MOOEE’S EUEAI NEW-YOEKEE: AN AGR.ICULTUEAL AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 
(0&utotiDiml Ifpartnifnt. 
BY L. WETHERELL. 
KEVIEW OF MR. GREELEY'S ADDRESS. 
Messrs. Editors: —Permit me through 
the medium of your useful journal to make 
a few remarks on the Address of the Hon. 
H. Greeley, to the citizens of the State, in 
favor of the New School Law of 1849.— 
I will not pretend to follow the learned au¬ 
thor through all his multifarious windings, 
but will .endeavor to notice the most prom¬ 
inent features, with their effects on society. 
He commences by stating that the Legis¬ 
lature submitted said law to the electors of 
the State, for their approval, knowing it to 
be imperfect, and that the people accepted 
of it, conscious of its imperfections. I sin¬ 
cerely hope, for the credit of the Legisla¬ 
ture, and honor of the State, that he is mis¬ 
taken; for it cannot be possible that the 
legislators, who are selected for their wis¬ 
dom and intelligence, from every part of 
the State, together with the assistance of 
the learned School Superintendent, would 
publish to the State, and the world, a law 
of such vital importance as the School Law 
of 1849, knowing it to be wrong. We*do 
not expect perfection in human wisdom, but 
there are few in the world so regardless of 
a good name, as to intentionally exhibit their 
blimders to public view. 
But we have much consolation in know¬ 
ing the fact, that the act was left open to 
amendment, “ by each successive Legisla¬ 
ture”—which is a great consolation, for it 
certainly would have been a most lamenta¬ 
ble case, if this bundle of imperfections had 
been, like the laws of the Meads and Per¬ 
sians, unalterable. But when did the learn¬ 
ed author make the discovery, that the laws 
of the State of New York could be altered 
and amended ? It was certainly very gen¬ 
erous of him to let us know it 
He next gives the Legislature of 1850, a 
whipping for their imbecility in not doing 
their duty to the law. He was right in do¬ 
ing so, for it was certainly a most willful 
neglect of duty. They were not in session 
a month before they had remonstrances and 
memorials from every section of the State, 
complaining of the law and its baneful ef¬ 
fects, and they ought to have repealed it 
immediately. But not so; they knowingly, 
and willfully, continued the bitter strife in 
community, b;^ encouraging the cupidity of 
man to take the earnings of his fellow by a 
majority vote. 
He further states, that the question to be 
decided by next fall’s vote, is simply, wheth¬ 
er the, schools of the State shall be free to 
all, or not. Now sir, how is it possible for 
any one of common sense,’ to decide in fa¬ 
vor of Free Schools, unless they know the- 
principles on which they are to be estab¬ 
lished?—that is,., where the money is to 
come from to defray the expense; for that 
is the important question at issue, and not 
the mere name of free school. There are 
numerous nvays whereby free schools may 
be established. They have been maintain¬ 
ed by a portion of the property that was 
considered as belonging to the church, and 
the expense has been defrayed by volun¬ 
tary donations; or they may be supported 
by a State appropriation from its surplus 
revenue, if it has it—or the expense may 
be paid by a portion of the spoils of a band 
of free-booters, who would palliate to their 
conscience by giving a share of their plun¬ 
der to doing good—or they may be estab¬ 
lished by an arbitrary tax, on a portion of 
community, or on a particular pursuit. Any 
of those ways would establish free schools, 
if it did but supply ample funds to defray 
the expense; and it is to be feared that 
there are those amongst us, who would be 
willing to adopt any gjan, if they could but 
share of the profit. 
Although the author states that the ques¬ 
tion at issue is simply, shall we have free 
schools, yet he as emphatically declares that 
there shall not be any alterations of the vi¬ 
tal principles of the law; and the whole of 
his reasoning distinctly shows that it is for 
the principles of the school law of 1849, that 
he is contending, and it is against those 
principles that we contend. And what are 
those principles ? They are the fundamen¬ 
tal principles of agrarianism, which Mr. 
Greeley labors so strenuously to maintain 
—for he knows that that law violates the 
principle of free government, by abandon¬ 
ing the protection of property to the will of 
the majority, for it authorizes the majority 
in every school district, to take the earnings 
of the minority by force, and apply it to 
their own benefit And in order to effect 
this great object, our Representative Gov¬ 
ernment with all its prudential safe-guards 
against precipitate legislation, must be 
broken down, and a Popular Democracy 
reared triumphantly over its ruins, by that 
bold leap of the Legislature, when it trans¬ 
ferred the law-making power, from itself to 
the people. But lest any one should mis¬ 
take his plan for the melioration of mankind, 
he distinctly states that the inequality of 
property is what prevents the improverrient 
of society; for he says that thousands 
are kept from school, who are entitled to 
the State appropriation, because the finger 
of scorn is pointed at them as district pau¬ 
pers— (which is an unwarranted assump¬ 
tion, for he could not have any general evi¬ 
dence of the fact, and I much doubt wheth¬ 
er he ever was personally known to a single 
instance—but he must exhibit some evi¬ 
dence in favor of his glorious scheme.) 
