Enclosure: Isaac H. Tiffany’s Plan for an Institute in Schoharie County, New York, [before 12 January 1817]
Enclosure
Isaac H. Tiffany’s Plan for an Institute in Schoharie County, New York
[before 12 Jan. 1817]
The Institute of the County of Schoharie is composed of a President 2 Vice Presidents,1 Senate and five Committees
Objects
| Committee of Religion and Morality |
No of Ministers, Churches, and Religious Meetings, State of Social Intercourse—To promote Charity of Opinion—Obedience to Parents, reverence to Age and respect for the Laws, to direct taste in sports & amusements, To expose and censure crime and offence; particularly theft, fighting and drunkenness—Licentious fashions and expenditures |
| Literature | State of the Professions—To enquire and report the best Institutions in or out of the State, for acquiring any Art or Profession or elementary science; The expense and time in the acquirement—Names of the professors—2 Common Schools in the County—No of Scholars qualifications of Teachers—Books taught and system of education. To inform where good teachers may be had, Fine arts—particularly Sacred and Martial music, & drawing History and Geography of the County; and Biography of its distinguished Inhabitants Notice of all new Inventions and Discoveries.—With the other Committee, to form annually, an Almanack, useful for the community, |
| Jurisprudence | Courts of Justice. Solemnity, promptness and impartiality of proceeding, Capacity of Magistrate and dignity of character, Improvement of Laws, and their visible influence upon society, To form a catalogue or index of books and parts3 of books, to be read to fit a citizen for a respectable magistrate, representative or elector, To state the size and prices of the books and where they may be had,—Clearly to define the rights and powers of Jurors |
| Rural Concerns4 | State of Militia— State of Agriculture— To preserve and multiply forest and fruit trees, To improve flocks and herds—Grasses5 and grains Roads, Bridges, Fences. Taxes, Public funds and public debt—;—that each may know and feel the interest he has in the Commonwealth, To promote domestic economy—and particularly the employment of children in the lighter occupations of planting and gardening.6 |
| Arts | Useful Arts and manufactures—Their products. Best materials—Machinery and utensils. how to be procured, or constructed. Books useful to the apprentice and each trade or calling Masters and proficients in the arts, native or foreign noticed Cost and merits of domestic or American and foreign manufactures compared7 Internal and foreign commerce Practical economy and agency of heat and water-cookery— |
The five Committees choose each8 a chairman, & convene upon their own adjournment or9 at the call of the chairman. There may be subcommittees or agents at pleasure, A person may enroll himself under which committee he pleases; may be a member of two committees at the same time and no more and must serve in them at least one year from enrolment, when he may enroll himself under another committee if he please; every member is to be industrious in collecting information and is to communicate it to the chairman in writing or by word,
If one has information appertaining to another, he is to communicate it to one member of that committee or its chairman,
the chairman with such aid as may be advised, must form a well revised, clear and concise report to be read before the Institute. From these reports the expose of the county is made by the President
The Institute meets at the court house on the 4th of July, anually. the President10 two Vice Presidents and Treasurer of the Institute are elected by the chairman of the committees, and may be removed by them,
The President appoints, a secretary two chaplains, 2 Physicians, 211 Counsellors and Two Marshals. These together with the Supervisor, and two delegates12 from each town, to be chosen by the people at the anual town meeting, compose the Senate and meet at the court house on the 4th of July; and the day preceeding the Febuary term of the common pleas. When it is wished to remove a military officer for incompetency or misconduct, information is lodged with the marshals, and the informant is not to be exposed. It is the duty of the marshals or either of them to accuse such officer before the Senate and furnish proof—The officer is to be removed with a notice or copy of the accusation to be made, or if he does not see proper to deny or explain before the Senate
the Senate will hear, deliberate, and resolve to acquit or recommend his removal; a copy of the resolution shall be signed by the President & the senators, or a majority of them, present & delivered to the Governer13 of the state, and another copy thus signed to the representative of the county in assembly
When a civil officer is to be accused, the counsellors (or one of them) are to conduct the proceeding in like manner—
The Judges of the common pleas and sheriff, are14 member of the institute by virtue of their offices; The supervisors of the several towns are also members, and are particularly charged to collect touching common schools and are to furnish the same as soon as may be
Tr (DLC: TJ Papers, 208:37082–4); in an unidentified hand, with emendations and corrections by Tiffany, only the most significant of which are noted below; undated; at head of text in Tiffany’s hand: “(copy)”; endorsed by Tiffany: “Schoharie Institute.”
1. Reworked from “a President, Vice President.”
2. Word added by Tiffany in place of an illegible deletion.
3. Manuscript: “parts parts.”
4. Manuscript appears to read “Conceurns.”
5. Manuscript: “Gasses.”
6. Here is canceled, presumably by Tiffany, “to encourage attention to Cows and sheep, among the poor, and discourage the keeping of large dogs.”
7. Word added by Tiffany.
8. Word interlined by Tiffany.
9. Word added by Tiffany.
10. Preceding two words interlined.
11. This and preceding number added by Tiffany.
12. Word interlined by Tiffany in place of “Supervisors.”
13. Manuscript: “Goverer.”
14. Manuscript: “one.”
Index Entries
- cattle; mentioned search
- children; labor of search
- dogs; mentioned search
- militia; of N.Y. search
- New York (state); and public finance search
- New York (state); governor of search
- New York (state); legislature of search
- New York (state); militia of search
- Schoharie County, N.Y.; and agriculture search
- Schoharie County, N.Y.; and education search
- Schoharie County, N.Y.; commerce and manufacturing in search
- Schoharie County, N.Y.; courts in search
- Schoharie County, N.Y.; history of search
- Schoharie County, N.Y.; judges of search
- Schoharie County, N.Y.; proposed institute for search
- Schoharie County, N.Y.; religion and morality in search
- Schoharie County, N.Y.; sheriff of search
- sheep; mentioned search
- taxes; in N.Y. search
- Tiffany, Isaac Hall; and institute for Schoharie Co., N.Y. search
- Tiffany, Isaac Hall; and N.Y. militia search