166 
THE CULTIVA10R. 
bestow careful investigation and reflection. The great 
elements of physical nature, earth, air, heat and water, 
the very instruments by which we live, move, and have 
our being—how seldom do even these excite more than 
a passing notice. We till the soil, indeed, for it is the 
fertile parent of our daily bread; yet we rarely look be¬ 
yond the surface to unfold the mysteries that lie beneath. 
The air is inhaled at every breath, yet we care not 
whither it cometh, or whither it goeth. The principle 
of heat is the supporter of animal and vegetable life 
throughout the universe; yet, though it greets us each 
morning with the rising sun, and calls upon us from 
every shining hill-top for admiration, how rarely do we 
think of it but as a mere matter of course. And water 
—how wonderful, how beautiful, how useful, how sel¬ 
dom do we regard it but as the vulgar instrument of 
daily comfort or daily necessity! 
“All this is susceptible of easy explanation. Fami¬ 
liarity breeds contempt in more ways than one. What¬ 
ever is new and rare excites curiosity and invites at¬ 
tention ; while, on the other hand, commonness begets 
indifference. We are apt to imagine that whatever is 
familiar is thoroughly understood; while things which 
are new are fancied to possess properties which do not 
appear upon the surface. A drop of water is not less 
beautiful or less wonderful than a diamond, yet who 
stops to ponder over the one, or fails to pause and gaze 
with admiration on the other? Thus it is that the use¬ 
ful, the beautiful, the truly wonderful, are neglected, 
because they are common, while we eagerly run after 
more glittering toys, because they are rare.”— Fireside 
Education. 
How well do these remarks apply to the very com¬ 
mon business of agriculture ! It is too common a 
concern to arrest the attention of those who are not 
immediately interested in its labors; and even the 
practical farmer, we are sorry to add, too often pre¬ 
sumes he understands it thoroughly, merely on the 
ground, that he has long been familiar with its details. 
And yet it is the great business of our country—the 
basis of its independence and wealth, ancf the main 
safeguard of its freedom. It is a business susceptible 
of being vastly improved by modern science ; and yet 
we have no public means of extending to it this im¬ 
portant aid. We have schools in abundance—we 
believe we may with propriety say in excess—for it 
is rather by their quality than their number that we 
should judge of their usefulness—to teach the higher 
branches of learning to the few—to the non-produc¬ 
ing classes,—tending to create artificial distinctions, 
where none should obtain but such as are rewards to 
merit—and these schools have been established and 
maintained by a public expenditure of three millions 
of dollars in this state. 
“ The light of heaven is not more the right of all,” 
says a late writer, “ than the light of knowledge ; and a 
scheme to appropriate to a privileged class of persons 
the glorious rays of the sun, while all beside are to be 
wrapped in the chill shadows of night, would not be 
more a conspiracy against the natural rights of man, 
than is any system which would shut out from the view 
of the people at large, the intellectual light implanted 
by education.” 
Now we insist, that with the advantages of learn¬ 
ing that have been extended to the comparatively 
small unproductive classes, coupled with the practical 
instruction which would be obtained in agricultural 
schools, our agriculture would in a few years be made 
to double its products, agricultural labor would be 
more honored and more inviting, and a correspond¬ 
ing improvement would be witnessed in the intellect¬ 
ual and moral condition of society. Although a com¬ 
mon employment, it is an indispensable one; and al¬ 
though mere animal power may perform, it requires 
m ind—science—to direct its operations, with useful¬ 
ness and profit. 
“ Within a few years,” says the author last quoted, 
“ society seems to have received a new impulse, and the 
conviction, that not only the happiness of private life, 
but the security of our institutions, depends upon the 
diffusion of knowledge, seems to pervade all classes. 
A'ay, the opinion has gone abroad, that education is the 
only lever which can lift a community from the degra¬ 
dation to which the tendencies of human nature would 
drag mankind. If you would correct a prevalent vice, 
if you would purify the fountains of society, it is admit¬ 
ted that you must begin with the young. It is difficult 
to change the character of those who have reached ma¬ 
ture age, and become the subject of established habits. 
The oak which has struck its roots deep and strong 
into the soil, and whose branches are hardened by time, 
cannot easily be bent to new forms. It is the sapling 
alone that submits to be trained at the will of the culti¬ 
vator.” 
Wherever science has been applied to agriculture, 
and blended with the labors of the field, it has proved 
of great advantage. To illustrate its utility, Lavoi¬ 
sier, the great French chemist, undertook the ma¬ 
nagement of a farm, and in four years he doubled its 
products, and more than doubled its profits, by the 
aids which science contributed to its culture. Von 
Thaer, who is at the head of the great agricultural 
school of Prussia, has produced, it is believed, still 
more favorable results. The students of the HofF- 
wyl agricultural school of Fellenburghi obtain great 
salaries all over Germany, as managers of farms and 
landed estates. So manifest have become the advan¬ 
tages of science to the improvement of agriculture, 
that schools of practical and scientific instruction 
have been established in the German states, in France, 
Russia and in Ireland. Indeed, small as is the smat¬ 
tering of agricultural science among our farmers, we 
are daily profiting by it; and individual farms and 
districts evince a superiority of culture, in proportion 
as its principles are recognized and judiciously ap¬ 
plied. 
