May, 1842. 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR 



67 



last, funds not le«s than Com thousand dollars in 

 amount with nliicli to oicct u suilahle school- 

 liouse and siirli other liuildiM^s as may he ncces- 

 wn-y, and to |inivl]asc a|i|.aiatu.s, lihrary, slocU, 

 tools, &,c., shall be raised so as to afibrd a rea- 

 soiiahle prospect that the said school can go into 

 operation vvitli a good de!;r(!e of success; and 

 also that said Association shall take measures to 

 obtain, ami shnll obtain at the next session of the 

 Legislature of New Hampshire, an act of incnr- 

 poralion empowering it to hold real and personal 

 estate, and to manage it, and ihe concerns ol' the 

 scliooi; and also that the said act shall pro\ide 

 for the choice by the association of seven trus- 

 tees, four of whom to coiistitute a quorum, one 

 always when cliosen to be a resident of said Jaf- 

 frey and the others of as many difterent towns in 

 the county of Cheshire ; the first chosen to 

 Ijold his office for seven years, the second six 

 years, and each subsequently chosen one year 

 less, so that the time of one shall expire every 

 year, and all subsequent elections, except to liil 

 vacancies which njay occur otherwise than by ex- 

 ]>iration of the term, shall be made for seven 

 years and also provided that any trustee may be 

 removeil by vote of two-thirds of those present 

 at any annual meeling. _ 



And I »ish it lo be furl her remembered and 

 fully undcrslood that if said Association shall fiul 

 to erect the abovi^ buildings, &c., and to com- 

 mence said school for two years liom tlie iirst 

 day of Decendier instant, or if, alter the com 

 mencenient thereof, the said school shall wholly 

 cease more than lour months in any one year, or 

 more than ifme months in any period of three 

 consecutive years, or if ihe avails of said farm 

 shall be fiadnlently perverted lo any other pur- 

 poses than those intended by the donor, as here- 

 in before stated, then, in either of the above ca- 

 ses, the said tiirm shall revert to me, or my heirs, 

 us the case may be. 



And, iji case the provisions first above specified 

 are complied with, I hereby pronfise and bind 

 myself to make a good and valid conveyance to 

 said Association of the premises aforesaid, ujion 

 the terms and condition last above stated. 



In testimony whereof, I have hereimto set my 

 hand, this eighth day of December, A. D. 1841." 

 JOHN CONANT." 



In presence of 

 Levi VV. Leonarp, 

 Elizabeth M. Leo.nard. 



Such is the offer, and verba! assurances were 

 re|)eatedly given to the coiumittee that if any of 

 the conditions were objectionable they would be 

 modified, so far as could be consistently done, to 

 meet the wishes of the public. 



On the eighth of Decemlier the connnittee ad- 

 journed 10 meet again at Keeue on Tuesday the 

 twenty-fiist of December. At this meeting the 

 cojnnfittee, alter deliberation, caujc to the con- 

 clusion that it will be necessary, in order fully to 

 carry out the design of the donor, to raise funds 

 to the amount of t()m- thousand dollars ; and, al- 

 so, that it is expedient for the associ.ilion to ac- 

 ce|>t the donation upon the terms specified, firo- 

 vided any means can be devised to raise the 

 funds ni-'cess.-iry lo comply with tiie conditions. 



Of the utility of snch an institution, establish- 

 ed on the right principles and those principles 

 fiilly carried into effect, the committee do not en- 

 tertain a doubt. " J know of no pursuit,^' enys 

 Washington, " m wfti'c/i more real and important 

 services can be rendertd to ani/ couTilri/ than hij im- 

 proving its agriculture," And how is ibis to he 

 done ? Various causes may contribiue to its im- 

 provement, but what one so efficient as training 

 the youth thoroughly in both the science and the 

 art of agriculture.' One of the greatest defects 

 in our farming operations is the want of scientific 

 knowledge on the subject, not tuerely in the ab- 

 stract, but of causes and their effects and of the 

 laws of nature which constitute natural science. 

 Says Judge Story, " such is the quickening power 

 of science that it is scarcely possible that its sim- 

 plest germ should be planted in the human nfind 

 without expanding into a healthy growth. It 

 generates, as it moves on, new thoughts and new 

 inquiries, and is forever gathering; without ex- 

 haustion and -vvilliOMt satiety. The cnrioi-ity 

 which is (Uice awakened by it, never sleeps — the 

 genius which is once kindled at iisiiltar burns on 

 • with an miexiingnishable flame." 



