Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-02-09
Letter from Lewis Ballman, Esq, OF
Bloomington, Against she Division
of the rund Donated for Agricui-
turaI Colleges in the state.


lege for the education of the industrial class
The disposition of that fund presents question
deeply involving the future interests OF that class
and a member of it you will pardon me for
pressing my views upon your consideration in
relation to the action of the General Assembly
that question.
am utterly opposed to division OF the fund
for the following reasons:
/. Because the fund cannot be divided with
safety to the State.
The fund itself that may be derived from the
sale of the land scrip cannot be divided The
act OF Congress directs that tie scrip shall be sold
by the State--it cannot enter lands with it.
When sold the proceeds are to be invested in
secure stocks bearing least FIVE per cent. inter
est. The State takes the grant subject to the
condition that neither the principal nor the inter
est shall be lost or diminished, but the interest
shall be regularly applied to the purpose men
toned in the act and if so lost or diminished, the
State shall be liable To part with the interest
so as to lose complete control over 1t would be
most unwise legislation, for fund if diverted is
lost to the objects of the grants. Whether fund
is diverted, is a question that would constantly
arise from acts of institutions over Which the
Legislature had no direct control. If the fund
was divided among the colleges now asking such
division, or among the eight in the State, the
very fact that professorship of Agriculture
would be created in each of them, when one only
is competent to give the instruction that the four
or eight could presents a question of loss and
diversion of the fund And this will more clearly
appear in the consideration of my second obiec
ton to dividing it.
2. Because such division of the fund, or the an
nuaI interest, would defeat the object of the
grant.
That object is not the instruction of the agri-
culturalists only, but of the entire industrial
class The act shows this. Its title recites that
the donation is for the benefit OF agriculture aud
the mechanic arts and in the body Of the act it is
declared that the interest shall be nviolably APP
prOpriated to the advancement, support and main
tenance of at least one college, where the lead
ing object shall be without excluding military
tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are
related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in
such the Legislatures of tile states may
respectively prescribe, in order to promote the
LIBERAL and practical education of the industrial
classes in the several pursuits and professions OF
life" Here it is seen that the industrial classes
are to be instructed practically in their pursuits
Manufacturing and mechanism and mining are to
be taught in all their principles, as well agri
culture. These pursuits of the greatest in
tereSt to society, and State is just progressing
to that condition when its manufactures and
mining will be greatly increased. Our progress
in manufacturing, between 1850 and 1860,
averages 240 per cent, although that in iron and
coal mining is small-much less than our capa-
bilities would Indicate.
Ohio has reached its maximum of agricultural
productions, and its progress in manufactures
and mining is enormous. Our capabilities are
equal to those of Ohio. No instruction pertain
ing 20 these pursuits can be omitted under the
donation of Congress An institution giving
such instruction will need at the very least five
professors; two for agriculture. one of which
inst in hos bpo II ND
another in the at OF agriculture on the expert
mental farm; two in the principles and their prac
teal application connected with manufactures
mining and mechanics, and one on military tao
ties
am certainly of the opinion that commerce i:
an industrial pursuit. and its principles and its an
should also be taught This would require ont
two professors more, but | will omit these al
present.
These FIVE professors would be needed as soor
the annual interest was large enough to EN-
ploy them.
but the sciences connected with the industrial
pursuits must be taught very differently than ar,
the studies in collegiate Institutions. WheI
a student graduates in them, he soon lorgets hi.
languages, mathematics, and natural and menta
sciences. But his mind ever retains its disciplin,
by these studies, and by this discipline he is titte,
for professional career. But il will be very diff
Ieieill Win TIE ScleuceS rs Itu4Ot 10 TIE lDuu-
trial class. ihe object of such instruction is no
only TO discipline the mind, but to imbre il viii
thorough and lasting knowledge of principle
which to be applied, practically, in the sew
eral industrial pursuits Hence the instruction il
them must not only have direct application Il
these pursuits, but must be so thorough that the,
may be thus practically applied. Essential t
such instruction is n complete chemical and phi
losOphical apparatus, and geological and min
eraOgral cabinet. All of these belonging TO GU
sectarian colleges, il put together, would be in
sufficient to give instruction IN single branch
science
We can now see the consequences of diYis
ion of the fund. 1t would require these five pro
fessors to be increased to either twenty or forty
the division is limited TO four or eight OF ou
colleges. Instead of one such apparatus anC
cabinet, must have four or eight. And fo
what purpose would the expense of all these b,
ncurredY For no other one than that broker
up fragments of classes might be taught in iou
or eight places, instead of an entire class ia ont
place.
Again. essential to such Instruction as the in
dustria pursuits demand is library very differ
ent from what find in cur colleges. Works
on agriculture in all its branches, and as it exist
in every country; those relating to manufactures
mechanics and mining. developing their princi
piles, aud as they have been applied to these arts
books relating TO commercial operations an,
foreign and domestic trades; also to military mat
terS All these constitute library that must be
long 20 any institution where the industrial elias
is educated. Shall the fund be charged with the
purchase of one such library, or four or eight?
But again, the act Of Congress provides tina
10 per cent OF the principal of the endOwmen
may be applied to the purchase of sites for ex
perimentaI farms. Without these, instruction il
no l;ttl
utility These sites. The necessary houses. baras
and sheds, the farming implements and farm
stock, will cost much. Are we to have four o
eight OF these when one would suffice? Surel
no legislator could for moment. be induced &
such loss and diversion of the fund, as woul,
be created by The payment OF so many professors
and the purchase of so many chemical and phi
losUphical apparatuses, neurological and geo
logical cabinets, libraries and experimental farms
And if the General Assembly could be, woul,
any Court of the United States hold that sucl
diversion WAS loss and misapplication of tn
fund that made the State responsible for it7
g. Because the amount available from tn
grant would be entirely inadequate to such al
expenditure.
The donation is $50 900 acres of land in Ian,
scrip To all the States, exclusive of the Terri
tories, it is $780, 900 acres of land and land scrip
This large amount will be thrown on the market
In addition 70 this amount must be considered fh
fact that by the homestead law no actual settle
is required TO purchase his land from the Genera
Government. 1t is easy to see that the sale o
our portion, under these circumstances, will b
very slow. Indeed, it will demand TO little pa
thence from the industrial class to prevent sac
rtee OF the grant, by putting down the price Z
an amount too low. in its haste to make sales
Ii IS difficult to estimate what the price will be
but the State University lands will give an idea