ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN S ASSOCIATION. IO3 



plow, the anvil, the saw and the loom; a little higher the 

 yard-stick and the ledger ; at the top, the editor's chair, the 

 bar, the pulpit, and the rostrum. This stairway is broad and 

 cheap at the base, but its upper portion is narrow and ex- 

 pensive. It should be made throughout as broad as at the 

 bottom, and should reach to the farthest height to which the 

 would-be farmer, mechanic, and lawyer can, hand in hand, 

 advantageously climb. Let us, as farmers, demand that if 

 Greek and Latin and German and French and algebra and 

 geometry and trigonometry are to be taught in the public 

 schools, and at the public expense, that the '' Elements of 

 Agriculture " shall also be taught ; this latter term to in- 

 clude the chemistry of soils and manures, farm botany, farm 

 entomology, the science of breeding, the philosophy and 

 chemistry of cream raising and of butter and cheese making, 

 the chemistry of food, the history and peculiarities of the 

 various breeds of cattle, hogs, horses, and sheep. More 

 than this : let us demand that for every three dollars 

 expended in the teaching of those studies, the tendency of 

 which is tozvards the professiojis, fifty dollars shall be ex- 

 pended in teaching those subjects, the tendency of which is 

 tozvards the farm. 



This is but fair when we remember that but 3 per cent, 

 of the twelve and one-half millions of earnest workers are 

 professional men, while 50 per cent, are farmers. 



However much we may delight in poetry and music, 

 in painting, sculpture, history and philosophy, in culture, 

 this fact remains : people will not, as a rule, devote years to 

 hard intellectual toil, except they believe that in some way, 

 and at some time, the knowledge thus acquired will become 

 the ^^ basis for action!' 



And, too, to some considerable extent, at least, it must 

 be made the basis of such action as will have a money value. 

 Be it otherwise, and the man will have increased his desires 

 without a corresponding increase in the means of gratifying 

 them. 



Let the education of a young man be chiefly of that 

 practical kind which he can use in his chosen life-work, and 

 you give him the ability to earn more dollars with which he 

 can gratify his love for that higher education, which, 

 although it may have little or no money value, is ijivalnable. 

 Reverse this process : let him become enamored with poetry 

 and philosophy and music, to the neglect of the practical 



