income of said    
fund4 ,these provisions are now in      
force4  ,the limitation of the act of   
#ahcd1 establishing the fund1 and of the
 ,revised ,statutes1 was removed by the 
law of #ahea1 chapter #aab1 and the     
amount of the fund was then fixed at one

 million and five hundred thousand      
dollars4 ,by the act of #ahed the       
principal was limited to two millions of
 dollars4 ,the ,constitutional          
,convention of #ahec had1 with great    
unanimity1 declared it to be the duty of
 the ,legislature to provide for the    
increase of the school fund to the sum  
of two millions of dollars2 and1 though 
the proposed constitution was rejected  
by the people1 the provision concerning 
the fund was generally1 if not          
universally1 acceptable4 ,under these   
circumstances1 the legislature of #ahed 
may be said to have acted in conformity 
to the known opinion and purpose of the 
state4  ,on the #ast of ,june1 #aheh1   
the principal of the fund was           
#a1ebb1hih4da1 including the sum of     
#a1hdc4fh1 added during the year        
preceding that date4 ,in this statement 
no notice is taken of the rights of the 
school fund in the ,western ,railroad   
,loan ,sinking ,fund4  ,it may be       
observed that the committee of #ahcc    

contemplated the establishment of a     
fund1 with a capital of #a1fcd1dah4cb1  
and yet1 after twenty-five years1 the   
,massachusetts ,school ,fund amounts to 
only #a1ebb1hih4da4 ,its present means  
of increase are limited to the excess of
 one-half of the annual income over the 
current educational expenses4 ,the      
increase for the year #ahef-g was       
#d1adb4ij2 and for the year #aheg-h1    
#a1hdc4fh4 ,with this resource only1 and
 at this rate of increase1 about one    
hundred and sixty years will be required
 for the augmentation of the capital to 
the maximum contemplated by existing    
laws4 ,but the educational wants of the 
state are such that even this scanty    
supply must soon cease4 ,it is then due 
to the magnitude of the proposition for 
the considerable and speedy increase of 
the school fund1 that its necessity1 if 
possible1 or its utility1 at least1     
should be satisfactorily demonstrated2  
and it is for this purpose that ,i have 
already presented a brief sketch of its 

history in connection with the          
legislation of the commonwealth1 and    
that ,i now proceed to set forth its    
relations to the practical work of      
public instruction4  ,when the fund was 
instituted1 public sentiment in regard  
to education was lethargic1 if not      
retrograding4 ,the mere fact of the     
action of the ,legislature lent new     
importance to the cause of learning1    
inspired its advocates with additional  
zeal1 gave efficiency to previous and   
subsequent legislation1 and1 as though  
there had been a new creation1 evoked   
order out of chaos4  ,previous to #ahcd 
there was no trustworthy information    
concerning the schools of the state4    
,the law of #ahbf1 chapter #adc1 section
 #h1 required each town to make a report
 to the ,secretary of the ,commonwealth1
 of the amount of money paid1 the number
 of schools1 the aggregate number of    
months that the schools of each city and
 town were kept1 the number of male and 
female teachers1 the whole number of    

pupils1 the number of private schools   
and academies and the number of pupils  
therein1 the amount of compensation paid
 to the instructors of private schools  
and academies1 and the number of persons
 between the ages of fourteen and       
twenty-one years who were unable to read
 and write4 ,the ,legislature did not   
provide a penalty for neglect of this   
provision1 nor does there seem to have  
been any just method of compelling      
obedience4 ,the ,secretary of the       
,commonwealth sent out blank forms of   
returns1 and replies were received from 
two hundred and fourteen towns1 while   
eighty-eight were entirely silent4  ,the
 returns received furnish a series of   
interesting facts for the year #ahbf4   
,there were one thousand seven hundred  
and twenty-six district schools1        
supported at an expense of two hundred  
and twenty-six thousand two hundred and 
nineteen dollars and ninety cents       
7#bbf1bai4ij71 while there were nine    
hundred and fifty-three academies and   

private schools maintained at a cost of 
#aib1dee4aj4 ,the whole number of       
children attending public schools was   
#aag1ahf1 and the number educated in    
private schools and academies was       
#be1jhc4 ,the expense1 therefore1 was   
#g4fg per pupil in the private schools1 
and only #a4ic each in the public       
schools4 ,these facts are indicative of 
the condition of public sentiment4      
,about one-sixth of the children of the 
state were educated in academies and    
private schools1 at a cost equal to     
about six-sevenths of the amount paid   
for the education of the remaining      
five-sixths1 who attended the public    
schools4 ,the returns also showed that  
there were #b1igd children between the  
ages of seven and fourteen years who did
 not attend school1 and #ecj persons    
over fourteen years of age who were     
unable to read and write4 ,the          
incompleteness of these returns detracts
 from their value2 but1 as those towns  
where the greatest interest existed were

 more likely to respond to the call of  
the ,legislature1 it is probable that   
the actual condition of the whole state 
was below that of the two hundred and   
eighty-eight towns4 ,the interest which 
the law of #ahbf had called forth was   
temporary2 and in ,march1 #ahcb1 the    
,committee on ,education1 to whom was   
referred an order with instructions to  
inquire into the expediency of providing
 a fund to furnish1 in certain cases1   
common schools with apparatus1 books1   
and such other aid as may be necessary  
to raise the standard of common school  
education1 say that they desire more    
accurate knowledge than could then be   
obtained4 ,the returns required by law  
were in many cases wholly neglected1 and
 in others they were inaccurately made4 
,in the year #ahca returns were received
 from only eighty-six towns4 ,in order  
to obtain the desired information1 a    
special movement was made by the        
,legislature4 ,the report of the        
committee was printed in all the        

newspapers that published the laws of   
the commonwealth1 and the ,secretary was
 directed to prepare and present to the 
,legislature an abstract of the returns 
which should be received from the       
several towns for the year #ahcb4 ,the  
result of this extraordinary effort was 
seen in returns from only ninety-nine of
 three hundred and five towns1 and even 
a large part of these were confessedly  
inaccurate or incomplete4 ,they present1
 however1 some remarkable facts4  ,the  
following table1 prepared from the      
returns of #ahcb1 shows the relative    
standing and cost of public and private 
schools in a part of the principal      
towns4 ,it appears that the towns named 
in the table were educating rather more 
than two-thirds of their children in the
 public schools1 at an expense of #b4hh 
each1 and nearly one-third in private   
schools1 at a cost of #ab4gj each1 and  
that the total expenditure for public   
instruction was about thirty-six per    
cent4 of the outlay for educational     

purposes4  ,column ,headings3 ,a -      
,amount paid for public instruction     
during the year4 ,b - ,whole ,no4 of    
,pupils in the ,public ,schools in the  
course of the yr4 ,c - ,number of       
,academies and ,private ,schools4 ,d -  
,number of ,pupils in ,academies and    
,private ,schools and not attending     
,public ,schools4 ,e -,estimated amount 
of compensation of ,instructors of      
,academies and ,private ,schools4       
,,towns4          ,a        ,b      ,c  
,d        ,e                            
----------------------------------------
------------------ ,beverly1            
#a1hjj #jj     #ehj   #bh    #dij       
#b1cfe #cc ,bradford1          #gej #jj 
#fjj    #i    #agg    #a1gbe #jj        
,danvers1         #b1jjj #jj     #hgc   
#f    #aej    #a1ejj #jj ,marblehead1   
#b1bjj #jj     #fej   #ca    #fej       
#c1hjj #jj ,cambridge1       #h1fjj #jj 
#igj   #af    #dda    #e1ghb #jj        
,medford1         #a1bjj #jj     #bhd   
#f    #aea    #b1cgb #jj ,newton1       

