Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-05-29

which he SAYS 50 That it will be impossi-
Bile to close the rum-shops OF the poor as
long as the nobility and gentry pride them
selves on well-stocked wine cellars"
From the Agricultural Department Of the St Al
bans Advertiser.l
The State Agricultural College.
We desire to urge upon the attention OF
our readers the opportunities offered them
for educating their chidren-daughters as
well as sons-at the State Agricultural Col
lege at Burlington. This institution was
founded in the interest and for the benefit
far as we can learn, it is faithfully managed
in accordance with its design. With such
men on its board Of Trustees as Hon Justin
| S. Morrill,, the Father of the National Col
leges and the steadfast friend Of the indus
trial classes as Hon. Samuel Ii. Stevens. OF
! this county, one of our most intelligent
farmers as Hon. Horace Fairbanks, and
Lawrence Barnes, men who have shown
themselves thoroughly alive to the material
as well as the higher wants of the State;
and others of like practical views, there
| need be 10 lack of confidence that the In
stituton is honestly and capably managed
and that the interests of the industrial
classes are faithfully guarded. We are
pleased to see that the college is growing IN
numbers and in strength, and Is living down
the suspicious it had to contend against at
the outset. The attempt to endow sepa-
rate and exclusively agricultural school
| having met with a disheartening indliier-
| ence in all parts of the State, and the fund
| having been entrusted to the State Uniyer-
si.y. as in several other States, some. fear
was entertained that it would be used mere
" to strengthen the other departments and
would not add any new elements TO the
educational force of the State. That 1t has
indirectly strengthened the University we
doubt not, for we see that the academical
departments are in hourishing condition
and we are far from grudging the old
college this help, for three-iourths of its
students have always been farmers sons
But new departments have been added,
such a the Congressional grant was de-
signed to foster. Among the subjects taught
| in the Institution which - relate to Agri-
| culture and Mechanic Arts, we notice IN
| the programme of studies Botany, Physlo-
| logy. Zoology, Assaying. Analysis OF soils,
mineral water, fertilizers, etc. Surveying,
| Engineering, stone cutting, Bridge build
ing, Mechanical Drawing, etc.
We learn further, on inquiry, that these
subjects are taught erperlmeHfaHg, a. well
as scientifically that for instance insects
! injurious to vegetation are exhibited IN
their various stages that each student Is
required to analyze soils. minerals, etc. IN
the Laboratory under the eye OF the Pro-
fessor that surveying Is taught IN the held
and on the street. as well as in the class
room that actual arches. bridges, etc, are
studied. SURVEYED and drawings made OF
them-and so on. in all the branches. The
Trustees seem to have decided-and we
think wisely-not to hazard the success oil
! the enterprise while II Is IN IT. beginning,
! on an experimental farm. II the Probes
Sors are competent and enterprlsIng. every
| GOOD farm in the State may be used a an
experimental farm, and at little expense to
the Institution whereas. experience thus
far has shown that a farm managed by
college, i a ruinous bill of expense, and
Yields no material benefits which might not
lie secured in other ways. Let the college
| furnish the scientific training. and let the
| practical agriculturalistS OF the State CO.
! operate with it by conducting such expert
ments a. the College proposes, and We can
! hardly tail Of good and important results.
/ For instance. il the College Will lay out IN
/ detail. series of experiments touching the
various points in dispute among dalrymen,
| we will guarantee that any required num-
| Der of intelligent dairymen may be found
| who will conduct the experiments and send
/ up the results to the college, to be tabula-
/ ted and reduced To "A practical conclusion
| for the benefit of all The difficulty with
the mass of experimenters i not in perform
! ing the experiments, but in formulating
them and working out the results. But
while We claim that the practical branches
| in the Agricultural College should not be
neglected. we recognize the Importance OF
other studies. such a help to make the
| student an educated man as well "a skill
| ful wOrkman,-the modern languages, the
| physical sciences, history, political econo-
my, government, moral science, writing and
public speaking. Whence comes the " in
/ significance of the industrial classes, If 1t
exists (and it Is certainly loudly proclaim
1 edl. in a country where ability and lnteih-
/ gence. and not wealth or rank, bear sway
Mnnifestly from the lack. not OF brains, but
| of trained intellectual force. II the farmers
| of Vermont, by availlng themselves OF the
results of scientific Investigation. OF IN any
other way. should double their efficiency a
| farmers 50 that they would be twice as rich,
| live twice as well, and have twice a much
money to lend. they would not add to their
political. social and moral force IN the com
monwealth. unless they should also Increase
their acquaintance with the questions that
! interest and move communities. and their
power of exerting influence by writing and
| speech. To gain the knowledge that Is
power, something T.ore Is needed than
little miscellaneous reading. These subjects
must be STUFFED, mastered in their prlnci-
pies Once in great while young man
appears. who has native energy enough to
overcome the obstacles that beset the stu
dent who strives TO educate himself, I'M
aided by teachers ana college influences.
But such a man * almost a. rare a. the
youth who shows himselta born sculptor by
making SNOW image" To make strong
and influential men. our youth need skilltul
and thorough intellectual training. Our
Vermont farmer boys should not allow
themselves to be duped into a life of insig-
niicance and " clod-hopping by the no.
ton, 50 long prevalent among their class,
that anything beyond a cOmmOn-schOOl edu-
cation, Is - too good for a farmer And
to get higher and better education, enc
that Is thoroughly practical, for it aims at
every point to make the student a strong
and useful man. they need not go outside
of our own State.