The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-07-21
Authorization.
yalne OF Agricultural COLLEGES.

yaine OF Agricultural Colleges. =,
1t has always been our opinion that agri-
cultural colleges have not generally been a
success. We do not think this is because
they are essentially wrong, but because
those who have had the. management Oh
them have failed to appreciate what they
arefor, and, indeed, have not comprehciided
the real spirit and aim of farming. N.
When we spoke of this matter before,
our ideas were condemned as too sweeping,
and we had to say that we spoke chiefly
with the results of the Pennsylvania Agri-
cultural college before our eyes. Here we
knew that few, probably not one of those
who were educated at this college, pursued
the vocation Of an agriculturalist after 1eav-
ing the institution They learned to hate,
not to love agriculture. We also added
that we believed some few were successes,
and named those of Michigan and Of Massa-
chusetts, as perhaps amongst these: i."es'
But it now appears that what. ever may
be the case with Michigan, Massachusetts
is doing little, if any better than our own in
Pennsylvania. = A daily paper thus tells the
story: ut is announced that not one of
the twenty-nine young men about to gradu.
ate from the Massachusetts, Agricultural
College proposes to become a farmer, and
that all of them look. forward to engaging
in business or the learned professions, just
as the graduates III the sacademcal, depart-
ments of the classical colleges This state
ment, which has attracted great attention,
has been quoted as confirming the view that
the scheme of educating young men at agfi-
cultural colleges To become farmers is pro-
wing itself to be impracticable. Out of this
class of twenty-nine graduates one proposes
to study for the ministry and four to be-
come teachers i ten are going into business,
and eleven are undecided. The remaining
three state that they intend to devote them
selves to money making." e'saf9sss )
We have no crusade to wage against ag-
ricultural colleges but we do say that any
such result as this, ought to be the signal
for the removal of the whole heads of de-
partments in colleges where such a state Of
things exists. We do not wonder that any
young man should choose to 'smake money!
rather than to jog on in the regular, farming
way, toiling from the years beginning to
the years end for the mere satisfaction of
hearing compliments to the "honest /"
farmer, Of being told how he is the "bone
and sinew Of the country" how his art is
''the nOblest Of all arts, /" and all other en-
terprises rest on his, and of being reminded
how "sweet rest is to the weary, \ and that
he must sleep soundly after his daily toll is
done.a If there lis no money! in agricul!
ture, we hold that the whole thing is q
fraud, and that those who teach young men
to take it up as pursuit in life, urge them
to q course they would never take them
selves. tg i. isiq 5- rtir''l RI
For our part we hold that there is as
much profit to be derived from farming and
from gardening as from any pursuit that a
young man can enter into, if the same
methods Of business are applied to it as
would be applied to- any othermercantle6 Or
mechanical pursuit. Money is made all
the world over solely by the use of brains.
The majority ofimen lack this essential
particular They cannot calculate, know
little of the use of figures, and have no
forethouel}}t- thence those Who have, make
use of other mens' labor to aoeomplish.theiY
own success. They employ this brainlcss
labor, andgthus have many d pair Of hands
working by, their one brain. Will any one
say that this cannot as well be done on the
farm as in the counting-house?H There is
no reason why the combination Of many
laborers under one directing head, without
which heavy fortunes are. seldom made,
cannot be as well accomplished on farm as
anywhere else. InslN
There has been too much nonsense about
farming gotten up by men who hardly know
aplow from afpost spade. 1t is, for in
stance, laid down as a law by Franklin:
HE who by the pillow would thrive,
=. The same must either hold Or drive.1 ~
which literally is absolute nonsense.
That young man should know how to
do all these things we admit but if it is
money he wants, as in any business every
body wants, he will make more by Seeing
that somebody else holds or drives, while
he attends to the facts and the figures, the
books and the accounts, the sales and The
expenses, which are just as essential on
first-class farm as in the counting-house of
the most particular merchant of the land.
Now, title Pennsylvania and Massachu-
sets Agricultural Colleges, and, perhaps
some others, turn over new leaf. Let
them. show the young men the money as
well as thes.sdignityV fof farming, and we
will guarantee that why the boys do not
take to farming will no longer be puzzle
to wondering brains.i If the officers Of
these institutions are unable to do this, we
prophecy an untimely end to agricultural
colleges, and no more shall we admire the
eternal fitness of things Weekly Press.