#a1fjj #jj     #edb    #c    #ajj       
#b1ige #jj ,amherst1           #hej #jj 
#eef    #b    #bgj    #d1fjj #jj        
,springfield1     #c1fjj #jj   #a1ieg   
#d    #hjj    #b1ejj #jj ,greenfield1   
#fcc #ge     #baf    #b     #fe         
#a1djj #jj ,dorchester1      #b1eii #jj 
#fac   #ae    #abd    #a1hjj #jj        
,quincy1          #a1hjj #jj     #dfe   
#g    #ajf    #b1gda #ej ,roxbury1      
#d1dej #jj     #hcf   #ab    #cac       
#h1bah #jj ,new ,bedford1     #d1jjj #jj
   #a1bfh   #ae    #ecg    #f1cjj #jj   
,hingham1         #b1add #jj     #gjc   
#h    #ahj    #b1fbe #jj ,provincetown1 
#ehd #cb     #dej    #d    #adj         
#hjj #jj ,edgartown1         #dej #jj   
#cej   #aj    #ajj    #b1gjj #jj        
,nantucket1       #b1fcc1dj     #hhb    
#ej  #a1jhd   #aj1gie #jj               
----------------------------------------
---- #ah ,towns1      #cf1hid #dg       
#ab1gie  #bbh  #e1cgh  #fd1idh #hc      
,the evidence is sufficient that the    
public schools were in a deplorable and 

apparently hopeless condition4  ,the    
change that has been effected in the    
eighteen towns named may be seen by     
comparing the following table with the  
one already given4 ,in #ahcb1 #fd per   
cent4 of the amount paid for education  
was expended in academies and private   
schools1 while in #aheh only #bd per    
cent4 was so expended4 ,in the same     
period the amount raised for public     
schools increased from less than        
thirty-seven thousand dollars to more   
than two hundred and fifty-nine thousand
 dollars4 ,at the first period1 the     
attendance of pupils upon academies and 
private schools was nearly #cj per cent4
 of the whole number1 while in #aheh it 
was only #h per cent4 ,the private      
schools of some of these towns were     
established recently1 and are sustained 
in a degree by pupils who are not       
inhabitants of the state1 but who have  
come among us for the purpose of        
enjoying the culture which our teachers 
and schools1 private as well as public1 

are able to furnish4 ,if1 as seems      
probable1 the number of foreign pupils  
was less in #ahcb than in #aheh1 the    
decrease of pupils in private schools   
would be greater than is indicated by   
the tables4 ,the cost of education1 as  
it appears by this table1 is rather more
 than thirty dollars per pupil in the   
private schools1 and only eight dollars 
and forty-nine cents in the public      
schools4 ,in the following table1       
,bradford includes ,groveland1 ,danvers 
includes ,south ,danvers1 ,springfield  
includes ,chicopee1 and ,roxbury        
includes ,west ,roxbury4 ,this is       
rendered necessary for the purposes of  
comparison1 as ,groveland1 ,south       
,danvers1 ,chicopee1 and ,west ,roxbury1
 have been incorporated since #ahcb4    
,column ,headings3 ,a - ,amount paid for
 ,public ,schools in #aheg-h1 including 
tax1 income of ,surplus ,revenue1 and of
 ,state ,school ,fund1 when such income 
is appropriated for such schools1 and   
exclusive of sums paid for              

school-houses4 ,b - ,whole ,no4 of      
pupils attending ,public ,schools in    
#aheg-h--the largest ,no4 returned as in
 attendance during any one term4 ,c -   
,number of incorporated and             
unincorporated ,academies and ,private  
,schools returned in #aheh4 ,d -        
,estimated attendance in ,academies and 
,private ,schools in #aheg-h4 ,e -      
,estimated amount of tuition paid in    
,academies and ,priv4 ,schools in       
#aheg-h4   ,,towns4             ,a      
,b     ,c     ,d         ,e             
----------------------------------------
------------------ ,beverly1            
#e1gdh #bj   #a1aad    #a     #aj       
#ajj #jj ,bradford1        #b1daf #dg   
#eac    #b     #hd    #a1gbj #jj        
,danvers1        #ad1hbi #eb   #b1jff   
#a     #dj      #cfj #jj ,marblehead1   
#g1caa #aj   #a1ahh    #f    #afj       
#a1cij #jj ,cambridge1      #cg1dbj #hf 
#d1gaj   #ad    #djj   #ae1jjj #jj      
,medford1         #g1gid #dd     #hcg   
#e    #acj    #c1hjj #jj ,newton1       

#ab1bfc #ej   #a1ach    #h    #cjh      
#bb1hjj #jj ,amherst1         #b1adb #hj
     #ecf    #e    #aba    #c1icd #jj   
,springfield1    #bg1cbd #hd   #c1hfd   
#f     --          -- ,greenfield1      
#b1fbg #ej     #ehi    #b     #be       
#a1hjj #jj ,dorchester1     #bb1cch #ea 
#a1gie    #a     #ca      #fjj #jj      
,quincy1          #h1hfa #df   #a1bfj   
#b     #bj      #bbe #jj ,roxbury1      
#ej1jjj #jj   #d1djj   #be    #efa      
#aj1fjj #jj ,new ,bedford1    #cf1jgd   
#be   #c1edh   #bj    #dcd   #ae1jgd #jj
 ,hingham1         #d1ijd #ac     #gbh  
#b     #ga    #a1gag #ef ,provincetown1 
#c1adg #bf     #fhi   --     --         
-- ,edgartown1       #b1egh #fc     #chj
    #h     #if      #bjj #jj ,nantucket1
      #aa1eif #bg   #a1aih   #ac    #bei
    #c1dff #bc                          
----------------------------------------
------------------ ,totals1             
#bei1cgi #gd  #cj1eec  #aba  #b1gej     
#hb1ghf #gi    ,the ,legislature of     
#ahcd acted with wisdom and energy4 ,the

 school fund having been established1   
the towns were next required to furnish 
answers to certain questions that were  
substituted for the requisition of the  
statute of #ahbf1 and any town whose    
committee failed to make the return was 
to be deprived of its share of the      
income of the school fund1 whenever it  
should be first distributed4 7,res4     
#ahcd1 chap4 #gh47  ,those measures were
 in the highest degree salutary4 ,there 
were #cje towns in the state1 and       
returns were received from #bfa4 ,there 
was still a want of accuracy and        
completeness2 but from this time forth  
the state secured what had never before 
been attained1--intelligent legislation 
by the government1 and intelligent      
cooeperation and support by the people4 
,in ,december1 #ahcd1 the ,secretary of 
the ,commonwealth prepared an aggregate 
of the returns received1 of which the   
following is a copy3   ,number of towns 
from which returns have been received1  
#bfa ,number of school districts1       

#b1bea ,number of male children         
attending school from   four to sixteen 
years of age1                           
#fg1dii ,number of female children      
attending school from   four to sixteen 
years of age1                           
#fc1gbh ,number over sixteen and under  
twenty-one unable   to read and write1  
#aeh ,number of male instructors1       
#a1ifg ,number of female instructors1   
#b1chh ,amount raised by tax to support 
schools1          #haj1agh #hg ,amount  
raised by contribution to support       
schools1   #ae1ada #be ,average number  
of scholars attending academies   and   
private schools1                        
#bd1gdi ,estimated amount paid for      
tuition in academies and private        
schools1                                
#bgf1ege #ge ,local funds--,yes1        
#ga ,local funds--,no1                  
#aha   ,thus1 by the institution of the 
school fund1 provision was made for a   
system of annual returns1 from which has
 been drawn a series of statistical     

tables1 that have not only exhibited the
 school system as a whole and in its    
parts1 but have also contributed        
essentially to its improvement4  ,these 
statistics have been so accurate and    
complete1 for many years1 as to furnish 
a safe basis for legislation2 and they  
have at the same time been employed by  
the friends of education as means for   
awakening local interest1 and           
stimulating and encouraging the people  
to assume freely and bear willingly the 
burdens of taxation4 ,it is now easy for
 each town1 or for any inhabitant1 to   
know what has been done in any other    
town2 and1 as a consequence1 those that 
do best are a continual example to those
 that1 under ordinary circumstances1    
might be indifferent4 ,the establishment
 and efficiency of the school-committee 
system is due also to the same agency4  
,there are1 ,i fear1 some towns that    
would now neglect to choose a school    
committee1 were there not a small annual
 distribution of money by the state2    

but1 in #ahcb1 the duty was often either
 neglected altogether1 or performed in  
such a manner that no appreciable       
benefit was produced4 ,the              
superintending committee is the most    
important agency connected with our     
system of instruction4 ,in some portions
 of the state the committees are wholly1
 and in others they are partly1         
responsible for the qualifications of   
teachers2 they everywhere superintend   
and give character to the schools1 and  
by their annual reports they exert a    
large influence over public opinion4    
,the people now usually elect           
well-qualified men2 and it is believed  
that the extracts from the local        
reports1 published annually by the      
,board of ,education1 constitute the    
best series of papers in the language   
upon the various topics that have from  
time to time been considered4#d ,by the 
publication of these abstracts1 the     
committees1 and indeed the people       
generally1 are made acquainted with     

everything that has been done1 or is at 
any time doing1 in the commonwealth4    
,improvements that would otherwise      
remain local are made universal2        
information in regard to general errors 
is easily communicated1 and the errors  
themselves are speedily removed1 while  
the system is1 in all respects1 rendered
 homogeneous and efficient4  ,nor does  
it seem to be any disparagement of      
,massachusetts to assume that1 in some  
degree1 she is indebted to the school   
fund for the consistent and steady      
policy of the ,legislature1 pursued for 
more than twenty years1 and executed by 
the agency of the ,board of ,education4 
,in this period1 normal schools have    
been established1 which have educated a 
large number of teachers1 and exerted a 
powerful and ever increasing influence  
in favor of good learning4 ,teachers'   
institutes have been authorized1 and the
 experiment successfully tested4 ,agents
 of the ,board of ,education have been  
appointed1 so that it is now possible1  

