The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-01-16
An Appeal 90 the Legislature IN
Behalf of ara A@vicEz dur.si saE d
Mechanical S,eIIrZc.

EDITORS CLARION i desire in Thu ct'm-
municalion TO cali the attention of.th Leg
isIafure to matter which ! cOgct iVt. 10 be al
great importance to the agricultural aud
mechanical interests OF the State. ! refer
to the es ahlishment OF al Agrit u'tUrai and
Mechanical College. Some years ago The
Congress Of the Uulted States donated 20
the State what is known as the Agriculiu
raj Scrip Fund amounting TO something
near two hundred thousand dollars, tsle n
terest of which was to be use for the esfa''-
lishnlent and maintainance Of en- us it''f'o;s
of this character in this at. Ii T. NJ :
sippi carried ont in good tatth the lhtell' ION
of Congress and appropriated the inter ST
on the fund in a proper manner! answer
emphaticaliy, no. How ha; >ha appfo p:Iafcd
| it? By lacking on to tae tail etid OF Ok
| ford an Agricultural Department. which Is
| humbug and delasien, have heard,
| and have no doubt of its truth. that stu
dents who enter this department at oxford
are sneered at. This is tie natural conse
quence when TIE supreme folly is commit
| ted of attaching 10 a purely IL erarY 1nsLl-
turiOn an agricultural department, and
| hold it is not carry ing out IN good faith the
| intention of Congress in making he dona-
| ton. l would not be Understood IN this as
censuTing the management of Oxford. She
| has work TO perform for the > ate, ard
| think Is doing it well, but in the nature OF
| things she can't do this wo-k 1t Is entirely
| foreign rom the purposes OF her found
ders, and il is folly, The worst of folly. to
| 49,
| the State needs l., an institution in which
the leading idea is agriculture and mechan-
| les.
1t is fashionable with some people to
sneer at anything like science in agricnl-
ture, seeming to think that nothing but
muscle is necessary 70 successful farming.
! This is certainly a great mistake. Oae OF
the greatest needs of the farmers OF Mis-
sissippi is TIE CIVILIZATIONS OF their BRAN : 50
| that they may inteiligently direct the la
Dor of their hands, shorten their hours OF
toll, and make thHir avOcariOn pleasant
and pleasing pursuit rather than an lrk~ome
| task. None will deny that we are peculiar
| " an agricultural people, and that this
great interest from which most of cur
wealth is derived, underlies all others, and
| if is laaguishes all others must feel the Bale
| FIJI effects, and hence il is Ine duty OF the
State to foster it BY every legitimate
means.
The agricultural industry of this State |
| trust has touched bottom in the downward
| road, and hope win now Change front and
move forward on 4 career OF prosperity.
! One of the means to this end, is an instltd-
ton at which our young men whose cap&cs
| titles and inclinau0nS lead them to follow
| agricultural and mechanical pursuits. may
receive practical, scientific education, that
| will quality them TO become useful, perhaps
emitent in these aVccationS How many
| young men OF the country have gone mo
some of the learned professions. tor " hIch
| they were wholly uUsutted, because IL WAS
| fdShIonaolc to do so, bi'fD2 educated IN some
institution where the leading idea pointed
in that ditec: on, who drag out existence,
as mere cTphcT., df3nce ia Tie gteai hive of
humanity, ard fail III all the purposes OF
life, and pass away without contributing
anything to The great storeh0use of wealth
In the world. simply because their natural
capacities and !aclin itious were not prop
! g, ~ tdn, at-d aud Gil, ctesi.
l th * Ire agricultural and mechanical
Interests OF the state can reasonably ask
the LEGISLATURE to carry out the intention
| of Congress in making the donation and
economical basis, placing it within the
| reach 81 men OF moderate property 10 edu-
cate their sous ia the Branches which will
best promote tie agricultural and mechan-
ic,l Interests OF the State.
y FARMER OF EAST MIsss ssIPPI.