The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-01-12


Professor C. l.. IngersOll, of Purdue Uni
versity, closed the exercises for the evening.
SECOND DAY.
The Delegate Board of Agriculture con-
vened again yesterday morning. with PrcSi-
dent Raglan in the Chair. The Committee
on Fair Grounds submitted their report,
which was adopted.
The Committees on Finance and Womans
Department also made reports, which were
discussed. The Committee on Rules and
Regulations reported the following rates of
admission to the Fair: Single admission,
fifty cents, children, twenty-five cents; horse
and rider, seventy-fve cents; one-horse We
hicle and driver, seventy-fve cents; two
horse vehicle and driver, 81. The Commit
tee also concurs in the recommendation of
the President that the grounds be opened
OH Thursday of the week previous for the
purpose of making preparation for the Fair
which should begin on the Monday follow
ing.
TEXTILE FABRICS.
Mrs. Mary +. Haggart, general superin-
tendent of the Woman's Department, made
during the year. The number of entries
made at the last State Fair III the Woman's
Department was 93S, gain of 163 compared
with the previous year. This. the report
claims. shows no real falling off from the
previous year, owing to the change in the
rules of the Society i'm the matter of prem
iums The report recommended that the
privilege of issuing the premium orders
from their own department and that the
Jurisdiction of the women of their own de-
partment be more clearly defined 1t was
also recommended that $500 be appropri-
ated each'yea for permanent Improvements
i'm this department, and an appropriation of
81 900, the same given last year, to dcfray
the expenses of the department.
The following resolution was offered and
adopted:
WHEREAS The grounds occupied by the State
Board are mOrtgaged for 500 600, which mortgage
is overdue; and whereas, the Board is wholly un-
able to pay said mortgage: and whereas. the State
Fair is for the benefit of the people of the State,
and not for the benefit OF any particular corpora
ton or individuals; therefore,
Resolved by this delegate meeting, That the
State Board proper be instructed TO appoint
Committee of three from their number TO proper
y present this matter to the Legislature. and ask
for such relief as our very needy circumstances
require.
MEMBERS ELECTED.
Thetlection of new members of the State
Board, made the special order for , p. m, rC-
suited as follows;
Fifth District-T. W. W. sunman, of Ripley
County.
County.
Eighth District-Joseph Gilbert. OF vigo County.
Ninth Dlstrict-w. II. Raglan, OF Hendricks
County.
Tenth District-H. C. Meredith, of Wayne
County.
Eleventh District. p. Barnes, of Madison
Twelfth District-J. X. OSeal, OF Tippccanoe
County.
Thirteenth District-Captain Kirkpatrick of
Howard County.
. Following the election DIR. Lemuel Moss,
President of the State University. delivered
an address on Educated Industry"
Hon. Robert Mitchell, member of the
State Board from the First District, deliy-
cred the following paper on
''Is 1T IMPORTANT TO HAVE EXPERTS AS COM
MITTEEMEN TO PASS ON LIVE STOCK AT OUR
FAIRs?'
This question will be more easily decided if we
will first come to a clear understanding Of its
terms Let us inquire. therefore. what is intended
by the term expert? Strictly speaking, the word
experience-that is. knowledge obtained by prac-
tiee Hence it is the force of skillfu adroitness-
readiness But then, the word has passed from
its general to technical use. aud as such It ex-
a
an expert in medicine, the attorney an expert in
law. the blacksmith in iron, the carpenter or
emn1oved in its technical sense in our question.
so that what we have 10 solve Is this Is II import
ant thai our Committeeman on live stock should
expenence in live stock are they able to Judge of
the horse the bull or the COW, the hog, the sheep
from Appearance, from form, from size, from
There are many subjects of which men of
ordinarily good judgment and common sence
can express a reliable opinion upon without being
experts such for INSTANCE as the weather
OF cloth, timber, or the character OF given piece
of soil Then, there questions on which men
of ordinary capacities are incapable OF giving US
telligence, but solely from the want OF information
in particular line-as we say, from want OF ex-
Perience. Now, the question is. where does the
line fall which divides the province of the ex-
pert from the province of the amateur, or the
man of ordinarily good intelligence? Some have
insisted il the scientific line and that all sub
jects that had been reduced to a science were
matters for the adjudication of the expert and be-
yOnd the reach of the amateur. but this can not
be So for there is no subject which has been made
the theme of human thought to any extent which
does not take on the form of science. So that
the assertion of the scientific line, as the boundry
is simply relocating all questions that arise to the
expert. The truth is that IL is question not of
science, but of precision of exactitude. Some
sciences are exact. Such as mathematics, for i'll
stance. Some are inexact, such rs bread making,
which is department of chemistry. but into
which so many unknown elements enter that no
certain results can he arrived at having deter
mined these preliminaries we are prepared TO an
swer the question: Is the breeding of live stock
a science? Most certainly a large amount of in
formation relating thereto has been collected and
systematically arranged. This gives II the rank
of a science; but is il an exact science? Most
surely not too many factors, and many of them
unknown enter into IL for any man TO predict a
certain conclusion. There Ii falls outside the
province of the expert, but the line of separation
Is not a broad one. yet is clearly within the
domain OF the amateur and the man Of ordinary
good judgment. But IL will always be best to
select men of experience, men of Information as
c. mmitteemen. One of the most difficult cues
tons 10 deal with by the Managers of Agricultural
Fairs Is the selection of competent and suitable
persons to act OH Committees TO make awards
upon the various breeds of animals usually
to be found on exhibition at Agricultural
tural Societies are more severely critfci sed and
often unjustly, too, for decisions made by Com
mittees than any, perhaps all other causes COM
bined in the management of Fairs. The manner
usually adopted in the selection of Committees Is
for the Directors OF Societies to make the selec-
each one of the Directors designating a member
OF the Committee. and continuing TO select In
turn until Committees are filed. As all are
aware this Is the system now in vogue. and has
been for years. And in my opinion this system
has failed TO give satisfaction. To illustrate: We
will have shorthorn cattle as the animals under
consideration director No. VIII name Mr.
Smith, Director No. viii name Mr.. Lewis. Direc-
tor No. 3 Mr.. Brown. etc. Director No. is a fine
horseman and good judge of horses. with but
little experience in cattle, having special taste
for them, hence Is not critical judge yet he pre-
sumes to appoint q suitable person 10 I'LL this