The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-12-02
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.
ApfDwgss or PRESIDENT ABBOT OF
TINE MICHIGAN STATE AGRICUL"
TURAL COLLEGE

TURAL COLLEGE
nefOre the Mouse of Representatives Of
the MICHIGAN Legislature. March 4,
1875.
There is q special need Of educational work for
farmers. Little comparatively has been done for
thsm. a young man may choose out OF hundreds
a. schools In which to study Law or medicine. or
ths higher mathematics, or Greek and Latin. In
these branches teachers and text books abound.
Schools OF civil engineering. even mechanical
1crineering and mining abound. IL we take 40
s,nt Of the compar atively fewness of the classes
fOf which they exist. Ia agriculture here and
1here school or professorship struggles against
deer settled pteiudices OF community and the
inherited sxioms OF liberal education.
Asaiu. farmers are isolated; there is not that
shsfp action 81 mind upon mind which disciplines
rs duiok perception and logical thought the arti-
1ane 81 1 manufacturing city. lnformation, im-
l3rOyements reach them more slowly than
other industrial classes. Again. mechanical
vvorks. msking Of railways, mining, manufactures.
SrnOioy the masses Of laborers under q skilled
nasser, whose educstion in sense suffices for all
8hise III agriculture the advance depends upon
me general progress Of the masses themselves.
Besidss, the business OF farmer is highly
eompiioated ~ compared with that OF carpen-
ter. miller or manufactures. An apprentice
chip that would Al young man 70 compete with
1s,.Isborer s il most trades would go but little
way II hstisg him 70 bs good farmer. Maohn-
efy II made according to fixed principles OF 40
Ston. that are simple and to great extent known.
1ee6hanios are 90 exact as to go by the name of
SY5nlisd inathematio It ia not 30 with the far
nier's business. Gate body OF smpiricsl rules
exist: but undsrlsiog principles that would ena.
Bic ons 70 vxry hts prscioe from knowledge OF
~ relations of cst,se and effect are TO great
.extent wanting. % IL these principles are as
eertainpd, agriculture will be among the arts
tkat have no hxed foundations in scienoa. "Co
know well," says Lord Bacon, sis to understand
which Tor iss successiul practice requires larger
extent Of knowledge han agriculture. AID none
III which the actual Ignorance is grea er." OF all
The pnrsuits OF man. says Carey In his ''5ooiai
esienoss,r vol q, d. 70, agriculture is the one
recurring She highest degree Of knowledge" The
pr0cssses 81 nature in the production Of plants
and animals sre hidden; plsns cannot be made,
ewing Lid shsr exscut on exact predicted results,
"a inaohinist can do. The routine found good
ia one place requires modification with the vsria.
lions * many circum stances in another. Il
would certainly be. m. therefore, that in no bust
ness would kDowlsdge and mental discipline be
~ more service.
When the farm r understands The breeding and
care Of his cattle and the raising Of bis crops,
ahere ID other knowledge needful still. His bust
iaess has wide relations to the affairs Of other
men. These ls needs to understand. He
ah0uld be- acquainted with the laws of trsnsporta-
tion, Uf trade, and OF money. Elk Gov. Seymour,
~ New York, Ia late visit TO the Agricultural
College, told ms that the Cheese Assooiat ton Of
his place lnd II to their profit TO have bulletins
fekerdinR the markets direct from Lond n. In
respect 70 this needed knowledge OF political
eCOnomy, farmers, AZ cass, are lacking. They
nre VOC apt to rest content with what they are
told when they come to market, and too apt to
plan with reference 10 the last years profls
oniy-to rest content In intellectual isolation.
Farmers. ~ class, do not take the social and
pcliticAl rank that their numbers and Importance
entitle them to, There are about 100000 per-
eons engaged in agriculture in the United States
The census give III log lawyers, and yet MIR.
Perry the able profes or of political economy of
Williams College, 10 reported in the papers to have
aAid publicly that he could point out one hum
afed Of those lawyers who have exerted more pJ-
1ttoal influence In the State and nation than
Ill the 600 900 farmers have done.
Consideration csnnot be forced it must be the
outcome 81 genuine roey.ut. Legislatloa can
i1s raaA ti... vf svclsl ana political stand
5kE education can.
There Is another drawback to the farmers bus.
mess which education only can reach. The sons
Of farmers who acquire an education forsake the
calling. The other occupations of life present
more alluring prizes, great wealth, honor and in
11uence.
Were IL not that education has generally meant
abandonment Of the farm, that an education
which does not lead to other business is gener-
ally regarded, and by farmers themselves also, az
of what gives 1t pleasantness and dig ity, we
might hope that many would seek an education
IN order The better to be farmers.
Prot. Andrew Il. Peabody, of Harvard Univer-
ranged balance to society. its old honor
must be rendered back to labor. Industrial
pursuits must be raised in responsibility and
dignity shove the lower walks of commerce.
and fully to. level with it's higher depart.
ments and functions. Both agriculture and
IA mn bo ia ara1 aeoiop
This can be Effected only by stocking them with
men OF liberal culture for it lie not the profess on
that gives character and standing to the man,
but the man to the profession Our agricultu-a al
colleges and our industrial itutt he goes on
10 say, s'are supplying the needed culture, and
are going TO replenlsh the field and the work.
shop with new order OF large and high minded
operative men OF liberal tastes, pursuits and
aims, who will dc houor to their respective call
ings, and make hem seem worthy the noble ct
ambition VI the aspiring youth to the coming gen.
Grafton"
Who, looking over this fair penineula, noting
how largely farmers exceed any other class in
numbers, aud that agriculture IL the rother OF
arte can bear to believe that it's ranks Ct farm RS
must continue to he depleted " the educ ste d
ones Of their sons, that social aud political dis
lance between farmers and those in professions
ehAll grow up and widen, that the greater dis
Cipiine and knowledge IL to be usurped by the
capita and that agrcul ure is TO remain
Logger stationary while all other trades are NOV
Ing on.
NEWSPAPERS AND CLUBS.
No means of education can mpare with the
newspapers and periodicals. In the Westeyn
FARMER FIR December II, 1871. it lie sta ed that
there were but ak O. riouturai papers In the
United States ia 1888. Now about Que hundred
AGRICULTURAL papers, or an increase more than
thirty times as great as that Of our population,
And well edited columns in other papers, spread
emongst hundreds of thousands OF readers their
weekly, or monthly records OF agricu tural pro-
6reas and experiments. 30 there we're in 1899,
but four agricultural societies in the Uu,tsd
Statee. In June, 1879, 1850 such societies aid
clubs, repot ted t. the Department Of Agriculture
ii Washington, and Michigan alone sent in the
namts Of 81; and one has only to read The annual
prppramme OF such club as the Folns, AK
After the discussions and experiments of one like
the Romeo, or secure list OF the lectures and
papers presented 10 one like the Mao club,
70 be aware OF their great educating |, fluence.
The graugers also, by discussing in their NEE :
inra d still wider range of topics. EN-.
brscing not only practical farming but the
relation OK the business to the other in-
dustries or the world, cannot but prompt its mem
hers and the communities they are in to set a
hiah value ON education. My purpose, however,
Aces moi lead me 10 dwell on these mt aus OF