The inequality of property in civilized 
society keeps thousands from school, and 
without scholastic acquirements, vice and 
crime will destroy society; therefore schools 
must be free, so that the finger of scorn can¬ 
not be pointed at those who are poor. But 
will free schools remedy the evil ? No sir. 
A ragged, or even a well patched coat, is 
much better evidence of poverty than pay¬ 
ing the school bill. But that may be rem¬ 
edied, by having a uniform suit for all who 
attend school, provided the rich can be com¬ 
pelled to wear the poverty badge; but 
would it not yet be known that some were 
poor? 
But by fully carrying out the great 
scheme of improvement, and preventing the 
inequality of property, the evil is effectually 
remedied. Make annually an equal division 
of the fruits of industry—give to the idle an 
equal share of the earnings of his neighbor 
—then the finger of scorn cannot be point¬ 
ed at the poor, and all the difficulties in the 
way of universal education would vanish— 
the opposers of free schools will cease to 
clamor, and the glorious state of society 
which the author so beautifully describes 
would be realized. 
“ There then would be no call for 
Sheriffs, District Attorneys, nor Judges, nor 
Prisons,” for there would not be any to 
be punished. The will of the majority being 
the supreme law, they never would be 
wrong ; and the minority being too weak, 
their resistance would not avail—so that 
things would go well as long as there was 
plenty for the annual division. But aban¬ 
don the right of property to the will of the 
majority, and industry will cease—for who 
would plow and sow, if he could not reap 
in peace ? Who would rear the flocks and 
herds, if they were not to be liis own when 
fit for use ? No one, sir. The busy din 
of productive labor would no longer vibrate 
from the hills, nor the valleys. The sound 
of the loom and the anvil would cease to 
be heard. Our artificial rivers would be¬ 
come stagnated ponds, and the shrill sound 
of the steam-horse would no longer re¬ 
sound over the mountains. Our cultivated 
fields would return to the forests, to be a 
home for the wolf and the savage—the 
plowshare and the pruning hook would be j 
exchanged for the sword and the spear, 
and the victorious chief would be the judge 
and the jury,—and the glory and pride of 
civilized Man sink into oblivion. Such, 
sir, will be the fruits of the principles of 
the School Law.of 1849, if carried fully 
into practice. Truth. 
Monroe County, August, 1850. 
Long and Short Days. —At Berlin and 
London the longest day has sixteen and a 
half hours; at Stockholm, the longest day 
has eighteen and a half hours; at Hamburg, 
the longest day has seventeen hours, and 
the shortest seven; at St Petersburg, the 
longest day has nineteen, and the shortest 
five hours; at Tornea, in Finland, the long¬ 
est day has twenty-one hours and a half, 
and the shortest two hours and a half; at 
Wanderhus, in Norway, the day lasts from 
the 21st of May to the 22d of July, without 
interruption; and at Spitsbergen, the long¬ 
est day is three months and a half. 
Frozen Fish. —It is stated in the last 
number of Silliman's Journal, on the au¬ 
thority of Prof 0. P. Hubbard, that fish 
taken in the cold of winter from ponds or 
small streams, and thrown upon the ice and 
freezing quite hard, have been restored to 
their usual activity when thrown in cool wa¬ 
ter, and permitted to thaw. An account is 
given of the resuscitation of perch after 
having been frozen “stiff as icicles” for 
nearly two hours. 
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF INSTRUCTION. 
Northampton, Mass., Aug. 16, 1850. 
The Institute assembled in the Town- 
Hall, in this place, Tuesday morning, (the 
13 th,) and was called to order by the Presi¬ 
dent. Prayer by the Rev. Mr. Day of the 
Edwards’ Church. Remarks were then 
made by the President with regard to the 
objects of the meeting. He was responded 
to by the Rev. Dr. Allen, in a most happy 
manner. Editois and reporters were then 
invited to take seats at the Secretary’s ta¬ 
ble. Records of the last meeting were read 
—after which, on motion, the President ap¬ 
pointed a committee to nominate officers for 
the ensuing year. The committee consisted 
of W. D. Swan, of Boston; L. Reed, of Rox- 
bury; L. Wetherell, of Rochester, N. Y.; 
A. A. Gamwell, of Providence, R. L, and 
T. Baker, of Gloucester. 
The Institute was then addressed by the 
Hon. Henry Barnard, of Hartford, Conn. 
