The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1880-10-07
Heads Of Agricultural Colleges.

Our agricultural colleges, writes a
correspondent of The Rural Ne,o
Yorker, have been making very mod
crate progress during the six to six
teen years since they have been re-
spectively organized. The act Of 1872
granting large fund in lands to the
several States for the equipment of
these colleges, should justly mark ali
era in our agricultural progress. It's
purpose was to lay the foundation of
scientific and practical schools of ag-
rlculturc and the mechanic arts. The
law IS entitled, can act donating pub
lie lands to the several states and ter
rltorles Which may provide colleges
1or the benefit Of agriculture and me-
chanical arts" The fourth section. Of
this act declares that the ssleadine OBJ
Jecty OF these colleges shall be. uto
teach such branches of learning as are
related to agriculture and the mechan-
&c arts. 1t is perfectly plain that
the trainers of the law intended these.
as special, and not as general schools.
However, much general learning the
presidents Of these colleges possess, it
does not and cannot atone fora want
of the special knowledge required for
the management of Institutions de-
voted "to teaching such branches Of
learning as are related to agriculture
and the mechanic arts. This was SO
obvious at the first glance thattno ono
could come to any other conclusion
unless the wish "became father to the
thought" =.
Yet all of these institutions were
organized by the appointment Of pres-:
idents in total disregard Of che Shirt
and letter of the ;law--by placing; "a
purely literary. man, having no know
ledge Of, and generally not even any
taste Tor, rural pursuits, at the head to
direct the teaching Of scientific and
practical agriculture and the mechanic
arts. The result has been that the
great mass of students, nine out of
ten, have pursued precisely the same
studles-and no other-as they would
at any Literary school, before. the or
ganization of these colleges. ssThis "a
ito is too small for the Michigan and
Massachusetts colleges; but large
enough to meet the facts, Of all / the
rest. &5ss ,t[sss.. $500 -
1t may not be amiss here s to show
how widely they have deyiatedf from,
the intentiontof the trainers of the law.
by quoting q paragraph from the
speech of Senator Morrill,. the anthor
OF the bill, in advocating its passage.
lie certainly ought to know what was
intended by the law which he intro
duced. Answering the objection that
they would compete with the colleges
now existing, he says !: 1Our present
alterary colleges need have no more
jealousy Of agricultural colleges than
a porcelain manu- facturer would of
an iron foundry. They move in sena-
rate sphere, without competition. -
The farmer and mechanic require
separate schools and appropriate lit
erature, quite as much as any of the
so-called professions. We need care
full, exact and systematic registration
of experiments. We need to test the
natural capability of the soils. and the
power OF different fertilizers i the rel
alive value of different grasses for
flesh, fat, and milk-giving purposes
the comparative value of grain, roots.
hay, peas, carrots. potatoes, or turnips
in pounds Of beet, pork, or mutton:
blowing as well as drainage; breeds
Of animals; remedies Tor the potato
disease, and for all the tribes of in
sects destructive to crops.'' "..-
What countenance does this give to
Q general education in these colleges?
He says: "The farmer and mechanic
require special schools and appropri-
ate literature" but the presidents of
those colleges, utterly disregarding
erary colleges, in which nine tenths
Of the students are educated without
any reference to agriculture, and have
no intention of pursuing it. And the
Especial schools" spoken Of by Senator
Morrill, were intended to be rs special
in relation to agriculture and the me-
chanic arts as the West PoinE acade-
my to military science,
. . -E.-H. .rt.rs=. inv