by the aid of both these means1 as is   
shown by accompanying returns and       
statements1 to afford1 each year1 to the
 people of a majority of the towns an   
opportunity to confer with those who are
 specially devoted to the work of       
education4 ,in all this period of time1 
the ,legislature has never been called  
upon to provide money for the expenses  
which have thus been incurred2 and1     
though a rigid scrutiny has been        
exercised over the expenditures of the  
educational department1 measures for the
 promotion of the common schools have   
never been considered in relation to the
 general finances of the commonwealth4  
,while some states have hesitated1 and  
others have vacillated1 ,massachusetts  
has had a consistent1 uniform1          
progressive policy1 which is due in part
 to the consideration already named1 and
 in part1 no doubt1 to a popular        
opinion1 traditional and historical in  
its origin1 but sustained and           
strengthened by the measures and        

experience of the last quarter of a     
century1 that a system of public        
instruction is so important an element  
of general prosperity as to justify all 
needful appropriations for its support4 
,it may1 then1 be claimed for the       
,massachusetts ,school ,fund1 that the  
expectations of those by whom it was    
established have been realized2 that it 
has given unity and efficiency to the   
school system2 that it has secured      
accurate and complete returns from all  
the towns2 that it has1 consequently1   
promoted a good understanding between   
the ,legislature and the people2 that it
 has increased local taxation1 but has  
never been a substitute for it2 and that
 it has enabled the ,legislature1 at all
 times and in every condition of the    
general finances1 to act with freedom in
 regard to those agencies which are     
deemed essential to the prosperity of   
the common schools of the state4        
,having thus1 in the history of the     
school fund1 fully justified its        

establishment1 so in its history we find
 sufficient reasons for its sacred      
preservation4 ,while other communities1 
and even other states1 have treated     
educational funds as ordinary revenue1  
subject only to an obligation on the    
part of the public to bestow an annual  
income on the specified object1         
,massachusetts has ever acted in a      
fiduciary relation1 and considered      
herself responsible for the principal as
 well as the income of the fund1 not    
only to this generation1 but to every   
generation that shall occupy the soil1  
and inherit the name and fame of this   
commonwealth4  ,it only remains for me  
to present the reasons which render an  
increase of the capital of the fund     
desirable1 if not necessary4 ,the annual
 income of the existing fund amounts to 
about ninety-three thousand dollars1    
one-half of which is distributed among  
the towns and cities1 in proportion to  
the number of persons in each between   
the ages of five and fifteen years4 ,the

 distribution for the year #aheg-h      
amounted to twenty cents and eight mills
 for each child4 ,the following table   
shows the annual distribution to the    
towns from the year #ahcf2 the whole    
number of children for each year except 
#ahcf and #ahdj1 when the entire        
population was the basis2 and the amount
 paid on account of each child since the
 year #ahdi1 when the law establishing  
the present method of distribution was  
enacted3                                
,income                                 
per ,year4     ,children4     ,income4  
pupil4                                  
----------------------------------------
-------- #ahcf4     #dgc1fhd            
#af1bcj #ege   -- #ahcg4     #afj1fgf   
#ai1jjb #gdf   -- #ahch4     #agd1ihd   
#ai1igj #dg      -- #ahci4     #ahj1jgj 
#ba1ceh #ha      -- #ahdj4     #gja1cca 
#ba1bjb #fdg   -- #ahda4     #agi1ifg   
#cb1aji #cbh   -- #ahdb4     #agi1iag   
#bd1jjf #hi      -- #ahdc4     #agc1daf 
#bd1jid #hg      -- #ahdd4     #aeh1aic 

#bb1icb #ga      -- #ahde4     #agj1hbc 
#bh1bdh #ce      -- #ahdf4     #aie1jcb 
#cj1aej #bg      -- #ahdg4     #aig1dge 
#cd1eaa #hi      --                     
,per ,pupil                             
in ,cents ,year4     ,children4         
,income4         ,mills4                
----------------------------------------
-------- #ahdh4     #baj1djc            
#cc1hgd #hg      -- #ahdi4     #baj1ggj 
#cc1gbc #bj      -- #ahej4     #ahb1jjc 
#cg1cgj #eai   4#bje #ahea4     #aib1hdi
       #da1dfb #ed      4#bae #aheb4    
#aih1jej       #dd1jff #ab      4#bbb   
#ahec4     #aii1bib       #df1ijh #aj   
4#bce #ahed4     #bjb1ajb       #dh1ejd 
#dh      4#bdj #ahee4     #baj1gfa      
#df1ghh #id      4#bbb #ahef4           
#bba1ijb       #dd1hdb #ge      4#bjb   
#aheg4     #bbj1ccf       #df1ghc #fd   
4#bab #aheh4     #bbb1hfj       #df1dif 
#ai      4#bjh    ,it was contemplated  
by the founders of the school fund that 
an amount might safely be distributed   
among the towns equal to one-third of   

the sums raised by taxation1 but the    
state is really furnishing only         
one-thirtieth of the annual expenditure4
 ,a distribution corresponding to the   
original expectation is neither         
desirable nor possible2 but a           
substantial addition might be made      
without in any degree diminishing the   
interest of the people1 or relieving    
them from taxation4 ,the income of the  
school fund has been three times used as
 a means of increasing the              
appropriations in the towns4 ,it is     
doubtful whether1 without an addition to
 the fund1 this power can be again      
applied2 and yet there are1 according to
 the last returns1 twenty-two towns that
 do not raise a sum for schools equal to
 #b4ej for each child between the ages  
of five and fifteen years2 and there are
 fifty-two towns whose appropriations   
are less than three dollars4 ,when the  
average annual expenditure is over six  
dollars1 the minimum ought not to be    
less than three4  ,it is to be          

considered that1 as population          
increases1 the annual personal          
distribution will diminish1 and         
consequently that the bond now existing 
between the ,legislature and people will
 be weakened4 ,moreover1 any definite   
sum of money is worth less than it was  
twenty years ago2 and it is reasonably  
certain that the same sum will be less  
valuable in #ahfj1 and yet less valuable
 in #ahgj1 than it is now4 ,hence1 if   
the fund remain nominally the same1 it  
yet suffers a practical annual decrease4
 ,it is further to be presumed that the 
,legislature will find it expedient to  
advance in its legislation from year to 
year4 ,a small number of towns1 few or  
many1 may not always approve of what is 
done1 and it is quite important that the
 influence of the fund should be        
sufficient to enable the state to       
execute its policy with uniformity and  
precision4  ,as is well known1 the      
expenses of the educational department  
are defrayed from the other half of the 

income of the fund4 ,from this income   
the forty-eight scholarships in the     
colleges1 the ,normal ,schools1 the     
,teachers' ,institutes1 the ,agents of  
the ,board of ,education1 are supported1
 and the salaries of the ,secretary and 
the ,assistant-,secretary are paid4 ,as 
has been stated1 the surplus carried to 
the capital of the fund in ,june last   
was only #a1hdc4fh4 ,the objects of     
expenditure1 already named1 may be      
abolished1 but no reasonable plan of    
economy can effect much saving while    
they exist4 ,it is also reasonably      
certain that the expenses of the        
department must be increased4 ,the law  
now provides for twelve ,teachers'      
,institutes1 annually1 and there were   
opportunities during the present year   
for holding them2 but1 in order that one
 agent might be constantly employed1 and
 a second employed for the term of six  
months1 ,i limited the number of        
sessions to ten4  ,the salaries of the  
teachers in the ,normal ,schools are    

low1 and the number of persons employed 
barely adequate to the work to be done4 
,some change1 involving additional      
expense1 is likely to be called for in  
the course of a few years4  ,in view of 
the eminent aid which the school fund   
has rendered to the cause of education1 
with due deference to the wisdom and    
opinions of its founders1 and with just 
regard to the existing and probable     
necessities of the state in connection  
with the cause of education1 ,i         
earnestly favor the increase of the     
school fund by the addition of a million
 and a half of dollars4  ,nor does the  
proposition for the state to appropriate
 annually #ahj1jjj in aid of the common 
schools seem unreasonable1 when it is   
considered that the military expenses   
are #fe1jjj1 the reformatory and        
correctional about #bjj1jjj1 the        
charitable about #de1jjj1 and the pauper
 expenses nearly #bej1jjj more1 all of  
which will diminish as our schools are  
year by year better qualified to give   