In this lecture he took a historical view of 
the school-system in New England for the 
last twenty-five»years. 
At 2 o’clock, P. M., the Institute was ad¬ 
dressed by the Rev. J. P. Cowles, Princi¬ 
pal of the Ipswich Female Seminary. His 
lecture was very able. Subject: “The Im¬ 
portance of a Board of Examiners to License 
Teachers.” The morning address, after this 
lecture, was discussed with earnestness un¬ 
til the time of adjournment. The discus¬ 
sion was resumed again in the evening.— 
The hour for lecture having arrived, the In¬ 
stitute was addressed by the Rev. L. Whi¬ 
ting, of Lawrence, on “ The Schoolmaster’s 
Originals.” This lecture showed the pastor 
to be familiar with school matters. 
The Institute assembled this, (Wednes¬ 
day morning,) and, after prayer by the Rev. 
Mr. Ellis, of Northampton, was addressed 
by Mr. Barnum Field, of the Franklin School, 
Boston. Mr. Field is brother to your 
worthy ex-Mayor. His address was histor¬ 
ical, sketching the history of the schoolmas¬ 
ter in Massachusetts for the first hundred 
years after her settlement The second 
lecture was by Mr. C. C. Chase, of Lowell. 
He urged the importance of sound school 
discipline. 
Met at 2 o’clock, P. M., for choice of Offi¬ 
cers. The balloting resulted in the elec¬ 
tion of the following gentlemen; 
President— Gideon F. Thayer, Boston. 
Vice Presidents — Thomas Shcrwin, 
Boston; John Kin^bury, Providence, R. I.; 
Barnum Field, Boston; Samuel Pettes, 
Roxbury, Mass.; Barnas Sears, Newton, do.; 
Horace Mann, do., do.; Benjamin Greenleaf, 
Bradford, do.; Daniel Kimball, Needham, 
do.; Wm. Russell, Merrimac, N. H.; Solo¬ 
mon Adams, Boston; Henry Barnard, Hart¬ 
ford, Conn.; Wm. B. Fowle, Boston; Edwin 
D. Sanborn, Hanover, N. H.; William H. 
Wells, Newburyport, Mass.; Richard S. 
Rust, Northfield, N. H.; Alfred Greenleaf, 
Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Nathan Bishop, Provi¬ 
dence, R. I. ; Wm. D. Swan, Boston; Chas. 
Northend, Salem, Mass.; Roger S. Howard, 
Thetford, Vt; Samuel S. Greene, Boston; 
Benjamin Labaree, Middlebury, Vt.; Ed¬ 
ward Wyman, St Louis, Mo.; Thos. Cush¬ 
ing, Jr., Boston; Rufus Putnam, Salem, 
Mass.; Ariel Parish, Springfield, do.; Lean- 
der Wetherell, Rochester, N. Y. 
Recording Secretary —John Batchel- 
der, Lynn, Mass. 
Corresponding Secretaries —Charles 
Brooks, Boston; Geo. Allen, Jr., do. 
Treasurer —Wm. D. Ticknor. 
Curators —Nathan Metcalf, William 0. 
Ayres, Samuel Swan, Boston. 
Censors— Wm. J. Adams, Joseph Hale, 
J. D. Philbrick, Boston. 
Counsellors —Amos Perry, Providence, 
R. I.; Daniel Mansfield, Cambridge, Mass.; 
S. W. King, Lynn, do.; D. P. Galloup, Sa¬ 
lem, do.; Albert A. Gamwell, Providence, 
R. I.;.Jacob Batchelder, Jr., Lynn, Mass.; 
Eldridge Smith, Cambridge, do.; Solomon 
Jenner, N. Y.; Thomas Baker, Gloucester, 
Mass.; J. B. Thompson, N. Y.; F. N. Blake, 
Barnstable, Mass.; Charles Hutchins, Rock- 
port, do. 
The Secretaiy being absent, L. Weth¬ 
erell, of Rochester, N. Y, was chosen 
Secretary, pro tern. 
At 2^ o’clock, lecture by J. D. Philbrick, 
on the “ Characteristics of the True Teach¬ 
er.” This lecture was filled with good ad¬ 
vice. to teachers. 
Mr. Richards, Instructor of the Schoo 
for Idiots at South Boston, being called up¬ 
on, made some interesting remarks upon the 
mode of teaching this class of unfortunate 
beings. 
