7o 
Wisconsin state agricultural society. 
has nothing but a maratime position to give her any natural ad¬ 
vantage. Not so bad, indeed, as Voltaire’s statement that she is 
a land formed from the sand brought up on the sounding leads of 
English sailors, though she is actually created from the debris of 
Swiss and German mountains brought down by the Rhine. Hence, 
within her lands are no sources of mineral wealth, but she has com¬ 
pensated for its absence, by an admirable .education of her people. 
And so this mud-produced country, fenced round by dykes to pre¬ 
vent the ocean from sweeping it away, is thriving, prosperous and 
happy, while her old mistress—Spain—is degraded and misera¬ 
ble, unable in all Europe, until lately, to find a King, who would 
undertake to govern her ignorant people.” 
Let me give an illustration of the value of science which has 
recently come to our notice: One of the most audacious and 
magnificent swindles of the ages has just been exposed by it— 
the diamond swindle. So cunningly and brazenly had its origin¬ 
ators gone to work, that the wealthiest and shrewdest men m New 
York city were taken in. Gen. McClellan was president of the 
company, which had a capital of $100,000,000. Eighteen other 
companies were formed with a capital of $18,000,000. Fabulous 
stories were told of the diamonds found in the Arozina mines ; 
the evidence was so minute and circumstantial, that doubt seemed 
well nigh impossible. But a youug graduate of Yale College, 
Mr. Clarence King, went quietly to work with his two assistants, 
and after a careful examination, they found, and showed to the 
satisfaction of the world, that these fields had been “ salted ” by 
the hand of man, and not sown by the hand of God. 
The question arises, shall the studies in the natural sciences be 
reserved for a mature intellectual developement, or shall they 
begin with the mental growth of the child? I answer, they are 
the first studies to be pursued or taught. I again quote from the 
eminent Dr. Playfair: 
“The whole yearnings of the child are for the natural phenom¬ 
ena around him, until they are smothered by the ignorance of the 
parent. He is a young Linnaeus roaming over the fields in search 
of flowers. He is a young conchologist or mineralogist gather¬ 
ing shells or pebbles on the sea shore. He is an ornithologist and 
goes bird nesting; an icthyologist and catches fish. Glorious 
