, 1866-12-12
Agricultural and Other Colleges


! BURLINGTON, Iowa, December G, 1855.
Editors Chicago Tribune:
That Agricultural College Grant seems to
have proved very Pandora's box to thc
quid nuncs Of the Sucker State. Nearly tour
years have elapsed since it was maie-but
few months are LETT for It's acceptance, and
you have done nothing yet. A legislative
body meeting but once In two years, for for
" days at two dollars day, when the most
economical member must spend twice that
arcua In which to settle such disputes. Bet
ter fi9 It up before the Legislature meets, if
poe-lble; yet you had better make haste
slowly, too. ifat all.
Perhaps, 100, the errors and mistakes Of
your ncishbors may be some guide In scstl3n.
Stale Farm tof a number Of years. and 1t was
determined to locate on 1t Far1nes's Col
lepe per SC. The mere riie-bagateIle-of
lilly thousand dollars, would 1T out all the
necessary buildings, and the Federal Land
Grant Y w",.ld run the thing gzand}y, wouldn't
Well, tho LEGISLATURE wisely doubted all
this, but tlually voted tho amount, condi-
tiopcd that hAlf of 1t only should ~ at once.
to put up the walls, roof &c. When this
WAS done, the other half ls to 50 TO com
plcIe it.. At work went our enthusiasts.
81.
a,1d S1O,0D tuorc utter it anu ouly soma few
hundred lcct ofa foundation. coating &, ,:..S6
and odd cents exactly, In cash, visible!
Where did the balance OF tbs money 60 tos
Who knows ?-os, knowing, who will tclls
EndetcrreI BY this failu-e. the enthusiasts
were III full furce last winter, aud got tho
mere tribe of S.O,0 ,000 more appropriated to
complete the elephant Oh their hands. This,
1t Is safe 10 say, will not flush 1t, and when
built. il will look with Its Munsard roof"
naa "mo1eyn isnpEoyements'' seyy much
nkca strsy Chicago 1rst class hotel, or .
runaway Eiraie, away out on the Wild
praitiea Of Story County The experiment
will cost the State several hundred thousand
dollars for nothing; for having failed already
several times, It will continue to be failure.
But little mure encouraging Is the history
Of these institutions in Other States. That
Of Pennsylvania has been ridiculous faii-
ure. The managers attribute 1t to the uu.
paid labor system Of the students and the
students re,ort By saying that the Slperiu-
tendcnt. is an ignornllt clown, that the State
atock arc all lousy scrubs, aud that there
misesably managed farm. Michigan has
got along hut, little better, for ont Of her
million or more people, but one hundred aud
eight students attended an institution this
ycar, whs1e the tuition is entirely fce, and the
every respect. No fact, not thoroughly ex.
hausted, Is more eyldent than tha: farmers
dun't want such colleges, won't support
ttctn when they arc established, and their
sons will not 70 TO them to learn farming.
1t is useless to dlsatc further on this fact.
If President Blanchard is correct, you Of Iii.
ntds are very much like the stingy Methodist
who thanked tic Lord that he had enjoyed
Religion ior forty years and It had never coat
hini cent Colleges have never cost your
State i cent. Yet sou have no lack Of them.
fr1tt M lac Inn f1x$ H. =
village Of Abingdon, and six Ia the game
county, krux- Tofay the truth, the colleges
Lave never deserved any better treatment.
hey have never progressed a hatrs breadth
fora !ual half century. To-day they are ini-
tnt1ons Of Yale and Harvard In New Eng .aud,
and they are scryile limitations Of Oxtord and
Cambridge In Old England. They haye all
fed as on husks Instead Of wholesome food,
aud they themselves are but rattliug dry
bnnes, mere ghosts Of wlat they ought TO be.
They cram us with languages not now spoken
',y any living milton, and call it learning +;
by the practical common sense schools known
Us Commercial Colleges. where the ercry day
practices and necessities of the citizen are
made known to the youth, and where be
acquires in fe~ months what he could not
learn IN as many years in an ordinary college,
ft"n, whence he emczges. in too many III.
stances, gTcattr fuul than he went in.
This Is plain speaking, but is it not also
the plain truth: Wbat We want, then, in
these Western States, Is 20 mammoth insti-
tuition, filled with stall-fcd professors, cram
ming loS out Of q million, or :sIt out Of two
tniltious Of people, with mose than their
share Of imptacticable learning, 30 called.
