The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1880-11-18
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES.
Planters Journal.1

what Las pSeh done ana what Is being &C
compiished to establish Agricultural Schools
and Colleges. The inauguration of the 40
ricultural and Mechanical College of Missis
slppi, at Starkville, marks an era in our pro
gress In the right direction. The Starkvill,
Times says lit Is 10 be all that its name i'm
plies, /. e., q college conducted primarily
with view to the teaching and fosterinl
+ OF agricultural and the mechanical arts, to
gether with all the cognate pursuits that flow
out OF them and that are allied to them
special stress viii be laid upon those studio.
, which are necessary to scientific education
and to competent understanding of aeri
cultural industries and the mechanical arts.
The great sustaining industry of the State
Is to be lifted to the high plane of liberal anG
humanlzlng pursuits; and the supreme dig
nifty of labor illustrated and established Il
the daily life of our people,"
The good that will be done by the accom-.
Pllshment OF what Is above stated, will bt
simply incalculable. This institution wa,
opened on the 9th ultimo, and, on that dav
one hundred and forty pupils reported at the
college office, and every train has continued
70 add to the number, making it safe to say
that by the time this reaches our readers til,
number will be at least two hundred, if not
more. Notwithstanding there has existed
a prejudice against agricultural and me
IchAnical colleges, they have increased il
L liz,
time is come when all realize their import
ance, and stand ready to give them
the support necessary to their existence.
We have long been of the opinion
the opposition was owing to too
much being attempted at the beginning
rather than to move forward step by step
until firm foundation was reached that
promised to be durable and to produce last,
ing results.
L w. 4
| ty, and Medicine, the learned professions
and not to apply the term profession to Ag-
riculture or the Mechanic Arts. The word
profess, when used as transitive verb, sig
nifies, "to set up a claim to-" Profession
we find to be, chat of which one processes
| knowledge; the occupation, if not mechsn-
| zeal, agricultural, or the like, to which one
| devotes himself; the business which one
processes to understand and to follow for
subsistence"
The business that an agriculturist follows
Is usually the one that supplies him with
| subsistence, and is certainly a profession !;
and, in order to carry it on and conduct it
in such a manner as to secure the largest
profit and the highest degree ofsuccess, the
one so engaged should be a scientific man,
and he would not then only belong to one
of the professions, truly, but, being learn
ed man, would be a professor in that pur-
and upon the success of which depends not
only the welfare, but the perpetuation, Of
all other pursuits and callings to which the
mind of man has been directed, and that has
caused him to spend his time and money in
attaining. The learned DIR. Hitchcock
President of the Amherst College, was a
great friend to agriculture, and a warm adj
vocate of extending information to those
who were cultiyating the SOIL and always
hold Il -
purpose should be seperate from literary
institutions, giving as his reasons for such
opinion
L. Because lectures upon such subjects
attract but few of the students of colleges,
most of whom are looking forward to pro-
fessional life, i. e., law, divinity or medi
cine.
2. Because the two classes of students who
would thus be brought together, would have
too little sympathy to act in concert, and
as equals in the same university.
3. Without such concert and sympathy, !
one or the other of the classes of students
would feel no pride in the institution and
without such esprit de corps, it could not
prosper.
4. Because the field is wide enough to
require separate establishments. The prin
ciples of agriculture are based upon a large
part of the physical sciences No man can
understand the principles of farming who
is not more or less acquainted with chemis-
try, anatomy, physiology, botany, mineral
Ogy, geology, meteorology, and zoology
and then the practical part requires an ex-
tensive acquaintance with various branches
of mathematics and natural philosophy.
3. Because it demands extensive collec-
tions of various kinds in order to elucidate
the principles of husbandry enough, in
deed, to belong to any scientific institution
and too many to form a mere subordinate
branch of some institution with different
object in view.
6. Because the number of instructors
must be SO large that they could not conve-
| niently form an adjunct to some other
institution.
In all our reading, we have never seen
| anything to equal this; and as we never
heard a lecture on agriculture, have conse~
| quently, never heard anything to approach
it. If the libraries of the world were
sifted, our opinion is, nowhere would be
| found anything that could in any way equal
| this encomium of the learned DR. Hitch
| cock on agriculture as an art, as a science,
as learned profession. In accordance with
| these views we are justified in believing it
would be we'll to attach a literary insti-
| tuition to agricultural colleges, rather than
| to unite an agricultural college to a literary
one. At least, we are justified in the be-
| lief that, if Clio, the muse who presides
over history, will keep correct record of
passing events, not many years will elapse
before she will find it necessary to record
| the fact that agriculture is not only the
highest pursuit of man, but that its com
| plete success depends upon an amount of
| learning, equal, if not superior, to that
which is demanded by any other employ
ment known to our race.
Agriculture is not only the progressive
science of tilling the ground, but applies to
| the preparation of the soil, the rearing,
management and feeding Of stock We
make use of the word agriculture instead
of the word farming, because of its being
| more comprehensive, and we like it better
Notwithstanding it is said "the farmer is
always practitioner, and the agriculturist
may be mere theOr!st."
Many persons who design that their sons
shall follow agricultural pursuits, will not
give them what is called a thorough course
Of education, which, it may be admitted,
is not absolutely necessary, yet, can it do
any injury?
This thorough course of education can be
| considered nothing more than a foundation
on which to build, and it is, at least, pre-
sumable that the better the foundation, the
| less liable will be the superstructuIe TO give
way, though it will not always prove't to be
the case. On the other hand, if we design
giving our boys one o f the learned profess
sions, he must go to college and graduate.
If he graduates with distinguished honor,
it is well if not, he is nevertheless, grad
uate and must know more than those who
were not equally favored. Must why
must? We had better substitute the word
should but do they always occupy such
position? Not always,-and why? because
they devote, or should devote, their time to
those studies best suited to the profession
they are to follow, which is right. Of all
the pursuits known TO man, there is not one
that calls for more extended application Of
knowledge than that Of the agriculturist.
1t is best that the head, the hand, and the
heart should be educated, and his pursuit
does it. 1t includes every branch of science,
and, to greater or less extent, they are all
applied BY him, or should be used, in order