Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-05-05
University OF Vermont.

very little interest in the matter. Our farm
ers generally do not know much about the
science of agriculture, and therefore fan TO
appreciate such q course OF lectures as those
arranged for their benefit. The College has
no farm for experimenting in stock soils,
fruit, crops, ETC., and 1t Will make bnt SO"
progress till this defect is remedied. You
can't convince conservative Vermont farm
er by q theory, however plausible, but show
him the mammoth squash, or delicious early
potato, the plump, heavy oat, wheat Or bar
ley, the superior butter from Jersey COW,
and be is open to argument hence 'he nee,
essity Of farm. Our State Agricultural
College will be looked into at the next
session of the Legislature, and we sug-
gest TO the farmers OF the State that they
cast some very good sized beams from
their own eyes between this time
and next October, so as to see the real dill
fculty That College or the fund approprl-
ated to agricultural purposes ought 70 pro-
duce more valuable results Tor the State
than have vet been rendered. There Is some
thing radically wrong in the plan or Its ad-
minist-ation Of the agricultural department
which demands as speedy a remedy as pos
sible. The University proper seems to be In
prosperous condition, having over ninety
students, Of whom some fifteen are ladies',
and we notice that one-third Of this number
are in the senior class. We hope the young
women of Vermont are not putting too low
an estimate on such an education as can be
secured at the University. With the open
ing fields for Young women on every hand
they should not be backward in securing for
themselves the culture needed to meet sue
cessfully the larger demands which will be
made upon them. If the idea of a collegiate
course of study becomes unpopular in the
State, it will be the fault Of the young
women themselves. This Is golden oppOr-
tunity. and they owe it to themselves and
their sex that 1t be improved in a fitting
manner
The University has museum of some
thirty thousand specimens illustrating the
various branches OF natural history, arche0l-
! ogy and numIsInatics. There Is growing
| interest IN these things and this collection
/ forms Il nucleus. The art gallery founded
/ by I. W. Park l. rapidly becoming one Of
I the attractions not only Of the college bat Of
the city itself 1t Is worthy Of considera-
ton that few places Of its size have 50 many
cultured men and women a may be found
/ in Burlington. Our course of art lectures
has been filed chiefly by men from that
city, and it. resources are by no means ex-
hausted This large number Of cultured
persons, giving 10 the society Of the city q
tone Of refinement, ! owing in NJ small
part to the presence Of a college in it. midst.
I Culture Is the atmosphere of the city. hence
is devotion - literature and art.
/ Contrast the refinement Of Boston and
/ Providence OF a small place Ike Williams
/ town OF Amherst with the culture found in
cities destitute Of q college or any educa-
/ ti0nal institution of high order No mat
ter how much wealth OF enterprise or busi-
ness success place may enjoy that company
Of educated cultured men and refined wo-
men, largely devoted 10 literary work, vii
/ not be found, unless there / a college Or
/ seminary OF learning beneath whose delight
| f1l shadow they always gather. The reason
/ ! simple the sons OF a college town 20 u
college those Of 2 business town enter bus
ines. -Rl-laEd Herald
The Hsra.d's article. above copied, i in
the main - fair and kindly that We are
sure the Herald viii not AXE it amis- if We
suggest that on one or two points it j. liable
I f. give q wrong impression. Thus. a. TO the
statement that there j. something radio
ally wrong in the plan, OF is aimini,tra-
ti5n, Of the Agricultural department Of the
Universitv-we must say that what ! q n
Ideally wrong Is the popular conception,
e,iien,iy shared by the writer Of the He
I'D article, a. TO what J. actually required
b5 the act Of Congress and by the charter Of
%. the University, "a tie way OF an Ayricul-
t-al Department. The set simply rCgaires
tina, tie institution shal .iea1t s-et
iraa-.es " ..g-rsEg as Gre related 10 ign
culture as4 tsr Nsciggi Arts. in such man
nsr a. the Legislature NAV prescribe in order
TO promote the a5sra. aaa prs1ica' education
81 ;ae .aass'r,a. c'ss,s,. in the several rar-
suits and professions in life Tie e1aca-
ton must be literal ari practical. and
TO this end the act provides expressly that
scientific and classica. stables and military
tacti,, shall Eot he excluded The charter
simply provides that " the instruction in
this Institution shall include such enlarged
facilities and extended scope and variety IN
the study Of those branches which relate TO
military tactics. agriculture and the mechan-
&c arts. as shall render the whole instruction
il conformity with the act Of Congress. 80 The
Institution is thus No more an agricultural
college than it ! Military College. or an
Industrial College, OF College Of Mechanic
Arts There i 10 requirement that il must
run an experimental farm. or do anything
more on that side than what il has ALWAYS
done teach branches relating 10 agricul-
ture and the Mechanic Arts There l. no
fund appropriated TO agricultural pur-
pose" IN any other way than that. OF course
it would be an excellent thing if the Uni
yersity could run an experiment farm-not
for the sake Of quieting prejudice and oppo-
s.tion. for the States which have attached
such farms to the institutions established by
the Congressional fund. and which find that
they must sustain them by appropriations oil
from 10000 to $4,000 annually. do not
find that they succeed in satisfying the
farmers, as q class. The average farmer, in
every State, thinks that when it comes TO
practical farming. he can teach his boy bet
ter than any college can And he finds
more fault with the methods. where colleges
undertake to teach it, than he does or can
with the colleges. which have No methods
or means Of teaching them in practical farm
Ing. Yet we wish the College could run q
farm. on some moderate scale, cor we believe
it could benefit the State thereby. And
the Herald ought 10 know that the Trustees
Of the University have always been willing
to 60 just As far in that direction ar the
State would give them the means TO 60
They have done their best, and we believe
al that could have been done, with the fund
at their disposal. As between the old Uni
versity and the Agricultural College. they
have been not only just but generous to the
latter They Try to give to the young men,
farmers sons in large proportion. and young
women, who come to them, Just The hind Of
education they desire, with a tolerAbly wide
range to select from. OF course they have
nothing to eonceal,and are always glad to he
"looked into" by the Legislature or any
body. And they viii go just as far as the
State will provide them the means to 90, in
charging the scope and variety Of the educa-
tional facilities they offer. More than this
it would not be Just to require of them.
We were going to say Il word as to the
Agricultural course in the University, but
find it said to our hand, in an article
which we copy below from the Waterman
and STATE Journal, and to which we call
attention as fair and correct statement,
from an impartial source, Of what the Is !