The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-08-28
A. a VI. COLLEGE.


Illhe to time, in The Comet editoria
references by you, to the A. & NJ. Col
ID iege OF this state, showing that yol
are IN cordial sympathy with its wei
-, lare, and appreciate how much is i'm
:, VolVed in its success or failure ON fin,
one hand OF the other. A place there
fore in your columns to make som,
C. observations in relation to that insti
h. tuition, we feel sure will not be de-
MED us.
1t is often said that "a good begin.
u hlng makes bad ending" but we
u have always doubted the truth and
philosophy of the maxim. Every man
!. IN the State who has any hope for or
W interest in the College, should direct
his energies toward giving it a char
acter from its very beginning. If
= this institution succeeds, its success
It VIII be the more brilliant ON account
of the inevitable obstacles it will have
to contend with.
Among the youth of Mississippi it
$ IS regarded as somewhat incompatible
with the dignity of gentleman, to
have Il profession that involves manual
labor to any extent; and they are not
yet schooed to the idea that collie
giate education Of any sort is intended
to fit young man for any thing but
one of the professions. This is one
difficulty in the shape of moulded
public sentiment; another is, that
every county and town of the State
T has graduates, or at least citizens who
have been students, of Oxford, whose
sympathies are largely in behalf of
that institution.
There is II feeling ON the part of
many of the friends of Oxford that
the A. 4 M. College is Il rival institu-
ton, and hence any success that may
attend the latter, will be at the cost
and injury of the former.
The foregoing are few of the diff
culties in the way of our new college.
The very fact that the first mentioned
obstacle, to-wit: the aversion to man
ual labor, rebounds more to the pov-
erty of our state tan any other cause
whatever, makes the fact itself
veritabIe disgrace. The result of this
fact has been to crowd the professions
to such an extent as to make those
who derive a living thrrelrom, almost
as rare relatively as those who draw
prizes in Il lottery. In every town of
the State there is an average of about
1ne at1rt.IIl$t lawyer 70 every one hundred i'll
drawing Il bare subsistence n""." n""n"'l' are ,
profession; each one, however, patient !
Iy waiting till he may have a seat in i
that upper story where ii is stated
Daniel Webster said there was plenty !
of room. If such speech was ever I
uttered by this great man concerning ,
himself, it is a deplorable fact that
while he attained the highest seat in {
the highest story there are thousands y
yes millions, who are every day =
delLded in entertaining the same SEN |
timent rs TO themselves. J.
1t is an unmistakable fact that the !
professions in the South are now !
more poorly paid than any of the II
trades or business pursuits. !
A merchant, with one or two thou Il
sand dollars Of capital, limited credit
and capacity, will, by ordinary atten- t
ton to his business, make more money !
at selling goods than the leading s
lawyer or doctor of the same town, Ii
will make at his profession. The +
same is true and perhaps to greater Il
extent of the farmers advantage over y
the professional man. AS Il proof of I
the assertion that the remuneration J
of professions in the South, is not o
nowadays with the v
capital labor and mutual capacity /
invested, as compared with the other !,
avocations, we have but to look around Ii
us and observe the disparity. This .
should not he so, and would not be so 6
if there was healthy sentiment eX- Il
isting as to the dignity of labor. n
While we have thus drawn rather II u
dark picture for the professional classes h
we do not think it over drawn but it u
only presents the farming and me- p
chanicaI interests favorably by con- tI
trast, for, take the latter two absolute a,
ly, and they present II state of facts v
greatly TO he deplored. r
For want of more skill and intelli- II
gence among our farming classes, Mis- 7
souri,, Kentucky and other Northern 4
and Western States, have become the r.
land for our smOke-hOuses and stock
wards. For every train that carries g
Off a load of cotton i'm the fall d.
another returns with load OF e e
mules that could have been raised fa
here at half their purchase money. u
But the money that should re- a,
main at home which is sent out OF "
this State every year for mules and RI r,
other stock, will not compare with "
that amount expended for meat and =, ~
lard. IA
In the mechanical industries the ~
disease is quite as great. You cannot W
find a store which keeps a general g, g,
where there may not he
found for sale ax-handles, hoe-handles, n n
horse-shoes, and every other concelv- a,
able device of that character, all OF g
which are manufactured at the North Ii
instead Of at home. r.
VIII the foregoing facts fail to de Al
the necessity for an Agri- u
cpltural and Mechanical college? We !. -
certainly think the response will be ci
poI Then, what is necessary 10 make 4
If a success is only that every man in "
the state capable Of lending it aid, = =
sh,,,II f-l il his individual duty TO =,