Our third proposition is, that theory and practice — 
science and art—when acting in concert, reciprocally 
aid and improve each other. 
“ It was not until some fortunate discoveries in the 
arts had led to opulence,” says Judge Story, “that sci¬ 
entific men began to surrender their pride, and to de¬ 
vote themselves practically to the improvement of the 
arts. The first great step in modern science was to en¬ 
ter the work-shop, and superintend its operations, and 
analyze and explain its principles, and the benefits de¬ 
rived from this connexion have already been incalcula¬ 
ble both to art and science. Each has been astonish¬ 
ingly improved by the other; and a hint derived from 
one has often led to a train of inventions and disco¬ 
veries, the future results of which are beyond all human 
power to measure. Thus, dignity and importance have 
been added to both. The manufacturer, the machinist, 
the engineer, the chemist, who is eminent in his art, 
may now place himself by the side of the scholar, the 
mathematician and the philosopher, and find no churl¬ 
ish claim for precedency put in. His rank in society, 
with reference either to the value of the products of his 
skill, or the depth of his genius, sinks him not behind 
the foremost of those, who strive for the first literary 
distinction. This fortunate change in the public opi¬ 
nion, which has made it not only profitable, but honora¬ 
ble, to pursue the mechanical arts, is already working 
deeply into all the elements of modern society.” 
“It may now be said with truth, that, in a general 
view, science precedes art; that is, the improvements 
which are made in art, arise more often from an exact 
investigation of principles, than from bare experiments 
and accidental combinations. Principles suggest the 
experiment, rather than experiment the principles. In 
the most important branches of manufactures, where 
skill is constantly in demand, and economy in operation 
is so indispensable, and competition is universal, there 
is now a perpetual tasking of the wit of man to invent 
some cheaper, thriftier, or neater combination. Some¬ 
thing to increase the velocity, and uniformity of motion, 
the delicacy and certainty of spinning, the beauty or 
fineness of fabrics, the simplicity or directness in appli¬ 
cation of power, or something to ascertain or separate 
the worthless from the valuable in materials, is the am¬ 
bition of a thousand minds at the same instant; and the 
project holds out ample rewards to the fortunate disco¬ 
verer.” 
“It is so obvious that he who is engaged in the prac¬ 
tice of an art, must, with equal advantages, be far better 
qualified to improve and perfect its operation, than he 
who merely theorizes without any knowledge of prac¬ 
tical difficulties, that it is matter of surprise, that it 
should have been so long overlooked.” 
“ I might remark, that genius and talent are limited 
to no rank or condition of life. They have been distri¬ 
buted by the bounty of Providence, with an equal hand, 
through every class of society. They are among those 
gifts, which poverty cannot destroy, or wealth confer; 
which spring up in the midst of discouragements and 
difficulties, and, like the power of steam, acquire new 
elasticity by pressure; which ripen in the silence of so¬ 
litude, as well as in the crowded walks of society; which 
the cottage may nourish into a more healthy strength, 
than even the palace or the throne. The most formida¬ 
ble enemy to genius is not labor, but indolence; want 
of interest and excitement; want of motive to warm, 
and of object to accomplish ; ignorance of means leading 
to indifference of ends. Hence it is, that the very high¬ 
est and very lowest orders of society, often present the 
same phenomena—a fixed and languishing disease of 
the intellectual powers, where curiosity wastes itself 
in trifles, and a cold listlessness, brooding over the 
thoughts, lets fall a preternatural stupor. Their mis¬ 
fortune is that so beautifully touched by the poet— 
“ But knowledge to their eyes her ample page, 
“ Rich with the spoils of time, did ne’er unroll,” 
“ I might remark, in the next place, that the rewards 
of science are most ample, whether they be viewed in 
reference to personal enjoyment, to rank in society, or to 
substantial wealth.” 
“It is from considerations of this nature;—that what 
has been, must continue to be; that art is never perfect, 
and nature inexhaustible; that science, while it is the 
master of art, is itself ultimately dependent upon it; 
that the intellectual power grows up in all stations, and 
in all soils; that, all other circumstances equal, he who 
knows and practises, must forever take the lead of him 
who merely knows, and has none of the skill to apply 
power, or the practical sagacity to overcome difficul¬ 
ties; that he, whose interests are indissolubly connect¬ 
ed with his science, and who feels at every turn the ani¬ 
mating impulse of reward, as well as the pleasure of 
speculation, and the desire of fame, has more enduring 
and instant motives for exertion, than he who merely 
indulges his leisure, or his curiosity;—it is, I say, from 
these considerations, that when the artizan and the me¬ 
chanic [and the farmer] shall have become instructed 
in science, the inventions of this class will have become 
more numerous, more useful, more profitable, than those 
of any other class, and even perhaps of all other classes 
of society. 
