Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-10-01
AGRICULTURAL.
Dr. McCosh on Agricultural Colleges.

This able President Of Princeton Col
lego and cminonta author took decided ground
in his address before the American Educn-
tional Association in opposition to the pro-
iect mooted in the last Congress to give
away to Agricultural Colleges ninety mil.
lions acres Of public lands. He rather nd.
vised the devotion Of this vast educational
endowment to the maintenance Of upper or
high schools. His points were strongly
put He argues that the Agricultural Col
cgcs already established have not accom-.
plishod a sufficient amount Of good, nor do
they give promise Of doing so iu. the future,
to entitle them to so large an endowment,
and that in no country in the world has
agriculture been much benefited by mere
agricultural schools. 10 Scotland, be says.
whore the farming is so excellent, agricul.
ture is promoted by farmers associations,
with magazines and lectures, but not by
special colleges While in Germany,
where there are but six agricultural COLI
leges, these institutions are feeble ones, as
he could testify from personal visitation.
( His advice to a youth bent on being a sci
entifo agricuturist, is to 90 to an institu.
ton for general science, with a chair Of az.
riculture attached and let him learn the
art on the farm. The following is an ab.
stract Of portion Of his address:
hold that so large q sum as that now
at the disposal of the government should
be allotted fairly, not to denoninational
colleges and Just as little to those which
are as sectarian as any, as they exclude all
religion; that they should be allotted TO
institutions open to all, and giving iustruc.
ton 10 branches in which not mere sections
Of the people, such as farmers or engineers
or mariners, Of these why not carpenters
or masons also p but all the people may
receive profit
don't propose that any portion OF thi.
| 100000 should be given to colleges
We cannot aid all, and to select a few
would be injurious In regard to element
airy education, the Northern, the middle
aud the Western States are able and will
ing to do their duty. | venture to propose
that in these the uuappropriated lands Do
devoted to the encouragement Of secondary
schools In particular to secure that up
per schools be endowed only where needed
suggest that money be alocated only
when a district, or it may be a comhino
ton Of two or more districts, has raised
certain portion, say one-half, Of the neces
say funds BY this means, the money may
be made to stimulate the erection of higl
schools all over America. These schools
would aid colleges far more powerfully thar
direct grant to them, as in fact the CRANE
difficulty which colleges have to couten,
against arises from there being SO few
schools fitted to prepare young men 70
them with their rising standard Of excel
ence But plead for these schools, no
merely as means Of feeding colleges, hu
as competent to give n high education il
varied branches, literary and scientific, e
a far greater number who do not 20 on Il
anything higher. These schools, like Thu
elementary schools, should be open to al
children, of the poor as well as the rich
They should be set up, like the Germat
! gymnasium, in convenient localities, so tina
, all the population may have access TO them
t They should embrace every useful branc
suited to young men and women under six
, teen and eighteen years Of age--Engis
) composition, English language history
classics, modern language, and elemenlar
science. The best scholars in our primar
schools would be drafted up to these highe
| schools, and thus the young talent Of tn
country would be turned to good accoun
while the teachers in the common school
would be encouraged by seeing their be'
pupils advance.