thorough and careful intellectual1      
moral1 and religious culture4  ,this    
increase seems to be necessary in order 
that the ,massachusetts ,school ,fund   
may furnish aid to the common schools   
during the next quarter of a century    
proportionate to the relative influence 
exerted by the same agency during the   
last twenty-five years4 ,nor will such  
an addition give occasion for any       
apprehension that the zeal of the people
 will be diminished in the least4 ,were 
there to be no increase of population in
 the state1 the distribution for each   
pupil would never exceed forty cents1 or
 about one-fifteenth of the amount now  
raised by taxation4  ,so convinced are  
the people of ,massachusetts of the     
importance of common schools1 and so    
much are they accustomed to taxation for
 their support1 that there is no        
occasion to hesitate1 lest we should    
follow the example of those communities 
where large funds1 operating upon an    
uneducated and inexperienced popular    

opinion1 have injured rather than       
benefited the public schools4 ,the      
ancient policy of the commonwealth will 
be continued2 but1 whenever the people  
see the government1 by solemn act1      
manifesting its confidence in schools   
and learning1 they will be encouraged to
 guard and sustain the institutions of  
the fathers4  ,,footnotes3  #d ,an      
eminent friend of education1 and an     
,englishman1 speaking of the reports for
 the year #ahff-g1 says3 ,the views     
enunciated by your local committees1    
while they have the sobriety indicative 
of practical knowledge1 are at the same 
time enlightened and expansive4 ,the    
writers of such reports must be of      
inestimable aid to your schoolmasters1  
standing as they do between the teacher 
and the parent1 and exercising the most 
wholesome influence on both4 ,let me    
remark1 in passing1 that ,i am struck   
with the power of composition evinced in
 these provincial papers4 ,clear        
exposition1 great command of the best   

,english1 correctness and even elegance 
of style1 are their characteristics4  #e
 ,distributed among the cities and      
towns1 according to an ,act of #ahce4   
7,stat4 #ach1 ,sec4 #b47  #f            
,distributed among the cities and towns1
 according to the number of persons in  
each between the ages of four and       
sixteen years4 7,rev4 ,stat41 chap4 #bc1
 ,sec4 #fg47  #g ,income distributed    
among the cities and towns1 according to
 population1 under an ,act passed ,feb4 
#bb1 #ahdj4 7,stat4 #ahdj1 ,chap4 #g47  
,this act was repealed by an act passed 
,feb4 #h1 #ahda4 7,stat4 #ahda1 chap4   
#ag1 ,sec4 #b47  #h ,distributed among  
the cities and towns1 according to the  
number of persons in each between the   
ages of four and sixteen years4 7,stat4 
#ahda1 chap4 #ag1 ,sec4 #b47  #i        
,distributed among the cities and towns1
 according to the number of persons in  
each between the ages of five and       
fifteen years4 7,stat4 #ahdi1 chap4     
#aag1 ,sec4 #b47     ,a ,,system ,,of   

,,agricultural ,,education4  ,an        
,address before the ,barnstable         
,agricultural ,society1 ,oct4 #h1 #aheg4
   ,in the month of ,february1 #ahee1 a 
distinguished ,american1 who has read   
much1 and acquired1 by conversation1    
observation1 and travels in this country
 and ,europe1 the highest culture of    
,american society1 wrote these          
noticeable sentences3 ,the farmers have 
not kept pace1 in intelligence1 with the
 rest of the community4 ,they do not put
 brain-manure enough into their acres4  
,our style of farming is slovenly1      
dawdling1 and stupid1 and the waste1    
especially in manure1 is immense4 ,i    
suppose we are about1 in farming1 where 
the ,lowlands of ,scotland were fifty   
years ago2 and what immense strides     
agriculture has made in ,great ,britain 
since the battle of ,waterloo1 and how  
impossible it would have been for the   
farmers to have held their own          
without6#aj  ,it would not be civil for 
me to endorse these statements as       

introductory to a brief address upon    
,agricultural ,education2 but ,i should 
not accept them at all did they not     
contain truth enough to furnish a text  
for a layman's discourse before an      
assembly of farmers4  ,competent        
,american travellers concur in the      
opinion that the ,europeans generally1  
and especially our brethren of ,england1
 ,ireland1 and ,scotland1 are far in    
advance of us in scientific and         
practical agriculture4 ,this has been   
stated or admitted by ,mr4 ,colman1     
,president ,hitchcock1 and last by ,mr4 
,french1 who has recently visited       
,europe under the auspices of the       
,national ,agricultural ,society4       
,there are good reasons for the past and
 for the existing superiority of the    
,old ,world2 and there are good reasons1
 also1 why this superiority should not  
much longer continue4 ,europe is        
old1--,america is young4 ,land has been 
cultivated for centuries in ,europe1 and
 often by the same family2 its capacity 

tested1 its fitness or unfitness for    
particular crops proved1 the local and  
special effects of different fertilizers
 well known1 and the experience of many 
generations has been preserved1 so as to
 be equivalent to a like experience1 in 
time and extent1 by the present         
occupants of the soil4  ,in ,america    
there are no family estates1 nor long   
occupation by the same family of the    
same spot4 ,cultivated lands have       
changed hands as often as every         
twenty-five years from the settlement of
 the country4 ,the capacity of our soils
 to produce1 when laboriously and       
systematically cultivated1 has not been 
ascertained2 there has been no          
accumulation of experience by families1 
and but little by the public2 and the   
effort1 in many sections1 has been to   
draw as much as possible from the land1 
while little or nothing was returned to 
it4 ,farming1 as a whole1 has not been a
 system of cultivation1 which implies   
improvement1 but a process of           

exhaustion4 ,it has been easier for the 
farmer1 though1 perhaps1 not as         
economical1 if all the elements         
necessary to a correct opinion could be 
combined1 to exchange his worn-out lands
 for fresh soils1 than to adopt an      
improving system of agriculture4 ,the   
present has been consulted2 the future  
has been disregarded4 ,as the           
half-civilized hunters of the pampas of 
,buenos ,ayres make indiscriminate      
slaughter of the myriads of wild cattle 
that roam over the unfenced prairies of 
the south1 and preserve the hides only  
for the commerce and comfort of the     
world1 so we have clutched from nature  
whatever was in sight or next at hand1  
regardless of the actual and ultimate   
wrong to physical and vegetable life2   
and1 as the pioneers of a better        
civilization now gather up the bones    
long neglected and bleaching under      
tropical suns and tropical rains1 and by
 the agency of trade1 art1 and industry1
 extort more wealth from them than was  

originally derived from the living      
animals1 so we shall find that worn-out 
lands1 when subjected to skilful1       
careful1 scientific husbandry1 are quite
 as profitable as the virgin soils1     
which1 from the day of the migration    
into the ,connecticut valley to the     
occupancy of the ,missouri and the      
,kansas1 have proved so tempting to our 
ancestors and to us4 ,but there has been
 some philosophy1 some justice1 and     
considerable necessity1 in the course   
that has been pursued4 ,subsistence is  
the first desire2 and1 in new countries 
where forests are to be felled1         
dwellings erected1 public institutions  
established1 roads and bridges built1   
settlers cannot be expected1 in the     
cultivation of the land1 to look much   
beyond the present moment4 ,and they are
 entitled to the original fertility of  
the soil4 ,europe passed through the    
process of settlement and exhaustion    
many centuries ago4 ,her recovery has   
been the work of centuries1--ours may be

 accomplished in a few years1 even      
within the limits of a single life4 ,the
 fact from which an improving system of 
agriculture must proceed is apparent in 
the northern and central ,atlantic      
states1 and is1 in a measure1           
appreciated in the ,west4 ,we have all  
heard that certain soils were           
inexhaustible4 ,the statement was first 
made of the valley of the ,connecticut1 
then of the ,genesee country1 then of   
,ohio1 then of ,illinois1 and           
occasionally we now hear similar        
statements of ,kansas1 or ,california1  
or the valley of the ,willamette4 ,in   
the nature of things these statements   
were erroneous4 ,the idea of soil1 in   
reason and in the use of the word1      
contains the idea of exhaustion4 ,soil  
is not merely the upper stratum of the  
earth2 it is a substance which possesses
 the power1 under certain circumstances1
 of giving up essential properties of   
its own for the support of vegetable and
 ultimately of animal life4 ,what it    

gives up it loses1 and to the extent of 
its loss it is exhausted4 ,it is no more
 untrue to say that the great cities of 
the world have not1 in their building1  
exhausted the forests and the mines to  
any extent1 than to say that the annual 
abundant harvests of corn and wheat have
 not1 in any degree1 exhausted the      
prairies and bottom lands of the ,west4 
,some lands may be exhausted for        
particular crops in a single year2      
others in five years1 others in ten1    
while others may yield undiminished     
returns for twenty1 fifty1 or even a    
hundred years4 ,but it is plain that    
annual cropping without rotation1 and   
without compensation by nature or art1  
must finally deprive the soil of the    
required elements4 ,nor should we       
deceive ourselves by considering only   
those exceptions whose existence is due 
to the fact that nature makes           
compensation for the loss4 ,annual or   
occasional irrigation with rich         
deposits1--as upon the ,nile and the    

