Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1867-01-25

stitution it is difficult to see why tits
not equally advantageous to ineorper-
ate the science Of agriculture.
But the State has no central Uni
versity, devoid Of sectarian character,
and therefore the plan proposed seems
to be not feasible. There remain, then
but tbree things to be done to estab-
lish an independent farmers school to
which the whole fuud shall be devoted,
to make it a branch of one of the sec
tartan universities already established,
or to divide the fund among a given
Dumber Of existing institutions Up
on careful investigation We are satisf
ed that the plan first mentioned VIII
not succeed. In other States purely
agricultural schools have uniformly
failed. The manual labor farms have
proved to be of no advantage since
young men desire TO learn at school
the principles rather than the practice
of farming, and will not 60 there to
work at manual labor They expect
to apply what they have learned in ac-
tual practice after leaving school just
as students of other sciences do. A
manual labor farm Is therefore Unnec-
essary. Illustrations of agricultural
science can be given nearly as we'll by
the use of charts. laboratories and
specimens Of natural history as by the
application of principles In actual
farming. A few acres Of ground set
apart for the culture of the different
varieties Of trees ADD other plants are
all that is needed in this line. We
therefore conclude that it is not advis-
able to undertake to establish an inde-
pendent farmers school, and that the
advantage which it has been supposed
that such an institution offers in the
manual labor system are really disad
vlntages which stand 10 the way Of
its success.
We come to the second alternative
of making the college q branch of one
of the established uDsveTsities. We
repeat our belief that this would be
altogether the best plan if the State
had such an institution As Yale. Har-
ward. Brown, Bewdnin, or the State
University of Michigan Connecticut
devoted the entire fluid given her BY
! Congress to establishing an agri-
cultural department in Yale College
and Rhode Island has made a similar
appropriation Of hers tn Brown uni
versity. In both Instances this plan
has worked far more successfully than
that Of establishing an independent
manual labor college has ever yet done.
The manual labor system is of course
ignored, aDd instruction is given mere i
y IN the principles nr science Of agri-
culture But colleges 10 Ohio are yet
in comparative infancy, and are besides
mostly of seatariau character. There
is not. one, not sectarian in its oharae-
ter. worthy to be considered as a fit
nucleus for a great University for the
State. The people of Ohio have main
/ ly left the cause of collegiate education
in the hands of religious denomina
tions, aud few Institutions under
their control take the lead of all 9th
ers. Of these leading colleges there
are not more than three or almost four
now in a really prosperous condition,
and these, it is not invidious to say,
are Oberlin College, Mt. Union Col
Iege and the Chic Wesleyan University
at Delaware. Now if it is impractic-
able to make the Agricultural College
part of any one of these the next
best thing we believe is to devote the
fand to establishing an agricultural
I department in each. IfthTee colleges
/ are chosen, (and not more than 3 or 4
ought to be,) each one will have an ag-
ricultural endowment of about $12O,-
600, which amount we, are reliably in
formed, will with the advantages al
ready possessed by these institutions es
tablish very fine agricultural depart
ment. That at Yale isnot much more
largely endowed since the appropTia-
ton made by Congress to Connecticut
was not nearly so great as that made to
Ohio.
We therefore proposed as the best
thing to be done under the circum-
stances that the fund be thus divided.
IF it be said that this would be COM
plying with the letter of the act of
Congress it may be replied that the
same thing has been done in other
States and Congress raises no objection.
Tt is besides the only plan which ex-
perience has yet demonstrated to be
feasable while every other has proved
to be useless waste of the money
which certainly it was not intended to
authorize by the act. If it be replied
that this would put the fund out of
the control of the State and under
that of a religious sect We reply that
this is by no means necessary. The
General Assembly can impose such
conditions as it pleases upon the in
stitutions accepting the grant. IF any
|. of these conditions be violated the en-
tire grant may revert to the State with
such other forfeitures as would indem- !
Nifty it for all possible losses.
There should under such an arrange
ment be but one board of control of
the entire institution, and this should |
be its own Board of Trustees and Fac |
uIty Yet the State should have a
Commission whose duty it should be
to visit the institution at stated periods
and see that the act of the General As
sembly and the terms of the grant are
complied with, and report any delin-
quencies to the proper State authority. /
With such safeguards there could not
we'll be an abuse of the grant by any
reliable institution.
There are some. special advantages
incident to the plan we have proposed |
which make it particularly desirable /
to pursue it rather than attempt the
foundation of an independent agri-