Mr. H. Hirzel, Director of the Asylum 
for the Blind at Lausanne, Switzerland, was 
called upon also, and made some good re¬ 
marks relative to general education, and 
the Asylum wliich is under his direction. 
Met at 7-^ o’clock Lecture by Edward 
Wyman, of St Louis, Principal of the St 
Louis Classical School for Boys. This -was 
an excellent address. ^ 
Thursday morning. .Met at 9 o’clock.— 
.Prayer by the Rev. Mr. Swift, of North¬ 
ampton. Lecture by Solomon Jenner, of 
New York, on the “ Importance of Early 
Training.” Lecture at 11 o’clock, by the 
Hon. Amasa Walker, on “Political Econ¬ 
omy as a Study for Common Schools.” He 
urged the importance of making this a sub¬ 
ject of study in all schools for the educa¬ 
tion of the young. 
The subject of Free Schools came up for 
discussion in the afternoon. It called forth 
an animated debate. The argument seem¬ 
ed to be all on one side—declamation in 
abundance on the other. 
The Institute was addressed during the 
afternoon by Mr. Richards, who is teacher 
of the school of Idiots in South Boston.— 
Also by Mr. Hirzel, of Switzerland, the 
Superintendent of the Asylum for the Blind. 
He gave a very interesting account of a 
young man, deaf, dumb and blind who is 
educating at the Asylum. He has been 
taught many thing's—and among these, to 
speak. 
The lecture this evening was by Dr. E. 
S. Gannett, of Boston: Subject, “Chris¬ 
tian Education.” The session of the Insti¬ 
tute was closed this evening with appro¬ 
priate remarks by the President, and sing¬ 
ing Old Hundred. 
The number of teachers in attendance, 
was large during the session. Female 
teachers were gratuitously entertained by 
the good people of Northampton. w. 
dtnlDgical. 
A GEOLOGICAL FACT. 
[Dr. E. Bowen, of Brighton, has presented us 
several specimens of polished lime rock, and offers 
the following remarks and correspondence on the 
subject. We shall be glad to give publicity to the 
opinions of other Geologists as to the why and 
wherefore of the wonderful specimens mentioned.] 
Ed. Rural New-Yorker: —I have 
thought since I handed you the letter from 
Dr. S. P. Hildreth, of Marietta, Ohio, for 
publication relative to a Geological Fact of 
Western New York, that the nature of the 
case seemed to demand of me some expla¬ 
natory remarks. 
Some years since a neighbor of mine, in 
sinking.a well, encountered a smooth and 
polished rock, on the upper strata of the 
limestone ledge, about 8 or 10 feet below 
the surface of the earth, which attracted 
both my wonder and admiration. Since 
that time I have seen and heard of it so 
often in other places, about tliat depth, that 
I begin to think it is common, if not univer¬ 
sal in this section of country. My wonder 
from first to last is, what could have done 
it? And in some small degree my mind 
has followed the pathway of the Poet when 
he says— 
“ In vain I sought the wondrous cause, 
Ranged the wide fields of Nature’s laws, 
And urged the schools in vain.” 
A few days since a relative and guest of 
Hon. L. A. Ward, ex-mayor of your city, 
called upon me on his way home to Mari¬ 
etta, Ohio, which gave me an opportunity 
to send a specimen of the smooth rock and 
a letter to his neighbor,*Dr. H., which was 
answered with his usual promptitude. — 
Among many reasons why I wished to hear 
his opinion upon a subject to me so dark 
and abstruse, was, I had known since we 
were both young. I knew he was one of 
the closest observers of the useful events 
that concern our race that I ever knew.— 
I knew he had a strong, well balanced mind 
which was never at rest. I knew one of 
his favorite themes was Geology. I knew 
he had been the First Assistant Geologist 
of Ohio. I also knew he was often quoted 
as good authority on the several subjects on 
which he had written. 
These are among the many reasons why 
I wished to hear his opinion. And although 
probably he did not intend it for the public, 
his geological opinions have been so long 
before a scrutinizing world, I think surely 
he could have no objection at this late hour. 
I admit the causes he alludes to might 
cause the effect, but whether done by their 
agency or some other I dare not express 
my opinion. Very respectfully, 
Ebenezer Bowen. 
P. S. Since writing the above I have had 
some conversation with Amasa Drake, Esq., 
of Brighton, on the subject of the even and 
polished strata. He has been extensively 
engaged in the construction of the public 
stone mason works of Western New York, 
and mentions the fact of often coming in 
contact with it, near Syracuse and several 
other places, on a magnificent scale, but ex¬ 
presses his utter inability to satisfy his mind 
when or how it was done. e. b. 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
Rochester, N. Y., 8th July, 1350. 