,connecticut1--allowing the land to lie 
fallow1 rotation of crops and the growth
 of wood1 are so many expedients and    
provisions by which nature increases the
 productiveness of the earth4 ,nor is a 
great depth of soil1 as two1 five1 ten1 
or twenty feet1 any security against its
 ultimate impoverishment4 ,only a       
certain portion is available4 ,it has   
been found in the case of coal-mines    
which lie at great depths1 that they    
are1 for the present1 valueless2 and we 
cannot attach much importance to soil   
that is twenty feet below the surface4  
,neither cultivation nor vegetation can 
go beyond a certain depth2 and wherever 
vegetable life exists1 its elements are 
required and appropriated4 ,great depth 
of soil is desirable2 but1 with our     
present knowledge and means of culture1 
it furnishes no security against        
ultimate exhaustion4  ,the fact that all
 soils are exhaustible establishes the  
necessity for agricultural education1 by
 whose aid the processes of             

impoverishment may be limited in number 
and diminished in force2 and the        
realization of this fact by the public  
generally is the only justification     
necessary for those who advocate the    
immediate application of means to the   
proposed end4  ,and1 gentlemen1 if you  
will allow a festive day to be marred by
 a single word of criticism1 ,i feel    
constrained to say1 that a great        
obstacle to the increased usefulness1   
further elevation1 and higher           
respectability1 of agriculture1 is in   
the body of farmers themselves4 ,and ,i 
assume this to be so upon the           
supposition that agriculture is not a   
cherished pursuit in many farmers'      
homes2 that the head of the family often
 regards his life of labor upon the land
 as a necessity from which he would     
willingly escape2 that he esteems other 
pursuits as at once less laborious1 more
 profitable1 and more honorable1 than   
his own2 that children1 both sons and   
daughters1 under the influence of       

parents1 both father and mother1 receive
 an education at home1 which neither    
school1 college1 nor newspaper1 can     
counteract1 that leads them to abandon  
the land for the store1 the shop1 the   
warehouse1 the professions1 or the sea4 
,the reasonable hope of establishing a  
successful system of agricultural       
education is not great where such       
notions prevail4  ,agriculture is not to
 attain to true practical dignity by the
 borrowed lustre that eminent names1    
ancient and modern1 may have lent to it1
 any more than the earth itself is      
warmed and made fruitful by the aurora  
borealis of an autumn night4 ,our system
 of public instruction1 from the primary
 school to the college1 rests mainly    
upon the public belief in its           
importance1 its possibility1 and its    
necessity4 ,it is easy on a professional
 holiday to believe in the              
respectability of agriculture2 but is it
 a living sentiment1 controlling your   
conduct1 and inspiring you with courage 

and faith in your daily labor8 ,does it 
lead you to contemplate with            
satisfaction the prospect that your son 
is to be a farmer also1 and that your   
daughter is to be a farmer's wife8      
,these1 ,i imagine1 are test questions  
which not all farmers nor farmers' wives
 can answer in the affirmative4 ,else1  
why the custom among farmers' sons of   
making their escape1 at the earliest    
moment possible1 from the labors and    
restraints of the farm8 ,else1 why the  
disposition of the farmer's daughter to 
accept other situations1 not more       
honorable1 and in the end not usually   
more profitable1 than the place of      
household aid to the business of the    
home8 ,how1 then1 can a system of       
education be prosperous and efficient1  
when those for whom it is designed      
neither respect their calling nor desire
 to pursue it8 ,you will not1 of course1
 imagine that ,i refer1 in these        
statements1 to all farmers2 there are   
many exceptions2 but my own experience  

and observation lead me to place        
confidence in the fitness of these      
remarks1 speaking generally of the      
farmers of ,new ,england4 ,it is1       
however1 true1 and the statement of the 
truth ought not to be omitted1 that the 
prevalent ideas among us are much in    
advance of what they were ten years ago4
 ,in what has been accomplished we have 
ground for hope1 and even security for  
further advancement4  ,i look1 then1    
first and chiefly to an improved home   
culture1 as the necessary basis of a    
system of agricultural education4       
,christian education1 culture1 and life1
 depend essentially upon the influences 
of home2 and we feel continually the    
importance of kindred influences upon   
our common school system4  ,it will not1
 of course1 be wise to wait1 in the     
establishment of a system of            
agricultural education1 until we are    
satisfied that every farmer is prepared 
for it2 in the beginning sufficient     
support may be derived from a small     

number of persons1 but in the end it    
must be sustained by the mass of those  
interested4 ,other pursuits and         
professions must meet the special claims
 made upon them1 and in the matter of   
agricultural education they cannot be   
expected to do more than assent to what 
the farmers themselves may require4  ,an
 important part of a system of          
agricultural education has been1 as it  
seems to me1 already established4 ,i    
speak of our national1 state1 county1   
and town associations for the promotion 
of agriculture4 ,the first three may    
educate the people through their annual 
fairs1 by their publications1 and by the
 collection and distribution of rare    
seeds1 plants1 and animals1 that are not
 usually within reach of individual     
farmers4 ,by such means1 and others less
 noticeable1 these agencies can exert a 
powerful influence upon the farmers of  
the country2 but their thorough1        
systematic education must be carried on 
at home4 ,and for local and domestic    

education ,i think we must rely upon our
 public schools1 upon town clubs or     
associations of farmers1 and upon       
scientific men who may be appointed by  
the government to visit the towns1      
confer with the people1 and receive and 
communicate information upon the        
agricultural resources and defects of   
the various localities4 ,it will be     
observed that in this outline of a plan 
of education ,i omit the agricultural   
college4 ,this omission is intentional1 
and ,i will state my reasons for it4 ,i 
speak1 however1 of the present2 the time
 may come when such an institution will 
be needed4 ,in ,massachusetts1 ,mr4     
,benjamin ,bussey has made provision for
 a college at ,roxbury1 and ,mr4 ,oliver
 ,smith has made similar provision for a
 college at ,northampton2 but these     
bequests will not be available for many 
years4 ,in ,england1 ,ireland1          
,scotland1 ,france1 ,belgium1 ,prussia1 
,russia1 ,austria1 and the smaller      
states of ,europe1 agricultural schools 

and colleges have been established2 and 
they appear to be the most numerous     
where the ignorance of the people is the
 greatest4 ,england has five colleges   
and schools1 ,ireland sixty-three1 while
 ,scotland has only a professorship in  
each of her colleges at ,aberdeen and   
,edinburgh4 ,in ,france1 there are      
seventy-five agricultural schools2 but  
in seventy of them--called inferior     
schools--the instruction is a compound  
of that given in our public schools and 
the discipline of a good farmer upon his
 land1 with some special attention to   
agricultural reading and farm accounts4 
,such schools are not desired and would 
not be patronized among us4 ,when an    
agricultural school is established1 it  
must be of a higher grade1--it must take
 rank with the colleges of the country4 
,president ,hitchcock1 in his report1   
published in #ahea1 states that six     
professors would be required2 that the  
first outlay would be sixty-seven       
thousand dollars1 and that the annual   

expense would be six thousand and two   
hundred dollars4 ,by these arrangements 
and expenditures he contemplates the    
education of one hundred students1 who  
are to pay annually each for tuition the
 sum of forty dollars4 ,it was also     
proposed to connect an agricultural     
department with several of the existing 
academies1 at an annual expense of three
 thousand dollars more4 ,these estimates
 of cost seem low1 nor do ,i find in    
this particular any special objection to
 the recommendation made by the         
commissioners of the government2 any    
other scheme is likely to be quite as   
expensive in the end4  ,my chief        
objection is1 that such a plan is not   
comprehensive enough1 and cannot1 in a  
reasonable time1 sensibly affect the    
average standard of agricultural        
learning among us4 ,the graduation of   
fifty students a year would be equal to 
one in a thousand or fifteen hundred of 
the farmers of the state2 and in ten    
years there would not be one            

professionally educated farmer in a     
hundred4 ,we are not1 of course1 to     
overlook the indirect influence of such 
a school1 through its students annually 
sent forth3 the better modes of culture 
adopted by them would1 to some extent1  
be copied by others2 nor are we to      
overlook the probability of a prejudice 
against the institution and its         
graduates1 growing out of the republican
 ideas of equality prevailing among us4 
,but the struggle against mere prejudice
 would be an honorable struggle1 if1 in 
the hour of victory1 the college could  
claim to have reformed and elevated     
materially the practices and ideas of   
the farmers of the country4 ,i fear that
 even victory under such circumstances  
would not be complete success4 ,an      
institution established in ,new ,england
 must look to the existing peculiarities
 of our country1 rather than venture at 
once upon the adoption of schemes that  
may have been successful elsewhere4     
,here every farmer is a laborer himself1

