New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-22
USEFULNESS OF THE AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGES.

".
THEM TwENTY-sIx HUNDRED STUDENTS IN
TwENTY-FoUR INSTITUTIONS.
To the Editor OF The Tribune
SIR: In the paper read before the Natlonal
Educational Association at Elmira on the evening oi
the 9th ns on tie subject Of the Relation OF the Gen
eral Government to Education had occasion 10 snow
that the institutions founded on the basis OF the Co
gressional land grant Of 1862 and commonly tnough
erroneously called Agricultural Colleges" were dong
m amount Of work popular education which was not
only far greater than the public in general supposed
lint greater than could reasonably have been expected
OF institutions which have been in existence III
many cases only few months, and' on the
average, less than five years. For one item' L
stated that twentYfour (2D OF these INSTITUTIONS con-
tanned last year thousand six hundred ana -FOUR
q eOD students distinguished gentleman present IN
ouired how this large number made up and whether
or not it included all students in the institutions with
which in some cases the socaed agricultural colleges
were associated, specifying particularly COrnel UNI
varsity and the Sheffield Scientific School, had great
pleasure IN replying that the figures had been taken
from advance sheets OF the forthcoming report OF the
United States Department OF Agrlcuture' Nhuiy iui
nshed me by Commissioner, in which the students
were classified as arst, "Number OF Students In the
Agricultural and Mechanical College for the collegiate
year." and second, "Number Of Students In the Uni
versity and Agricultural and Mechanical College Tor
the collegiate year," but that without referring to my
documents could not reply in detail respecting any one
institution had doubt however, since the Depart
ment at Washington had made up its tables on the basis
of this division of students into two cllsses-agrcu
tural and mechanical students forming class OF them
selyes-that Cornell University and all others were put
upon the same footing, and their students casshed In
the same way The gentleman who had propounded the
inquiry replied that this was unsatisfactory when
| have no doubt true. Since reaching home and
getting access my papers, have taken pains to verify
1 1.aa had gau6
Cornell University, for instance. is set down as hav-
ing 2c7 students in the Agricultural andMechancal Col
leee and 525 in these Colleges and the University, or
as IL might stated 2O7 students III the AGRICULTURAL
and mechanical departments, and 3l5 IN the Oher de
partments In of the sheffield Scientific SCHOOL,
157 are given as belonging to the agricultural and me
chanca departments and 500 as belonging TO these and
the whole University This Of itself, does not indicate
whether the number 1877 includes all the students in the
Sheffield school or not. find that the catalogue Of
Yale College for 1s71-2 gives ia as the number belong
ing TO the Scientific School, q of whom special" or
graduate" students Itseems probable therefore, that
tho 1877 mentioned intended to include all except
these a. The number 157 is clerical or Typographical
error obviously for 147 How many of these should be
reekoned as receiving benefit Of the Congressional
land grant it may difficult TO say Certainly not all of
Them But any deduction that needs 70 be made on this
account much than made from other sources
The Illinois Industrial University, for example, IS set
Mechanical Colleges" departments, and 3Sl all told.
But here in estimating the number of students who
receiving an education by the aid Of the Congressional
grant land that s the real question In each easel we
should include the entire number $751; for the that
ali the funds OF this institution have been accumulated
on the basis OF that grant and directly in consequence
of it. The is in several other instances is
distinct faacy too not put it too strongly, TO
vey the Implication that the usefulness Of these instu
lions tested by the question, how many OF their
stucerts are studying "AGricultnre." or how many
farmers have they turned Quit The true test is in
dcaed by the OF ttbe act OF Congress of 1862
which terms are generally repeated In the state laws re-
llHg these institutions IN establishing these instr
tutons Congress declared its design 10 be to provide
| ioeral aud practical education for the industrial
classes in their several pursuits and professions life 20
and TO this end the Institutions TO teach.
cessary manual farming subjects related agi-
culture and the mechanic arts" II is the im-
pOrtant tins, because the fallacy mentioned
partly suggested by the misleading name Agricultural
College," and hes at the bottom OF the popular misap
proheDsiOn to what any institution OF learning aims
10 do or can The enemies OF the colleges perfectly
understand this and therefore likely repeat the
falacy until the good sense OF the public makes them
| ashamed 10 do so. G. W. ATHERTOS
Rutgers college, vBrrns,eick, " j., Aug. ., lS7a