“ What an animating prospect does this afford! What 
noble ends to poor, neglected suffering genius ! What 
constant comfort to cheer the hard hours of labor, and 
the heavier hours of despondency! Much less of suc¬ 
cess in life is really dependent upon accident, or what 
is called luck, than is commonly supposed. Far more 
depends upon the objects which a man proposes to 
himself; what attainments he aspires to; what is 
the circle which bounds his visions and his thoughts; 
what he chooses, not to be educated for, but to educate 
himself for; whether he looks to the end and aim of the 
whole life, or only to the present day or hour; whether 
he listens to the voice of indolence or vulgar pleasure, 
or to the stirring voice of his own soul, urging his ambi¬ 
tion on to the highest objects. If his views are low and 
grovelling ; if the work-shop [or farm], in its cold rou¬ 
tine of duties, bounds all his wishes and his hopes, his 
destiny is already fixed; and the history of his whole 
life may be read, though the blush of youth still linger 
in his cheeks. It is not a tale merely twice told; it has 
been told for millions. If, on the other hand, he aspires 
to be a man, in dignity, independence, spirit and cha¬ 
racter, and to give his talents their full scope and vigor; 
if, to a steady elevation to the practice of his art, he 
adds a scientific study of its processes and" principles, 
his success is as sure as any thing on this side of the 
grave can be.”* 
“ The distinct purpose [of the Boston Mechanic 
Association] is,” says Mr. Webster, “ to connect sci¬ 
ence, more and more, with art; to teach the esta¬ 
blished, and invent new, modes of combining skill 
with strength; to bring the power of the human un¬ 
derstanding in aid of the physical power of the hu¬ 
man frame; to facilitate the co-operation of the mind 
with the hand; to augment convenience, lighten labor 
and mitigate toil, by stretching the dominion of mind, 
farther and farther, over the elements of nature, and 
by making those elements, themselves, submit to hu¬ 
man rule, follow human bidding, and work together 
for human happiness.”! 
We have endeavored to show, that science is es¬ 
sential to the successful prosecution of the arts, in or¬ 
der to sustain our rank in the rivalship of nations, to 
maintain our commercial advantages, and to ensure 
our progress in enterprise, wealth and the other ele¬ 
ments of national prosperity;—that science is particu¬ 
larly necessary to our improvement in agriculture, 
the great business of our country, the stay of its 
commerce, the principal source of its wealth, the 
bond of its union, and the security of its freedom; 
and that science and art—theory and practice—when 
combined, reciprocally aid and improve each other. 
This brings us to our fourth and last proposition, viz. 
That the best way to promote useful improvement in 
science and art—the great instruments of wealth and 
power,—is to teach both, simultaneously, to those who 
are destined to manage the productive labors of our coun¬ 
try. 
We shall confine our remarks, on this branch of 
the subject, to the arts of agriculture and agricultural 
mechanics. 
That a knowledge of the leading principles of natu¬ 
ral science, is essential to agriculture, in its most im¬ 
proved and profitable management, is evidenced in 
the established utility of schools of scientific and 
practical instruction, in European countries, and in 
their continual multiplication; and in the improve¬ 
ments which science has effected in our own agricul¬ 
ture, wherever its principles have been coupled with 
intelligent practice. This fact being conceded, the 
question presents, how are our young farmers to ac¬ 
quire the requisite knowledge 1 our common schools 
do not teach it; nor does the farm afford the requi¬ 
site means of instruction. And as for our colleges 
and academies— 
“ Generally speaking,” says Gov. Everett, “ even now, 
all actual instruction in the principles of natural science 
is confined to the colleges; and the colleges are, for the 
most part, frequented only by those intended for profes¬ 
sional life; but it does not seem a proper arrangement, 
that none but those intended for the pulpit, the bar, or 
the profession of medicine, should receive instruction in 
those principles, which regulate the operation of mecha¬ 
nical powers, and lie at the foundation of complicated 
machinery; which relate to the navigation of the seas, 
the smelting and refining of metals, the composition 
and improvement of soils, the reduction to a uniform 
whiteness of the vegetable fibre, the mixture and appli¬ 
cation of colours, the motion and pressure of fluids in 
large masses, the nature of light and heat, the laws of 
magnetism, electricity and galvanism. It would seem 
that this kind of knowledge was more immediately re¬ 
quisite for those who are to construct and make use of 
labor saving machinery, who are to navigate the ocean, 
to lay out and direct the excavation of canals, to build 
steam engines and hydraulic presses, and to conduct 
large agricultural and manufacturing establishments. 
Hitherto, with some partial exceptions, little has been 
done to afford to those engaged in these pursuits that 
* Discourse before the Boston Mechanic Institution. 
t Introductory lecture, before the Boston Mechanic Institu¬ 
tion, by Hon. Daniel Webster. 