 employing usually from one to three    
hands1 and they are often persons who   
look to the purchase and cultivation of 
a farm on their own account2 while in   
,england the master farmer is an        
overseer rather than a laborer4 ,the    
number of men in ,europe who own land or
 work it on their own account is small2 
the number of laborers whose labors are 
directed by the proprietors and farmers 
is quite large4 ,under these            
circumstances1 if the few are educated1 
the work will go successfully on2 while 
here1 our agricultural education ought  
to reach the great body of those who    
labor upon the land4 ,will a college in 
each state answer the demand for        
agricultural education now existing8 ,is
 it safe in any country1 or in any      
profession or pursuit1 to educate a few1
 and leave the majority to the indirect 
influence of the culture thus bestowed8 
,and is it philosophical1 in this       
country1 where there is a degree of     
personal and professional freedom such  

as is nowhere else enjoyed1 to found a  
college or higher institution of        
learning upon the general and admitted  
ignorance of the people in the given    
department8 or is it wiser1 by          
elementary training and the universal   
diffusion of better ideas1 to make the  
establishment of the college the        
necessity of the culture previously     
given8 ,every new school1 not a college1
 makes the demand for the college course
 greater than it was before2 and the    
advance made in our public schools      
increases the students in the colleges  
and the university4 ,we build from the  
primary school to the college2 and      
without the primary school and its      
dependents1--the grammar1 high school1  
and academy1--the colleges would cease  
to exist4 ,this view of education       
supports the statement that an          
agricultural college is not the         
foundation of a system of agricultural  
training1 but a result that is to be    
reached through a preliminary and       

elementary course of instruction4 ,what 
shall that course be8 ,i say1 first1 the
 establishment of town or neighborhood  
societies of farmers and others         
interested in agriculture4 ,these       
societies ought to be auxiliary to the  
county societies1 and they never can    
become their rivals or enemies unless   
they are grossly perverted in their     
management and purposes4 ,as such       
societies must be mutual and voluntary  
in their character1 they can be         
established in any town where there are 
twenty1 ten1 or even five persons who   
are disposed to unite together4 ,its    
object would1 of course1 be the         
advancement of practical agriculture2   
and it would look to theories and even  
to science as means only for the        
attainment of a specified end4 ,the     
exercises of such societies would vary  
according to the tastes and plans of the
 members and directors2 but they would  
naturally provide for discussions and   
conversations among themselves1 lectures

 from competent persons1 the            
establishment of a library1 and for the 
collection of models and drawings of    
domestic animals1 models of varieties of
 fruit1 specimens of seeds1 grasses1 and
 grains1 rocks1 minerals1 and soils4    
,the discussions and conversations would
 be based upon the actual observation   
and experience of the members2 and      
agriculture would at once become better 
understood and more carefully practised 
by each person who intended to          
contribute to the exercises of the      
meeting4  ,until the establishment of   
agricultural journals1 there were no    
means by which the results of individual
 experience could be made known to the  
mass of farmers2 and1 even now1 men of  
the largest experience are not the chief
 contributors4  ,wherever a local club  
exists1 it is always possible to compare
 the knowledge of the different members2
 and the results of such comparison may1
 when deemed desirable1 be laid before  
the public at large4 ,it is also in the 

power of such an organization thoroughly
 and at once to test any given          
experiment4 ,the attention of this      
section of the country has been directed
 to the culture of the ,chinese         
sugar-cane2 and merchants1 economists1  
and statesmen1 as well as the farmers   
themselves1 are interested in the speedy
 and satisfactory solution of so        
important an industrial problem4 ,had   
the attention of a few local societies  
in different parts of ,new ,england been
 directed to the culture1 with special  
reference to its feasibility and        
profitableness1 a definite result might 
have been reached the present year4 ,the
 growth of flax1 both in the means of   
cultivation and in economy1 is a subject
 of great importance4 ,many other crops 
might also be named1 concerning which   
opposite1 not to say vague1 opinions    
prevail4 ,the local societies may make  
these trials through the agency of      
individual members better than they can 
be made by county and state societies1  

and better than they can usually be made
 upon model or experimental farms4 ,it  
will often happen upon experimental     
farms that the circumstances do not     
correspond to the condition of things   
among the farmers4 ,the combined        
practical wisdom of such associations   
must be very great2 and ,i have but to  
refer to the published minutes of the   
proceedings of the ,concord ,club to    
justify this statement in its broadest  
sense4 ,the meetings of such a club have
 all the characteristics of a school of 
the highest order4 ,each member is at   
the same time a teacher and a pupil4    
,the meeting is to the farmer what the  
court-room is to the lawyer1 the        
hospital to the physician1 and the      
legislative assembly to the statesman4  
,moot courts alone will not make skilful
 lawyers2 the manikin is but an         
indifferent teacher of anatomy2 and we  
may safely say that no statesman was    
ever made so by books1 schools1 and     
street discussions1 without actual      

experience in some department of        
government4  ,it is1 of course1 to be   
expected that an agricultural college   
would have the means of making          
experiments2 but each experiment could  
be made only under a single set of      
circumstances1 while the agency of local
 societies1 in connection with other    
parts of the plan that ,i have the honor
 diffidently to present1 would convert  
at once a county or a state into an     
experimental farm for a given time and a
 given purpose4 ,the local club being   
always practical and never theoretical1 
dealing with things always and never    
with signs1 presenting only facts and   
never conjectures1 would1 as a school   
for the young farmer1 be quite equal1   
and in some respects superior1 to any   
that the government can establish4 ,but1
 it may be asked1 will you call that a  
school which is merely an assembly of   
adults without a teacher8 ,i answer that
 technically it is not a school1 but    
that in reality such an association is a

 school in the best use of the word4 ,a 
school is1 first1 for the development of
 powers and qualities whose germs       
already exist2 then for the acquisition 
of knowledge previously possessed by    
others2 then for the prosecution of     
original inquiries and investigations4  
,the associations of which ,i speak     
would possess all these powers1 and     
contemplate all these results2 but that 
their powers might be more efficient1   
and for the advancement of agriculture  
generally1 it seems to me fit and proper
 for the state to appoint scientific and
 practical men as agents of the ,board  
of ,agriculture1 and lecturers upon     
agricultural science and labor4 ,if an  
agricultural college were founded1 a    
farm would be required1 and at least six
 professors would be necessary4 ,instead
 of a single farm1 with a hundred young 
men upon it1 accept gratuitously1 as you
 would no doubt have opportunity1 the   
use of many farms for experiments and   
repeated trials of crops1 and1 at the   

same time1 educate1 not a hundred only1 
but many thousand young men1 nearly as  
well in theory and science1 and much    
better in practical labor1 than they    
could be educated in a college4 ,six    
professors1 as agents1 could accomplish 
a large amount of necessary work2       
possibly1 for the present1 all that     
would be desired4 ,assume1 for this     
inquiry1 that ,massachusetts contains   
three hundred agricultural towns2 divide
 these towns into sections of fifty     
each2 then assign one section to each   
agent1 with the understanding that his  
work for the year is to be performed in 
that section1 and then that he is to be 
transferred to another4 ,by a rotation  
of appointments and a succession of     
labors1 the varied attainments of the   
lecturers would be enjoyed by the whole 
commonwealth4 ,but1 it may be asked1    
what1 specifically stated1 shall the    
work of the agents be8 ,only suggestions
 can be offered in answer to this       
inquiry4 ,an agent might1 in the summer 

season1 visit his fifty towns1 and spend
 two days in each4 ,while there1 he     
could ascertain the kinds of crops1     
modes of culture1 nature of soils1      
practical excellences1 and practical    
defects1 of the farmers2 and he might   
also provide for such experiments as he 
desired to have made4 ,it would1        
likewise1 be in his power to give       
valuable advice1 where it might be      
needed1 in regard to farming proper1 and
 also to the erection and repair of     
farm-buildings4 ,i am satisfied that a  
competent agent would1 in this last     
particular alone1 save to the people a  
sum equal to the entire cost of his     
services4 ,after this labor was         
accomplished1 eight months would remain 
for the preparation and delivery of     
lectures in the fifty towns previously  
visited4 ,these lectures might be       
delivered in each town1 or the agent    
might hold meetings of the nature of    
institutes in a number of towns         
centrally situated4 ,in either case1 the

 lectures would be at once scientific   
and practical2 and their practical      
character would be appreciated in the   
fact that a judicious agent would adapt 
his lectures to the existing state of   
things in the given locality4 ,this     
could not be done by a college1 however 
favorably situated1 and however well    
accomplished in the material of         
education4 ,it is probable that the     
lectures would be less scientific than  
those that would be given in a college2 
but when their superior practical       
character is considered1 and when we    
consider also that they would be        
listened to by the great body of        
farmers1 old and young1 while those of  
the college could be enjoyed by a small 
number of youth only1 we cannot doubt   
which would be the most beneficial to   
the state1 and to the cause of          
agriculture in the country4  ,an        
objection to the plan ,i have indicated 
may be found in the belief that the     
average education of the farmers is not 

