342 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



istry. This would make fifty lectures for the five clubs. De- 

 livered one per week to each society, ten weeks would be 

 required to complete a course. Now then, suppose these societies 

 unite in the measure as they easily might, at what price could 

 we expect to get a competent lecturer ? Why, if a lecturer 

 would have constant employment for ten Aveeks and should 

 receive only ten dollars per lecture, he would get $500 for one- 

 fifth of a year's work. This would seem to be a pretty good 

 compensation, and yet the price of the lectures would be very 

 low. Does any one doubt that lectures might be obtained on 

 such terms, especially when he takes into consideration the fact 

 that the persons called upon to give these lectures would be 

 either those devoting themselves to popular lecturing, or pro- 

 fessors in colleges who might perform such services without 

 interfering with their peculiar official dutres ? A single lecture, 

 or a single course for a single society, would not pay ; but by 

 the union of associations the matter assumes a very different 

 and most satisfactory aspect. 



Besides, why should not the State afford its aid to these asso- 

 ciations as well as to larger agricultural societies ? Why not 

 upon the same principle that it assists the common schools and 

 normal institutes ? Why not extend to the farmers as much 

 aid as it gives to its military, and expend $80,000 per annum, 

 if need be, in teaching men to farm, as well as to fight ? Why 

 not appropriate to each of these clubs a sum corresponding 

 in a certain ratio to the amount raised by itself? This would 

 only be carrying out a principle already recognized by the State. 



Again, it may be said that there are not enough persons qual- 

 ified to give these lectures, if there were such a call for them 

 as our plan supposes. 



To this we answer, the supply would increase as rapidly as 

 the demand. This is not only according to the well-established 

 laws of economical science, but to all experience in analogous 

 cases. 



In 1828 there was but one lyceum in existence in Massachu- 

 setts, and not half a dozen in the world. At that time it was 

 with great difficulty that lecturers could be obtained for a single 

 course. But these institutions multiplied rapidly, until they 

 spread over all the land, and lecturers multiplied at an equal rate, 

 so that the more lyceums, the more easily were they managed, 



