38 QUARTERLYJOURNAL. 



mind step to step, advancing upward, as the intellect acquires 

 power by previous exercises. If these are not the main objects of 

 study in early life, we know not what the objects are. 



If, then, we are right in this position, what follows when we in- 

 quire what institutions are required for the education of farmers' 

 sons ? Shall institutions be established which have no regard to 

 the development of the mental powers — institutions which shall 

 take the narrow view that of simply fitting the sons of farmers 

 how to plough ; to sow and to reap, or carry their acquirements a 

 little farther, how to analyse soils, to distinguish rocks or the dif- 

 ferent objects in nature. This is well and right and important, so 

 far as it goes, but it is essentially defective ; and in order that an 

 institution for farmers' sons should be adequate to meet their wants 

 and necessities, it would still have to embrace in its course of in- 

 struction that which is disciplinary — that which shall develop the 

 intellectual powers. Taking this view of the subject then, we 

 conceive that so far as institutions are concerned enough already 

 exist to meet the wants and necessities of community. This is 

 the view" not only as it regards the attaining the full objects of 

 education, but it is the true one so far as economy is concerned. 

 A new institution must have its full board of instructors, its build- 

 ings, apparatus, and its endowments ; whereas the institutions al- 

 ready established have all these requirements supplied. 



However, that the old and useful institutions may be more use- 

 ful to the agriculturist, let one of their present officers, a profes- 

 sor of chemistry, give a course of lectures on agricultural chemis- 

 try, which shall embrace the modes of analysis of soils and of the 

 organic substances. Or to be still more useful, let the ordinary 

 course be varied somewhat so as to give to a class of pupils who 

 intend to pursue agriculture, personal instruction ; or superintend a 

 particular course of study which is deemed most suitable and best 

 adapted to meet the particular inquiries of the farmer. To be brief, 

 however, on this subject we need only say, that there is no doubt 

 in our minds but the institutions already established are either in 

 their present organization and course of study fitted to supply all 

 the wants of farmers' sons, or they may with trifling alteration in 

 their course of study be adapted to meet them. We intend here 

 however, to speak only of the capabilities of our present institu- 

 tions, not of the course of education which is particularly adapted 



