UIHistories Project: A History of the University of Illinois by Kalev Leetaru
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Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1871 [PAGE 269]

Caption: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1871
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261 tongue, so that these men may know how to speak and write when called upon. There is, as far as time allows, a recognition of other subjects, like Political Economy, History, Moral Science and things of that kind. These, however, are subordinate to the main special studies. I would say, in the next place, our great want in the direction of the colleges, is good preparatory schools. There are, in New England, a few famous schools, like those at Exeter and Andover, for instance, which are admirable training schools for the ordinary colleges ; but thus far we have hardly anything to prepare for the scientific schools. We want to strengthen our introductory schools. We all feel that the college proper, the Scientific School and the University, will not flourish among us until we have a very much larger number of these preparatory schools and of a much better quality; and most of us who are interested in these matters, at the East, are working hard for the general education of the community, and for the improvement of the public schools, the high schools, the academies, and doing everything that will quicken the community into an appreciation of the importance of these things. We are obliged to go around the State in old-settled communities, to lecture, take part in teachers' institutes, call meetings of farmers, to arouse an interest in these important educational movements. I do not believe this new education, as it has been called, will achieve its proper work until a great deal of that enlightenment is done far and wide. These are a few points which we are wanting light upon, and I am glad to tell you what we are trying to do. Coming to some other matters, I would mention first the question of how far manual labor in the Scientific School is important, and how far it is unimportant. At New Haven we have felt that we could not urge it upon the young men; that if any one chose to work and could find time from his studies, we would favor it. Many of our young men do work in vacation, and some in term time, but we think the time is so crowded with study, they would have very little opportunity for work. I do not know how we should feel if we were so fortunate as to possess a fund for the maintenance of a shop for discipline in mechanics, or having a farm given to us, or having a large amount of money. We have kept the time occupied with hard work. At the Worcester In* stitute of Technology, every young man is required to spend a certain portion of his time in the shop, and becomes there familiar with the use of tools, and learns to manufacture certain things, under the charge of the Superintendent, which are sold in the market. The shop takes the place of a regular manufacturing establishment, and is known in the trade for the manufacture, among other things, of lathes, which