equal to a full appreciation of the     
topics and lectures to be presented4 ,my
 answer is1 that the lecturers must meet
 the popular intelligence1 whatever it  
is4 ,nothing is to be assumed by the    
teacher2 it is his first duty to        
ascertain the qualifications of his     
pupils4 ,i am1 however1 led to the      
opinion that the schools of the country 
have already laid a very good basis for 
practical instruction in agriculture2   
and1 if this be not so1 then an         
additional argument will be offered for 
the most rapid advance possible in our  
systems of education4 ,in any event1 it 
is true that the public schools furnish 
a large part of the intellectual culture
 given in the inferior and intermediate 
agricultural schools of ,europe4  ,the  
great defect in the plan ,i have        
presented is this3 ,that no means are   
provided for the thorough education     
needed by those persons who are to be   
appointed agents1 and no provision is   
made for testing the qualities of soils1

 and the elements of grains1 grasses1   
and fruits4 ,my answer to this          
suggestion is1 that it is in part1 at   
least1 well founded2 but that the       
scientific schools furnish a course of  
study in the natural sciences which must
 be satisfactory to the best educated   
farmer or professor of agricultural     
learning1 and that analyses may be made 
in the laboratories of existing         
institutions4  ,it is my fortune to be  
able to read a letter from ,professor   
,horsford1 which furnishes a            
satisfactory view of the ability of the 
,scientific ,school at ,cambridge4      
,cambridge1 ,sept4 #ai1 #aheg4  ,,my    
,,dear ,,sir3 ,the occupation incident  
to the opening of the term has prevented
 an earlier answer to your letter of    
inquiry in regard to the ,scientific    
,school4  ,the ,scientific ,school      
furnishes1 ,i believe1 the necessary    
scientific knowledge for students of    
agriculture 7such as you mention71 'who 
have been well educated at our high     

schools1 academies1 or colleges1 and    
have also been trained practically in   
the business of farming4' ,it provides3 
#ast4 ,practical instruction in the     
modes of experimental investigation4    
,this is1 ,i know1 an unrecognized      
department1 but it is1 perhaps1 the     
better suited name to the course of     
instruction of our chemical department4 
,it qualifies the student for the most  
direct methods of solving the practical 
problems which are constantly arising in
 practical agriculture4 ,it includes the
 analysis of soils1 the manufacture and 
testing of manures1 the philosophy of   
improved methods of culture1 of rotation
 of crops1 of dairy production1 of      
preserving fruits1 meats1 c4 ,it applies
 more or less directly to the whole     
subject of mechanical expedients4  #b;d4
 ,practical instruction in surveying1   
mensuration1 and drawing4  #c;d4 ,and by
 lectures--in botany1 geology1 zoology1 
comparative anatomy1 and natural        
philosophy4  ,some of them--indeed1 all 

of them1 if desired--might be pursued   
practically1 and with the use of        
apparatus and specimens4  ,this course  
contemplates a period of study of from  
one year to two and a half years1       
according to the qualification of the   
pupil at the outset4 ,he appears an hour
 each day at the blackboard1 where he   
shares the drill of a class1 and where  
he acquires a facility of illustration1 
command of language1 an address and     
thorough consciousness of real          
knowledge1 which are of more value1 in  
many cases1 as you know1 than almost any
 amount of simple acquisition4 ,he also 
attends1 on an average1 about one       
lecture a day throughout the year4      
,during the remaining time he is        
occupied with experimental work in the  
laboratory or field4  ,the great        
difficulty with students of agriculture1
 who might care to come to the          
,scientific ,school1 is the expense of  
living in ,cambridge4 ,if some farmer at
 a distance of three or four miles from 

college1 where rents for rooms are low1 
would open a boarding-house for students
 of agriculture in the ,scientific      
,school1 where the care of a kitchen    
garden and some stock might be intrusted
 to them1 and where a farmer's plain    
table might be spread at the price at   
which laborers would be received1 we    
might hope that our facilities would be 
taken advantage of on a larger scale4   
,as it is1 but few1 comparatively1 among
 our students1 come to qualify          
themselves for farming4  ,i should1     
however1 consider the arrangements      
proposed as temporary1 and finally to be
 abandoned or made permanent1 as        
experience should dictate4  ,it may be  
said1 ,i think1 without disparagement to
 the many distinguished and             
disinterested men who have labored for  
the advancement of agriculture1 that the
 operations of the government and of the
 state and county societies have no plan
 or system by which1 as a whole1 they   
are guided4 ,the county societies have  

been and are the chief means of         
influence and progress2 but they have no
 power which can be systematically      
applied2 their movements are variable1  
and their annual exhibitions do not     
always indicate the condition of        
agriculture in the districts            
represented4 ,they have become1 to a    
certain extent1 localized in the        
vicinity of the towns where the fairs   
are held2 and yet they do not possess   
the vigor which institutions positively 
local would enjoy4  ,the town clubs hold
 annual fairs2 and these fairs should be
 made tributary1 in their products and  
in the interest they excite1 to the     
county fairs4 ,let the town fairs be    
held as early in the season as          
practicable1 and then let each town send
 to the county fairs its first-class    
premium articles as the contributions of
 the local society1 as well as of the   
individual producers4 ,thus a healthful 
and generous rivalry would be stirred up
 between the towns of a county as well  

as among the citizens of each town2 and 
a county exhibition upon the plan       
suggested would represent at one view   
the general condition of agriculture in 
the vicinity4 ,no one can pretend that  
this is accomplished by the present     
arrangements4 ,moreover1 the county     
society1 in its management and in its   
annual exhibitions1 would possess an    
importance which it had not before      
enjoyed4 ,as each town would be         
represented by the products of the      
dairy1 the herd1 and the field1 so it   
would be represented by its men2 and the
 annual fair of the county would be a   
truthful and complete exposition of its 
industrial standing and power4  ,out of 
a system thus broad1 popular1 and       
strong1 an agricultural college will    
certainly spring1 if such an institution
 shall be needed4 ,but is it likely that
 in a country where the land is divided1
 and the number of farmers is great1 the
 majority will ever be educated in      
colleges1 and upon strict scientific    

principles8 ,i am ready to answer that  
such an expectation seems to me a mere  
delusion4 ,the great body of young      
farmers must be educated by the example 
and practices of their elders1 by their 
own efforts at individual and mutual    
improvement1 and by the influence of    
agricultural journals1 books1 lecturers1
 and the example of thoroughly educated 
men4 ,and1 as thoroughly educated men1  
lecturers1 journals1 and books of a     
proper character1 cannot be furnished   
without the aid of scientific schools   
and thorough culture1 the farmers1 as a 
body1 are interested in the             
establishment of all institutions of    
learning which promise to advance any   
number of men1 however small1 in the    
mysteries of the profession2 but1 when  
we design a system of education for a   
class1 common wisdom requires us to     
contemplate its influence upon each     
individual4 ,the influence of a single  
college in any state1 or in each state  
of this ,union1 would be exceedingly    

limited2 but local societies and        
travelling lecturers could make an      
appreciable impression in a year upon   
the agricultural population of any      
state1 and in ,new ,england the interest
 in the subject is such that there is no
 difficulty in founding town clubs1 and 
making them at once the agents of the   
government and the schools for the      
people4  ,in the plan indicated1 ,i     
have1 throughout1 assumed the           
disposition of the farmers to educate   
themselves4 ,this assumption implies a  
certain degree of education already     
attained2 for a consciousness of the    
necessity of education is only developed
 by culture1 learning1 and reflection4  
,such being the admitted fact1 it       
remains that the farmers themselves     
ought at once to institute such means of
 self-improvement as are at their       
command4 ,they are1 in nearly every     
state of this ,union1 a majority of the 
voters1 and the controlling force of    
society and the government2 but ,i do   

not from these facts infer the propriety
 of a reliance on their part upon the   
powers which they may thus direct4      
,however wisely said1 when first said1  
it is not wise to look to the government
 for too much2 and there can be no      
reasonable doubt of the ability of the  
farmers to institute and perfect such   
measures of self-education as are at    
present needed4 ,but the spirit in which
 they enter upon this work must be      
broad1 comprehensive1 catholic4 ,they   
will find something1 ,i hope1 of        
example1 something of motive1 something 
of power1 in their experience as friends
 and supporters of our system of common 
school education2 and something of all  
these1 ,i trust1 in the facts that this 
system is kept in motion by the         
self-imposed taxation of the whole      
people2 that all individuals and classes
 of men1 forgetting their differences of
 opinion in politics and religion1 rally
 to its support1 as being in itself a   
safe basis on which may be built        

