330 ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



To qualify our young men and women for the industrious pursuits, 

 it requires a very different education, and habits of life — different habits of 

 life ; yes, eveti whilst at Colleges, while at home, while anyzvhere. 



It may be said that when a student takes his books for study, he 

 should make that his business, his occupation, his chief aim and object. 

 This may be true in some sense, but life is one object greater than edu- 

 cation ; health is another. Another object is to seek that education 

 which teaches, and most thoroughly impresses upon our young folks, 

 economy of time and industry ; to daily do some useful work. We would 

 almost despise a person who would daily take a few paper dimes and con- 

 sign them to the fire. There might be some amusement in it, and no 

 more expensive than many other amusements. I look upon this exercise 

 for health, in many cases, in the same way ; but still the student must 

 have amusement and recreation. Whilst study is the chief object, he must 

 not study too many hours. Eight hours for study, eight for sleep, three 

 for labor, three for recreation, two for miscellaneous, or near that division, 

 is far better than no labor at all. 



I would make labor obligatory in an Agricultural College, as per- 

 emptorily as I would study, for many reasons : (i) Health, (2) correct 

 education, with a moral principle of doing good, (3) economy, (4) in- 

 struction in the work, (5) that we may have educated men for law makers, 

 judges. National and State officers, who are not simply proxy representa- 

 tives of the laboring classes, but they should positively be of us, that we 

 may actually be present and attend to our own business in the Govern- 

 ment. No wonder that we complain that our laws do not suit us ! We 

 have not made them ; we have not been educated up to making laws, but 

 we are rapidly taking lessons on laws in these later days. The lazy have 

 generally been our law makers, and they were personally interested in 

 making laws for the support and maintenance of the drones. I know of 

 no better way of qualifying our young men for the great reform in law- 

 making, which the industrial classes are now demanding, than education 

 in industry — and an industrious education — both by the same head and 

 hands. It is far easier to educate our boys and girls to idleness than it is 

 to do work ; to do useless things than it is to do useful things. Some 

 intend to go through this world without labor ; many are willing to labor 

 for a living, and many make money by laboring and superintending 

 labor. We have many schools where they do not labor, nor teach labor. 

 Let us have one, at least, in each State, where they do. I have hoped 

 that the public would generally be convinced that the principles upon 

 which these institutions are founded are right, and that they would suc- 

 ceed until every county in the land would have a high school on a farm. 

 Such is the case in some of the countries in Europe. 



No doubt one cause of the failure of Agricultural Colleges has been 

 the want of experienced men for presidents and professors to manage and 

 teach in these institutions. A better day is coming ; for young men and 

 women are now annually graduating in these institutions, some of whom, 

 of course, will be better qualified for this duty than those with less experi- 

 ence. 