How little <lo farmers generally know of the 

 peculiar charactyristics of the soil they cultivate— 



of the partictdar quality of the several manures 

 they apply — and what kind, qiiaiuily and applica- 

 tion of manure will he.st lit a given soil lor a giv- 

 en crop? Again, liow Imiited is their kiu)wledge 

 of Geology, Alineralogy and Botany .' Vet these 

 are intimately coimecled with Agriculture. And 

 still less perl]a|is do they know of those insect 

 enemies whieli freipienily render abortive the 

 entire labors of a seasoii — a knowledge of their 



discovery of soirie mi;aus of preventing their 

 ravages. That in all these instances, and many 

 others that might be named, knowledge — ur.cur- 

 ate, scientific knotcleilgc m)u\(\ have a iluect ten- 

 dency to improvement, cannot for a moment be 

 doubted. The least reflection satisfies us of the 

 truth of the proposition. And no^ the qjestion 

 arises, how shall this knowledge, so essential to 

 improvement, be diffused among our fiuiners ? — 

 In the eloquent words of another ;" By ihe es- 

 tablishment of liberally endowed scltools in 

 which the sons of tarmers can be educated in a 

 manner suitable to their future occupation. It 

 was wisely said by an ancient Greek philosopher 

 that boys should be first taught vi'hat they intend 

 to practise when they become men. So the sons 

 of tiirmers should be sent to a school where Ag- 

 riculture is taught as a science, and where the 

 advancement and perfection of that science is 

 the primary object, and where a practical appli- 

 cation of all the sciences shall be made to the 

 useful purposes of life — where the mind shall 



properties, a' (I the treasuries of the earth shall 

 he developed lo the yotithliil mind in such a man- 

 ner, thtit it shall iM>t forever thereafter be lost, bill 

 shall be carried with him into the world, into Ihe 

 field, and the work-shop; sheihling its light and 

 diffusing its blessing upon all within the reach of 

 its influence." 



Is it objected to the establishment of such a 

 school that we have already an abundance of 

 academies and colleges where all that desire it 

 can obtain an education ? If we adntit this to its 

 full extenl does it fiunish any argument against a 

 school of ihe character now proposed to be insti- 

 tuteil.' These literary institutions are useful in 

 iheir sphere, but this is designed to occupy a 

 difterent sphere, and therefore it crosses not their 

 track. They are designed and calculated to pre- 

 pare young men for the learned professions — to 

 make eminent lawyers, skilfiil physicians and 

 learned clergymen. This is their object, and, in 

 some good degree, this object is attained ; but it 

 is certaitdy no prominent part of their iilau lo 

 unlock the vast stores oi Agricultural knowledge, 

 and distribute them broadcast over the whole 

 stirliice of the coiujunnity. The agricultural 

 class, as aoricnltiu-alists, derive little benefit from 

 them ; but on the contrary, their influence is lo 

 draw most of the young men of superior talents 

 from agricidtiiral and mechanical pursuits to 

 crowd the professions. This is no fault of theirs, 



feet, in some deiirec, if aurieiihural schools were 

 established. A lar^e proportion of the scholars 

 of this school would be likely lo he those who, 

 ishment, would not no beyond 

 rimary schools and perhaps a 

 idemy. It will be seen, there- 

 hools', and academies, and col- 

 workers in the same ureat field. 

 lit will be, that the field will be 

 -that a larger proportion of the 

 community will come (iirward lo receive at their 

 haufis an education adapted to their respective 

 pursifits in after life ; and consequently, fitted for 

 a higher degree of usefulness in their day and 

 generation. 



Is it not then apijarent, from this view of the 

 subject, Ihat a school, iiislead of trespassing up- 

 on ground sacred to other seminaries of learn- 

 ing, will but carry out the republican and philan- 

 thropic maxim, -Ho do the greatest good to ihe 

 greatest number ?" 



In another point of view it is thought that such 

 a school may exert a salutary influence. Man 

 natmally loves ease. Thousands ;ire toiling now 

 with the hope of acquiriuu a coiupetencywhich 

 shall cxoneiale them from the burden of labor. 