whatever structures men of wisdom and   
virtue and piety may desire to erect1   
whether they labor first and chiefly for
 the world that is1 or for that which is
 to come4  ,,footnote3  #aj ,hon4       
,george ,s4 ,hillard4                   
,,advertisements   ,,juvenile ,,books4  
,,the ,,most ,,beautiful ,,and ,,most   
,,entertaining ,,books ,,for ,,children 
,,ever ,,published4   ,,mr4 ,,cranch',s 
,,illustrated ,,stories4  ,,the ,,last  
,,of ,,the ,,huggermuggers3 a ,giant    
,story4 ,by ,,christopher ,,pearse      
,,cranch1 ,with illustrations on wood1  
from drawings by the author4 ,printed on
 fine1 hot-pressed paper1 from large1   
fair type4 ,price #a4jj4  ,this book has
 been received with the utmost delight  
by all the children4 ,mr4 ,cranch is at 
once painter and poet1 and his story and
 illustrations are both characteristic  
of a man of genius4  ,,kobboltozo2 being
 a ,sequel to ,the ,last of the         
,huggermuggers4 ,by ,,christopher       
,,pearse ,,cranch4 ,with illustrations  

by the author4  ,the hand of the author 
in the tale1 and especially in the      
drawings1 is freer than in his former   
work4 ,the pictures are exquisite1 and  
much more numerous than in the          
,huggermuggers4 ,both these books will  
please the larger or grown-up children1 
as well as those still in the nursery4  
,uniform in style with its predecessor4 
,price #a4jj4   ,,cousin ,,fannie',s    
,,juvenile ,,books4  ,,every ,,beginning
 ,,is ,,easy ,,for ,,children ,,who     
,,love ,,study4 ,translated from the    
,german1 by ,,cousin ,,fannie4 ,largo   
quarto1 with elegantly colored          
lithographic plates4 ,price #a4jj4      
,altogether one of the most attractive  
books1 both in matter and style1 ever   
issued in this country4  ,,aunty        
,,wonderful',s ,,stories4 ,translated   
from the ,german1 by ,,cousin ,,fannie4 
,with spirited lithographic             
illustrations4 ,it has proved immensely 
popular among the little folks4 ,price  
#ge cents4  ,,red ,,beard',s ,,stories  

,,for ,,children4 ,translated from the  
,german1 by ,,cousin ,,fannie4  ,the    
illustrations for this book are of a    
most novel and taking character4 ,they  
are in imitation of the silhouettes or  
pictures cut out by scissors1 in which  
our ancestors' portraits have often been
 preserved4 ,the pictures are numerous1 
spirited and effective4 ,the stories are
 worthy of their elegant dress4 ,price  
#ge cents4  ,,bright ,,pictures ,,of    
,,child-,,life4 ,translated from the    
,german1 by ,,cousin ,,fannie4          
,illustrated by numerous highly-finished
 colored engravings4 ,price #ge cents4  
,,violet2 ,a ,fairy ,story4 ,illustrated
 by ,billings4 ,price #ej cents2 gilt1  
#ge cents4  ,the publishers desire to   
call attention to this exquisite little 
story4 ,it breathes such a love of      
,nature in all her forms2 inculcates    
such excellent principles1 and is so    
full of beauty and simplicity1 that it  
will delight not only children1 but all 
readers of unsophisticated tastes4 ,the 

author seems to teach the gentle creed  
which ,coleridge has embodied in those  
familiar lines--        ,he prayeth well
 who loveth well      ,both man1 and    
bird1 and beast4   ,,daisy2 or the      
,fairy ,spectacles4 ,by the author of   
,,violet4 ,illustrated4 ,price #ej      
cents2 gilt1 #ge cents4  ,,the ,,great  
,,rosy ,,diamond4 ,by ,,mrs4 ,,anne     
,,augusta ,,carter ,with illustrations  
by ,billings4 ,price #ej cents2 gilt #ge
 cents4  ,this is a most charming story1
 from an author of reputation in this   
department1 both in ,england and        
,america4 ,the machinery of ,fairy ,land
 is employed with great ingenuity2 the  
style is beautiful1 imaginative1 yet    
simple4 ,the frolics of ,robin          
,goodfellow are rendered with the utmost
 grace and spirit4  ,,tales ,,from      
,,shakspeare4 ,designed for the ,use of 
,young ,persons4 ,by ,,charles ,,lamb4  
,from the fifth ,london edition4 #abmo4 
,illustrated4 ,price1 bound in muslin1  
#a4jj2 gilt1 #a4ej4  ,these tales are   

intended to interest children and youth 
in some of the plays of ,shakspeare4    
,the form of the dialogue is dropped1   
and instead the plots are woven into    
stories1 which are models of beauty4    
,what ,hawthorne has lately done for the
 classical mythology1 ,lamb has here    
done for ,shakspeare4   ,,published ,,by
 ,,phillips1 ,,sampson  ,,co41 ,boston1 
,and for sale by all ,booksellers in the
 ,united ,states4   ,,juvenile ,,books4 
,,the ,,rollo ,,books4 ,by ,,rev4       
,,jacob ,,abbott4 ,in fourteen volumes4 
,new edition1 with finely executed      
engravings from original designs by     
,billings4 ,price #g2 single1 #ej cents1
 ,any volume sold separately4           
,rollo ,learning to ,talk4      ,rollo  
,learning to ,read4      ,rollo at      
,work4      ,rollo at ,play4      ,rollo
 at ,school4      ,rollo's ,vacation4   
,rollo's ,experiments4      ,rollo's    
,museum4      ,rollo's ,travels4        
,rollo's ,correspondence4      ,rollo's 
,philosophy--,water4      ,rollo's      

,philosophy--,fire4      ,rollo's       
,philosophy--,air4      ,rollo's        
,philosophy--,sky4   ,this is           
undoubtedly the most popular series of  
juvenile books ever published in        
,america4 ,this edition is far more     
attractive externally than the one by   
which the author first became known4    
,nearly one hundred new engravings1     
clear and fine paper1 a new and         
beautiful cover1 with a neat box to     
contain the whole1 will give to this    
series1 if possible1 a still wider and  
more enduring reputation4  ,the same1   
without illustrations1 fourteen volumes1
 muslin1 #e4be4   ,,excelsior ,,gift    
,,books4  ,six volumes1 large #afmo41   
illustrated4 ,price1 in cloth1 #ge cents
 per volume2 gilt1 #a4jj4               
,christmas ,roses4      ,favorite ,story
 ,book4      ,little ,messenger ,birds4 
,the ,ice ,king4      ,youth's ,diadem4 
,juvenile ,keepsake4   ,a beautiful     
series of books1 and universally        
popular4   ,,vacation ,,story ,,books4  

,six volumes1 with fine wood engravings4
 ,price1 in cloth1 #ej cents per volume2
 gilt1 #ge cents4        ,estelle's     
,stories about ,dogs4      ,the         
,cheerful ,heart4      ,little          
,blossom's ,reward4      ,holidays at   
,chestnut ,hill4      ,country ,life4   
,the ,angel ,children4   ,a series of   
stories that will give unfailing        
entertainment and instruction4          
,,juvenile ,,story ,,books4  ,seven     
volumes1 illustrated4 ,price1 in cloth1 
#cg #a-b cents per volume3 gilt1 #ej    
cents4        ,aunt ,mary's ,stories4   
,gift ,story ,book4      ,good ,child's 
,fairy ,gift4      ,frank and ,fanny4   
,country ,scenes and ,characters4       
,peep at the ,animals4      ,peep at the
 ,birds4   ,,little ,,mary2 or1 ,talks  
and ,tales for ,children4 ,by ,h4       
,,trusta4 ,beautifully printed and      
finely illustrated4 #afmo4 ,price1      
muslin1 #fj cents2 muslin1 full gilt1   
#hh cents4  ,,uncle ,,frank',s ,,boys'  
,,and ,,girls' ,,library4 ,a beautiful  

series1 comprising six volumes1 square  
#afmo41 with eight tinted ,engravings in
 each volume4 ,the following are their  
titles respectively2        ,i4 ,the    
,pedler's ,boy2 or1 ,i'll be ,somebody4 
,,ii4 ,the ,diving ,bell2 or1 ,pearls to
 be sought for4      ,,iii4 ,the ,poor  
,organ ,grinder2 and other ,stories4    
,,iv4 ,loss and ,gain2 or1 ,susy ,lee's 
,motto4      ,v4 ,mike ,marble2 his     
,crotchets and ,oddities4      ,,vi4    
,the ,wonderful ,letter ,bag of ,kit    
,curious4   ,by ,,francis ,c4           
,,woodworth4 ,price1 bound in muslin1   
#ej cents per volume2 muslin1 gilt1 #ge 
cents per volume4  ,catalogues of the   
publications ,p4 ,s4  ,co4 sent1 post   
paid1 upon application4   ,,published   
,,by ,,phillips1 ,,sampson  ,,co41      
,boston1 ,and for sale by all           
,booksellers in the ,united ,states4