No. 216.] 509 



promotion of agriculture, commerce, manufactures and the arts. For 

 twenty years have the members labored in the glorious arena, mark- 

 ed out by the founders; and they have their reward, not in dollars, 

 not in costly equipages, not in stately mansions; their reward is high- 

 er, purer, and more durable — the improvement of machinery — the 

 encouragement of commerce — the perfecting of rural economies — -the 

 rewarding of inventors and artists, and the advancement of national 

 wealth, intelligence and comfort. In eight years, the Institute expend- 

 ed 86,822 dollars for these purposes. In eleven years it awarded 323 

 gold medals, 446 silver cups, 1,841 silver medals, 5,524 diplomas, 

 and 1,1 86 books. In the comparatively short period of twenty years, 

 it has secured the confidence of the farmers, mechanics, merchants, art- 

 ists, scholars and statesmen of the country; and established corres- 

 pondences with the first scientific associations of the old world. But 

 if all eulogists were silent — if the American Institute had not a 

 friend in the whole country to stand up and declare its merits — if 

 the able Tallmadge and his compeers found not a tongue to speak, or 

 a pen to record their exertions in behalf of American progress, they 

 might calmly point to the Annual Fairs, and feel that they and the 

 Institute could do without the tongue and the pen, the friend and 

 the eulogist. And should the members close its doors for ever, there 

 is not an American flag that shakes down its brightness on the waters, 

 nor an American sail that woos the wind, nor an American machine 

 whose subtle spirit masters the brute forces of matter, but would 

 record the deeds of the American Institute. 



I am sure that no one will be astonished to hear that objections 

 have been brought against the Agricultural School and Farm; what 

 project could be proposed, no matter how sound in its theory, or 

 beneficent in its practice, against which objections could not arise? 

 Our present federal government was denounced; Newton's theory of 

 gravitation was labelled " insanity;" Normal teaching fougb.t for 

 many years an unequal battle; steam navigation was ridiculed, and 

 geology was boldly handed over to the devil. No matter. The 

 friends of all these " improvements " had to answer the opponents; 

 and we are not exempt from that law of progress which demands 

 debate. The objections against the Agricultural School and its farm, 

 have been created in a legislative report of May 5th, 1847. Let us 

 examine that report. In the first paragraph, objection is made 

 to the vicinity of New-York as a location, " for the reason that 

 the %rmers of the country would not like to send their sons there 

 to be educated, for fear they would imbibe the manners, customs 

 habits and extravagances which usually prevail at or near a large 