 "Six days shalt thou labor," is lo them the most 

 oppressive conmiaiMl of the Decalogue. This 

 natural propensity has been ministered to by the 

 feelings, habits, tastes and eduraiimi prevalent in 

 the coiTimunity. If men are freed by their cir- 



cumstances from the necessity ol laboring for a 

 sub.-istence, they are thought to have escaped a 

 great evil, if not, they submit lo it as a matter of 

 necessity him) not as a duty. They toil because 

 they must—tmt because it is best for them, [)liys- 

 ically, intellectually and morally — or as a means 

 of gain, and not as coutriliiitiug to their own en- 

 joyment. If the conuiion higher seminaries have 

 had any influence either w.iy, in this respect, it 

 must be adnntted tiiat they have rather fostered, 

 than otherwise, this distaste lor manual labor.— 

 The school in cpiestion, by acensioiiung its stu- 

 dents to daily lal)or and by fiirnishing "them, at 

 ihe same lime, with new subjects of interest and 

 curiosity for reflection, will, it is thought, do some- 

 thing lo remove this veil of prejudice from their 

 eyes and enable them to see clearly that, inde- 

 pendently of the gains and the necessity of la- 

 bor, it is its own great reward, lo those who use 

 it in a proper manner, carrying health and vigor, 

 both of body and mind, in its train. And fur- 

 thermore, the habit thus acquired of combining 

 intellectual with manual labor and of drawing 

 instruction form the common objects and appear- 

 ances around them, will, unquestionably, be of 

 great ulility when tliey shall go liirlh to the high- 

 er duties and extended sphere of observation al- 

 lotted to them in after life. 



Could such s(diools be generally established 

 through the country, say one in each county, iheir 

 political importance should not be lightly estima- 

 ted. From their superior numbers, the fiiriners 

 of the ccumtry deciile '' for weal or wo." not only 

 the ele<-tions,"but all the great questions which it 

 is Iheduty and the privilege of a free people to 

 act upon. How important that they should be 

 <iualified to discharge properly the diilies devolv- 

 ing upon them without depending ujion design, 

 ing <lctiiagogiics lo give the cue before they can 

 form their own opinions. How necessary to the 

 stability and well being of our republican insti- 

 tutions" that, among so numerous and i\:i<ii'u\ a 

 class of citizens as the farmers of our land, the 

 standard of education and knowledge should be 

 elevated ; and, though we could not reasonably 

 expect to exercise a very extensive influence by 

 the establishment of a single school, yet it should 

 be borne in mind that "thi.s, if successfiil, may 

 lead to Ihe institution of others of a similar char- 

 acter ami thus the whole community may even- 

 tually be reached "as the small |.ebble stirs the 

 peaceful lake." 



Another advantage to be derived from such a 

 school is, its beneficial effect upon the health of 

 the scholars. Observation forces upon us the 

 painful conviction that the instances are rare in 

 which a thorough intellectual education is ac- 

 quired without some injury to the corporeal en- 

 ergies of the system. " A sound mind in a sound 

 body" i.«, alas ! much oftener a fi'ime of rhetoric 

 than a reality to be witnes-scd. To what causes 

 is this to beatlributed? Can it be traced to any 

 other cause than an overtasking of the mental 

 powers while those of the body remain almost 

 wholly inactive .' A youiig man, l()r instance, of 



free exercise in llie< open air, determines lo leave 

 the paternal roof and acquires a liberal educa- 

 tion. He leelsthe im|iorlanee ol' lhe_ measure as 

 connected with his welfare through life. Through 

 the long vista of his coming years he sees honors 

 to be won — riches fo be acquired — distinctions 

 to be attained — duties to be performed — influen- 

 ces to be exerted, and good to be accomplished, 

 all, as the result of efforrs, to be made in a few 

 short years of preparation. Fired with ardor in 

 the pr"os|)cct, be delerinines to make the most of 

 lijj tiute to cast in the preparatory seed liberal- 

 ly that the future harvest may yield its increase 

 in corresponding plenteousness — and he applies 

 himself to his task with an energy and persever- 

 ance which overcome all obstacles and surmount 

 all difliculliesthat lie in his way ; but the change 

 of habits is too great for ifis ronsliiution— his ex- 

 ercise in the open air is exchanged for sedentary 

 habits ill the house— his bodily labor for mental 

 effort— his lirain is excited— his digestive powers 

 impaired, and his vigorous and athletic frame be- 

 comes emaciated and puny— liis strength fails, 

 and he is reduced to the alternative of giving "P 

 his studies or of losing his heahh forever. This 

 is no limey sketch : we see the sid reality every 

 year in our midst: niid what remedy so apiiro- 

 priate as to alternate labor with study— to culti- 

 vate, simultaneously, the iHKlily and mental pow- 



