MEMORIAL TO THE ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE. 513 



Turner was appointed Principal Director of the League, and 

 John Grage, Bronson Murray, Dr. L. S. Pennington, J. T. 

 Little, and Wm. A. Eennel, Associate Directors. The Con 

 vention was harmonious throughout, the members having 

 wisely decided to exclude those professional educators who 

 had no practical knowledge of the wants of the industrial 

 classes. 



The most noteworthy action of this Convention, however, 

 was the passage of a resolution to memorialize Congress for 

 the purpose of obtaining a grant of public lands to establish 

 and endow Industrial Colleges in each and every State of 

 the Union. Thus was finally brought forth a definite plan 

 of action, which immediately took firm hold of many leading 

 minds throughout the country, consolidating, in valuable 

 degree, persistent and unselfish efforts which had previously 

 been more or less scattered. 



A fourth Convention was held at Springfield, 111., on the 

 4th of January, 1853, at which the duties of the members 

 and terms of office of officers of the League were fixed. 

 Nevertheless, the important business of this Convention was 

 the preparation of a memorial, this time to the Legislature, 

 setting forth, in the strongest light, facts, figures, and argu 

 ments, to show the great need of a thorough and systematic 

 education of the masses to the industries they would follow 

 in after life. The following extracts from this memorial 

 will show the animus and tenor of the work : 



MEMORIAL TO THE ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE. 



We need the same thorough and practical application of 

 knowledge to our pursuits that the learned professions en 

 joy in theirs, through their universities, and their literature, 

 schools, and libraries, that have grown out of them. For, 

 even though knowledge may exist, it is perfectly powerless 

 22* 



