63 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
remedy difficulties, which else would cause expense and delay ; 
3d, by enabling him to discover shorter and simpler methods of 
work, thereby increasing his powers of production ; 4th, by stim¬ 
ulating his qualities of contrivance, so that he adjusts and modifies 
the tools or machines which he uses, and becomes eventually an 
inventor of simpler and better machines, thus increasing the 
wealth-producing power of his fellow laborers. In this direction, 
it is estimated by these men, competent to judge, that his value 
is increased one hundred per cent., while in certain exceptional 
cases it is incalculably higher. Better even than all this, it ad¬ 
vances the well-being of its possessor. By virtue of his increased 
education, he commands higher wages for his services, and also 
adds largely to the common production. 
A case illustrating this very point is given by Prof. John S. Hart. 
He says, “ A gentleman of my acquaintance had frequent need of 
the aid of a carpenter, for alterations, odd jobs and adaptations to 
meet special wants, and no little time and material were wasted in 
the perpetual misconceptions and mistakes of the successive work¬ 
men employed. At length a workman was sent who was a Ger¬ 
man, from the kingdom of Prussia. After listening to the orders 
given, Michael would whip out his pencil, and in a few minutes 
would present a sketch of the article, so clear that any one could 
recognize it at a glance. Thus there was no waste of time nor 
material, and such was the demand for Michael’s services, that, 
though he was no better carpenter than many others, yet through 
his knowledge of drawing obtained in the common schools of his 
native country, he could obtain two dollars per day, while his 
companions in the same shop only received a dollar and a quarter. 
What is true of Michael in carpentry would be true of any other 
department of mechanical industry.” 
What a convincing argument is given in this report for our com¬ 
mon school system. It pays, in the lowest as well as in the high¬ 
est sense, to educate the people. According to the last census, 
1,554,931 adult males were regarded as illiterate. If, now, accord- 
to the opinions before given, these persons should earn each one 
dollar per day in their illiterate state, by learning to read and 
write, twenty-five per cent., would be added yearly to the produc¬ 
tion of the country, or $116,612,425; nearly twice as much as is 
