The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-03-11

Boyd, President OF the Louisiana Uni
versity, by the President Of the Illinois
Industrial University, and which sus
tains the views expressed In the commit
tees report referred to s.ts9aa I'M +s-s. ~
ILLINOIS INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY, /
s Champaign. Ills. Oct. "a, 1875. !
Dol. D. r. Boyd:
Dear Su--Yours of the 18th inst, In
Guiding copy OF q letter OF President
Minor. Of Virginia College, came to hand
few days ago.
The question OF the union of the agri-
cultural colleges with universities Is by
no means new one, either in this
country or In Europe. 1t engaged my at
tention years ago, and my deliberate
Judgment, as President Minor says his
own was at the outset, was in favor OF
such union. No facts subsequently de-
veloped, either here or elsewhere, have
led me in any degree TO waver in my
opinion.
The celebrated Baron Liebig, who
may be called the father OF agricultural
education, or at least one OF its most
influential and intelligent friends, told
me at his own home in Munich that af-
ter watching the progress Of separate
agricultural schools, q d-of. those con-
nected with universities, his opinion
was decidedly in favor OF the latter, and
instanced to me the success OF the agri-
cultural college at Halle In connection
with the university there. .
Athis suggestion visited that school
and found It the most prosperous OF all
the agricultural colleges saw In either
England, France or Germany.
The cases cited by President Minor
do not, in my opinion, bear the inter-
probation which he seems to put upon
them. In the first place, there was and
il little demand among the agricultural
classes Of the country for. agricultural
education. Many farmers desire to give
their sons au education, and fancy that
an agricultural college will be better
than any other institution, not because
1t will teach them agriculture, but be-
cause il will give them education with
out weaving them from the farm. Such
an opinion was expressed to me by the
President Of the Michigan State Agri-
cultural Society, who was one OF the
warmest advocates of their agricultural
college. II do not wish it to teach my
sons agriculture" said he; 81 can do
that at home. wish to give my sons An
education nIa school where they will
not be alienated from the farm, as they
would be in the Sta.e University.
And for a long time the amount OF
agriculture taught at that school was
made, as a member Of its board, Ia 1859,
to organize it as thorough agricultur-
al college was stoutly resisted by sew
eral OF its faculty and friends, who
frankly avowed that they did not be-
lieve in agricultural education.
The simple truth, 1t seems to me, Is
this: Many farmers wish to educate
their SONS, and hope to do 1t more
cheaply at an agricultural college than
elsewhere.
The Michigan Agricultural College
has boarding house In which IL con-
sumes the products OF its farms, and Is
able thus to furnish cheap board, and
to allow it's students to pay for the same
by their labor. This, Of course, attracts
many students, who are willing to take
what little agriculture their course con-
tains, for the sake OF getting the cheap
general education furnished there.
[ do not wish to say aught in dis
arrangement OF the institution, whose
president is personal friend, and whose
fidelity TO the cause Of industrial educa-
ton fully believe In.
The comparative statement between
Michigan and Illinois, made by Presi
dent Minor, is based upon q misappre.
hension. No student here takes the
agricultural course but at his own
choice, and the number of bona fde ag-
ricultural students here l believe TO be
considerably in excess OF those In Mich
igan, although, having no boarding
house as market, VIC have NOS been
able to offer cheap board with oppor-
tunity to pay for it in labor.
The numbers OF students In our agri-
cultural and horticultural courses have
varied from forty to eighty, without in
cluuing many farmers sons. who come,
as they do in Michigan, for a general
expecting to return to the
farm il something better does not offer.
Our agricultural course has been and
agricultural students have stood as high
as those Of any other department..
Some of our best graduates, most
honored by their classmates Of all de-
partments, as we'll as by the faculty,
have been agricultural students.
In my judgment, a fair comparison of
the facts been Michigan and Illinois
will result in favor OF the latter. Our
of students are greatly in ex-
cess of theirs three to one.
No one here believes the Michigan
College our superior in
any respect whatever.
The Agricultural College has not been
our sole industrial school. We have
the most Furnishing schools Of mechan-