350 
STATE AGEICULTUEAL SOCIETY 
dustrial scliools and universities ; and, finally, via Valenciennes and Amiens, 
back to Paris, the initial point of all my journeyings. 
It is needless to say that after so extended a tour, embracing all the coun¬ 
tries of the European continent, except little Portugal and decrepit old 
Spain, covering observations upon their natural resources, and upon their 
industrial, social, educational and religious life, with special examinations of 
every one of their most important schools and universities, the months of 
my absence seemed like as many years; so that I was really surprised, on 
my return, to find the great Exposition, which I had been thinking of, un¬ 
consciously, as an event in the far past, still in progress and now only in the 
zenith of its glory. A grand tour. But if any one envies me, let him re¬ 
member the fatigue, the sleeple ss nights,the severe tax of brain and muscle it 
cost. Large and valuable stores of information, many new and interesting 
experiences, and glorious pictures of scenery, people and things ineffaceably 
daguerreotyped upon the memory are mine, and I thank God for them ; but 
they were earned as but few would be willing to earn them. 
After spending nearly a month longer at the Exposition, studying the use¬ 
ful lessons it taught, making collections of such material as the courtesy of 
foreign commissioners enabled me to secure, and making arrangements for 
the further care, packing and return of articles sent out by Wisconsin, I 
bade adieu to the great Exposition, to Paris, and, at Havre, to the Old World, 
and by the strong and excellent iron steamer “ Celia,” of the New York and 
London Line, returned to New York ; thence hastening back to my post of 
duty in Wisconsin. 
Very unexpectedly, my return was anticipated by a commission conferring 
the appointment ot Honorary Commissioner for the United States to the 
Paris Exposition, with the request that I prepare a report to the Government 
on Education in Europe and America; the acceptance of which appointment 
with the hope of finding time to prepare such report, together with the nar¬ 
row limits of this volume and the amount of material that must have place, 
will account for the absence from this hurried outline of my travels of any 
attempt whatever to describe any of the educational systems or institutions 
of the countries through which I passed. 
As in 1862, so now in 1867, I have come back to my native land profoundly 
impressed with the superiority of its natural advantages and of its political 
institutions, and yet more than ever confirmed in the opinion, that in much 
that pertains to the industrial arts, especially in the substantial character of 
their public improvements, as well as in their habits of business thorough¬ 
ness and honesty, their laws regulating the education of their youth, and in 
various phases of their social life, the nations of the old world, present much 
that we may imitate with great present and future permanent advantage to 
our country. 
If you were to ask for a more definite statement of my conclusions con¬ 
cerning these several peculiarities, I would say— 
The agriculture of the most advanced European countries is superior to 