The masses Nans to be elevated, aod We
want 10 turn out every year In cvezy one Of
our respective eommonwealths, hundreds Of
thousands Of Intelligent yuupg men and
Wonen.. Give them all the solid, sound,
rrnctlcal rudiments, ard leave each free
then 10 excel iu his or her own Hay-to
climb further up the gfddJ steep Of knowl.
edGC, Or to carry what they have already &C.
4usrcd into ths practical every day walks ef
life. Cultivate 4 spirit Of inquiry and re-
search, a truly Catholic snd American spirit
OF looking at every question With m unpre-
JudEed anaty xiug mind, and leave all not
ONLY perfectly free, but as competent as their
minds will render possible the working cut
their own careers as useful eitizcns by them
selves alone. if they lave no e1traneous aid,
as the majority have not
| TO effect this, 1t Is certainly evident that
| the hinge Agricultural College some Of your
| enthusiasts are dreaming out. Is all Moon
| shine: 1t will cost sou, as ours has and will
| cost, hundreds Of thousands OF dollars, aud
be failure st1u. II the farmers really
| needed my such concern, they would have
put Their beads together long ago to build
H. But they lot only do nut want 1t, but
Will have nothing to do with it when II L.
built, either fu the way Of patronage, or At
tending It when tuition costs nothing.
Avery unpleasant feature Of thia Agricul.
tural College Grant system, is the manner
In which 1t Is certain to setard the settle
nett and alllng up Of Western States.
recent newspaper writer assert8 that he
travelled iofty-six miles through All un
hsoken solitude, on the road from Grand
Traverse TO Grand Rapids, 1n Michigan
every acre Of which Was covered with Kali
road and Eastern College grants. Our rati
rends here In lows have successfully resisted
the taxation Of their lands by the State fol
ten years: while refusing 10 sell or improve
lltm, and If this state Of things CONTINUES te
prevail the settlement OF these States vii
6e Kept back for 4 generation, while Eastern
Slats are speculating on these lands, fo
The same stzte Of things prevails In all othel
WsseEn State. as well as Michigan.
Ihe porticn Of land dne Illinois Is 5000
acres. 4 psince1t domain, yic1dings prince
y income. II honestly managed. 1t Is to b.
Aoptd, for tho welfare Of mankind, that FOL
viii turn this over to sJme living. practical
hun!a nizin2 American Institution already IL
existence, instead Of vaialy attempting Il
That the world msy be really better aud nol
worse for its existence. The history or sim
Lar Institutions from West Point and thi
Smithsonian Institute down, Is 50 very nea
an utter fa'iurr and fraud that tho distinc
ton rarnot be perceived By an impartial oh
closely. UAwEEtE.
Death Of \ colored Lawyer,
Nr. John $. Rock, Of Boston, died In tha
city on Monday, from consumption. Mr.. Rocl
vas eo1ored man, perfect gentleman,
E1Pe selolar, and consistent Christian
Time Eears eiuce he Was admitted to prac
itcc at the bar Of the Supreme Court a
Washington. Hc contributed sereral brie
essays, which were published, On uatIops
aItirs IN reference to the prescribed zacen il
which was exhibited high order Of talent
both In the. choice Of languages and til,
depth Of reasoning powers Mr.. Rock mar
lied daughter of the late John Bowers, o
Philadelphia, and with his wife he removed
to Boston. The climate there did not agre
with her, and she tell victim to conau1np
t!on, aud departed this life in March last
MT. Rocks health also gave way from the
same cause, aud he was obliged to relLn
had already made bis mark as lawyer, aut
Justly won the esteem Of that large class o
intelligent people Of Boston who hare naor,
regard for culture than color. In his inter
course with mankind he was ever courteous
and In bis Last hours, when about to eute
the dark valley Of the shadow Of death, It.
gloom seemed to Be dlss!patcd by the nercr
taiiing lisht of Christianity. which hat
guided hsn through IN eventfol 1nd a well
spent life.
An OHIO paper having bpasted that tha widos
OF one 2ohu Baxter h8d u child sir months old
while the mothers age was b1k thiIt ycars
The Atueds tCal.} Gcs.tts rejoins that lady Il
Eslliosr1s became 4 Grandmother on her twentt
fourth strth-day-