Dear Dr: —I have for a long time wish¬ 
ed for an opportunity to send you a speci¬ 
men of the surface of the ledge, generally 
some 8 to 12 feet, under the surface of the 
earth. I am not aware that it has any dip > 
with reference to the horizon; however it I 
may have a slight dip, although it is gener- ; 
ally called about level. It has generally ' 
the appearance of having been ground 
down, and polished by some corresponding 
plain surface above, with deep straight 
scYatches on its surface, as if some heavjr 
and hard body had passed over it in one di¬ 
rection only. I believe it is found in the 
vicinity of Genesee Falls, and for some miles 
East and West all the strata of the ledge 
is, I believe, about horizontal. 
If you can make up your mind as to the 
cause of its smoothness and polish, please 
write me, as I know you are in high repute 
to fathom such mysteries. I would gladly 
write you more lengthy but I have not three 
minutes more time—therefore excuse. 
In great haste, but most respectfully, 
Ebenezer Bowen. 
Dr. S. P. Hildreth. 
P. S. The specimen I send you I have 
just picked up out of some hundred tons 
blasted from a new lock pit now being ex¬ 
cavated for the enlargement of the Erie Ca¬ 
nal near me. e. b. 
Marietta, Ohio, July 7th, 1850. 
Dear Sir: —Yours of the 8th of July, 
by Mr. W. Slocomb, with a specimen of the 
Rochester Lime rock, has been received.— 
The polished surface of so vast a field of 
rock is a great natural curiosity—but gen¬ 
erally, I believe, on the south shore of the 
lakes, the upper surface of the lime rocks 
present a similar appearance. It is not 
always polished, but presents striae and 
grooves, cut with great regularity in the 
rock. It is only where quite hard that a 
polish is found. At a remote period of the 
age of the earth this portion of it, now call¬ 
ed the Valley of the Mississippi, and farther 
east, was covered with an ocean. The Gulf 
Stream or some other current, set across it 
bringing down icebergs from the north, con¬ 
taining vast rocks of granite. These, in 
passing along, dragged at times on the bot¬ 
tom of the sea, cutting grooves and scratch¬ 
es in the rocky bottom, and where very 
hard leaving a polish. The boulders were 
brought in some way by the ice, and drop¬ 
ped along as it melted. As this continent 
was gradually lifted from the Ocean, the 
waters retired, leaving the present lakes as 
a memorial of their fca-mer existence.— 
Similar markings are found in the lime rock 
at Sandusky City, and at various places in 
Vermont and New Hampshire. 
Some writers have supposed the mark¬ 
ings made by glaciers of ice; but the most 
rational is that of icebergs. The earth was 
deposited on and over the rocks as the 
Ocean became shoal, from rivers and vari¬ 
ous other ways, and has preserved this "won¬ 
derful work of nature from decay to the 
present time. 
I am gratified to know that you still bear 
your old friend in remembrance. 
With much esteem and respect, 
I am yours as ever, 
S. P. Hildreth. 
CONTRASTS OF PATRIOTISM. 
- 
In contrast with the conduct of M. Louis 
Bonaparte, who cannot live on less than 
$1,666 a day, I must mention that of Ma- 
nin, of Mazini, and of Garibaldi. The first 
was dictator of Venice for eighteen months. 
During that time he refused to receive any 
pay from the treasury, and since his exile 
he has refused to accept a large sum of 
money subscribed for him by the patriots of 
Italy. He is now living at Paris and gains 
his livelihood by giving lessons in Italian. 
Mazini, former dictator at Rome, drew no 
salary whatever, and is now maintaining 
himself in exile by his pen; he writes well 
in Italian, French and English, and contri¬ 
butes to the literary journals of three coun¬ 
tries. Garibaldi, the Roman general, whose 
deeds of heroism rank him with the chival¬ 
rous knights of the Round Table, and make 
him the worthy peer of Richard of the 
Lion Heart, would consent to receive noth¬ 
ing from the Roman Republic but his food, 
clothing and arms. When he reached Pied¬ 
mont, after his long and perilous retreat 
from Rome, he was destitute. Such ex¬ 
amples of disinterested patriotism are enough 
to redeem the age from the stain of selfish¬ 
ness, placed on it by the chosen chiefs of 
the retrograde movement.— Paris letter to 
the N. Y. Commercial. 
Thf world has a sure chemistry, by \ 
which it extracts what is excellent in its ■ 
children, and lets fall the infirmaties and 
limitations of the grandest mind. 
Thf best thoughts are ever swiftest-wing¬ 
ed, the duller lag behind. 
