The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-03-19
rhursday Morning, March 10. 1868.
An Agricultural College.


To the Editor Of the Press:
Will you allow me to make few remarks
In reply to part of KS article In the Press Of
"Wednesday last, on .The Agricultural Col
lege." As your space is too limited for a long
or minute discussion of the matter, will en-
deaver to be as brief as possible.
With the sectarian aspects of the question
have nothing TO do; but to come at once to
what wish to say, / believe that an agricul-
tural school should be strictly specific, inde-
pendent institution, and that any attempt to
connect 1t with other institutions for purpo-
ses of general education, would not only be
fatal to the school, but deeply injurious to the
college or university ITSELF and this, feel sure,
Is in close accordance with the spirit Of the
times. There is nothing, perhaps, which so
distinguishes this age from all that have gone
before It, as the marvellous energy with which,
In all directions, the human mind Is striving
to enlarge the boundaries Of knowledge, to
discover new relations, to bring out hidden
laws, to establish new sciences, to open larger
fields Of view. The effect Of this is to force
institutions OF general education up to high
er level. There is more and more urgently
demand made upon them for a wider circle of
instruction and deeper study. This demand
Is as yet more pressing In Europe than here /;
still, that we are feeling the impulse is suffi-
ciently evident in the increased activity, TO 20
no idrtner, OF Harvard ana I ale.
But it is also certain that the more our in
stitutions OF general culture enlarge their
scope, the more impossible II becomes for them,
II indeed it were ever possible, to devote
themselves TO the practical applications OF sci
ence. In fact, this was never their province.
For this they were not established. Their du-
ties lie rather In the opposite direction. They
are, or ought 10 be, catholic fountains of good
learning for all men, supplying science for eve
ry art. But when they descend to the mere
technical application Of it, to superintend
workshops or farms, they are not only med
ding with that for which, from the nature of
the-case. they are Incompetent, but, as / be-
lieve, are deserving their Office, and more es-
pecially now, when they are so urgently
called TO new and higher duties In it. Doubt
less they are under obligation, either by the
establishment Of new professorships or other
wise, to instruct men In all the relations which
science bears TO all the arts but when in
stead OF making men of science and enlarging
the boundaries OF scientific knowledge they
engage In industrial pursuits, they not only
desert science to that extent, but as it can ca
silly be shown, l think, that for such work they
are utterly united, they do double injury to
art itself, first robbing and then maltreating it.
As TO experimenting farms, it is no exception
at all they might as well surround themselves
with iron foundries, carpenter shops or soap
factories.
For these reasons, and because there are
now large accumulations of scientific facts
awaiting practical application, there has come
TO be an increasing demand in many directions
for technical schools. This demand has been
trying % make itself heard 10 this country for
some time past. In Europe II has already
been met to considerable extent. There.
large numbers Of such schools have been es-
tablished, not only for agricultural but for a
variety OF other purposes, Of which here we
have not dreamed. So far has this been car
ried, that in France there are no less than
three grades Of agricultural schools alone. and
the system Is carried into every department of
the land. Such is the testimony Of Europe. in
regard to the necessity and value of technical
schools.
But, to come nearer TO our special subject.
maintain that connection between an agri-
cultural institute, such as il ought to be, and
any of our colleges, would be utterly imprae-
ticable. And this mean, on the supposition
that the same corps of professors is TO officiate
In each, and both are to be under the same
general authority How long would 1t be be-
fore disagreements, IL not positive hostilities,
would break out on account of inevitable de-
fects for which neither party would be 10
blamel How soon would the farm begin TO
complain that 1t was put off with only incl
dental scientific teaching, and that it could
never get as indeed 1t could not, half so much
as II needed! How soon would the superin-
tendent, who must always be thorough-go-
ing, downright, practical man, complain that
the college did not attend enough TO the inn
mediate applications Of science, or that it was
meddling with things 1t knew nothing about !
On the other hand, how soon would the col
lege complain that the farm interfered too
much with Its systems or hours of study /
and the professor If he were man of ability.
conscious that his true business was with the
highest reaches of his science, complain that
his time was taken up, and his studies inter
Iupted, by mere technical applications of his
discoveries or teaching!
But again, If there is any one condition
most vital to the permanence and success OF
an agricultural school, without which it must
be nearly worthless. 1t is that of constant
practical labor on the farm in connection with
The teaching of science and the theory of the
art. This labor must always be comparatively
large. AT Grignon, in France, it amounts to
not less on the average than from six to seven
hours day. And it is equally necessary that
this labor should be obligatory on every schol-
ar. The voluntary principlen win not an.
swer for o moment. Repeated attempts have