Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1877-01-06

hard aud be economical.
Practice these suggestions and you
will likely he benefited,
The letter is trom DR.. Minor, PresI-
dent of Va. Agricultural and Mechsni.
cal College, to DIR. Ryland, Master OF
State Grange of LOuisina. b.
VIRGINIA AGRICULTURAL. AND
MECHANICAL COLLEGE,
E,,rKsrrRc, March II, 1876.
NV Judgment at first approved the
rl,n of making the Agricultural aud
Mechanical Colleges parts OF CnlHersi-
go, f,r the obvious reason that most OF
what the students need is furnished al
ready in the Universities, aud that all
The resources of any technical school are
not too much to supply adequate IN,
>,ruction and equipment for the spec'al
,a,h,ir,l courses, and l advocat-
ed these views with tongue and pen.
have since learned that in practice
tie onposite view is indicated. Mlchl-
Jan. with her independent Agricultural
Goueac, beats Illinois, though Illinois
mikes her Agricultural and Mechanical
COLLEGE, part of 4 University called ''ln-
duslrial, where, if anywhere IN I'M
vrrsi,y. technical schools might hope to
,hriyt. and although Michigan might
have made her Agricultural College
PARTS of University which has made
Ann Arbor rank among the first educa-
,ioual centres in the land. In Iowa an
independent Agricultural College is
among the most successful! OF all.
Cornell, with ali its wealth and its no
less wisdom, finds its Agricultural
College dwindle i'll numbers. Massa-
chusetts shows us at Worcester Me,
chsnicsl School which distances all
competition; aud to Amherst (near but
quite separate from the old Amherst
tollegcj an Agricultural School which
ranks with those of Michigan and Iowa,
while the long established and richly
endowed Agricultural School OF liar
ward University Uhe Bussey SCHOOL,
ms not for some years had single
student. Doubtless the Bussey School
does q useful work in lis collections, It's
experiments, its analyses, etc, as does
Yale in it's way, though lales School
of Agriculture has no farm nor expert
mental plot; its Military School no arms
nor drill. SO the Agricultural School
of our noble University of Virginia Is
doing its special work But the real
student of agriculture or mechanics,
who has worked with his hands and
still expects to do so, does not find
himself at home in a University, and
will not-nay, indeed, cannot-stay
there. a place must be found or made
for him where working clothes, short
sleeves or greasy overalls excite no re-
mark: where plain dress, plain food and
ririd economy are the rule; where he
can oct a laborer's fare at prices within
4 laborer's reach: where he may snoul-
der his trunk and carry it to his quar-
ters and excite no contempt nor sur
prise, but gain respect in the commune
ty.
Such school We have succeeded IN
establishing here. During the last
session of ten months, nlnety-seven
SHShlo INtu Ill llltsSSs az ." WV
month that averaged less than s6.5o
each, having free tuition and free quar-
ters a few earned all, good many
earned a large part of their expenses.
We had 1872 students in our first session,
1877 IN our second, and 222 in our third,
and for our fourth session, though we
have just entered the second half of it,
aud though we have been obliged to
reject many applicants for appointments,
we have registered 254 students for the
catalogue.
Our resources, course of instruction
and all other details you will find in
reports, catalogues and other documents
sent you BY mail herewith. The report
for our second year, which | cannot
furnish you, will be found in the "Vir-
ylnia School Report" for 1874, which
l have written asking our State Super
lh'endant of Public Instruction to send
you. ~.
,h WIN renewed expression of sympa-
! III your purpose, l an,, sir, very
respectfully yours. - - =,
Gle. MINOR.