MEMORIAL TO THE ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE. 515 



teachers, and libraries, combine and concentrate the prac 

 tical experience of ages into each man s life. We need the 

 same. 



&quot; We seek no novelties. We desire no new principles. 

 We only wish to apply to the great interest of the com 

 mon school and the industrial classes precisely the same 

 principles of mental discipline and thorough scientific, prac 

 tical instruction, in their pursuits and interests, which are 

 now applied to the professional and military classes. . . . 



&quot; We would, therefore, respectfully petition the honorable 

 Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Illi 

 nois, that they present a united memorial to the Congress 

 now assembled at Washington, to appropriate to each State 

 in the Union an amount of public lands, not less in value 

 than five hundred thousand dollars, for the liberal endow 

 ment of a system of Industrial Universities, one in each 

 State in the Union, to co-operate with each other, and 

 with the Smithsonian Institute at Washington ; for the more 

 liberal and practical education of our industrial classes, and 

 their teachers, in their various pursuits ; for the production 

 of knowledge and literature needful in those pursuits, and 

 developing, to the fullest and most perfect extent, the 

 resources of our soil, and our arts, the virtue and intelli 

 gence of our people, and the true glory of our common 

 country.&quot; 



They further petitioned that the Executive and Legisla 

 tures of all other States be invited to co-operate in the 

 enterprise, and that a copy of the memorial be forwarded 

 by the governor of Illinois to the governors and senators 

 of the several States. 



A similar memorial, but addressed directly to Congress, 

 had been presented to the Convention by the Committee, of 

 which Governor French was the Chairman, which was 

 accepted, and forwarded to Washington. 



The merits of the plan suggested by the Convention were 

 fully and widely discussed by the State Legislature, then in 



