Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-07-13

: faculty for their past services, asked
/ their resignation.
4 The Justification Of this most extra
e ordinary action was put upon the
5 ground that the college was not al
: agricultural college, and could not b'
made so by that faculty The ques
ton comes up, continues to come up
has it become an agricultural college
: since?
Governor ROBERTS says 1t Is; fps
; diri.n Governor IRELAND says it is
not. "Lpsc dirif' The press
! of the state says 1t is
not. Still differences of opinion.
But to return. Let another cbserva-
ton DE taken. Where does Governor
RoBERTs find, laid down in the sail
ing chart his idea of an agricultural
college? When has the legislature of
Texas Interpreted the act of congress
or said in what manner the college
should be conducted? The alcalde
thought it a good opportunity to pun
ish few appointees of another admin
istration, and to reward few favor
ties of his own. This is ''the milk in
the cocoanut.n But in the meantime
the college sufiers-languishes, and if
something is not done speedily, will
die. Governor IRELAND contrasts
the management of the agricul-
tural college with that of the
Prairie View school, for colored) and
that in a very damaging manner. The
agricultural college according to the
estimate of the present governor, IS a
( failure. Another question. How did
Governor ROBERTS? how do his fol-
! lowers, get the idea that an agricul-
tural and mechanical college is mere
collection of young men who simply
desire to learn how to plough? Says
BARON LIEBIG: "There is no profess
sion which for its successful practice
requires larger extent of knowledge
than agriculture, and none in which
the actual ignorance is greater
Says CAREY: "Of all the pursuits of
man, agriculture is the one requiring
the highest degree of knowledge"
Says President ABBOTT of Michigan
college: 1.-THE processes of nature in
the production of plants and animals
are hidden; plans cannot be made
giving in their execution exact pre-
dicted results rs q machinist. can do.
The routine found good i'll one place,
requires modification with variations
of many circumstances in another.
1t would certainly seem, therefore,
that in no business would knowledge
and mental discipline he of more ser
vice.
Says President CLARK of Amherst.
at takes ten years, at least, to
establish one agricultural fact
What sciences lie at the foundation of
an agricultural education? Cheniis-
try, Physics, Natural History, Histo-
ry, Social Science, and thorough
mastery of our own language. The col
lege is also mechanical and is expected
to instruct men rs scientific engineers,
civil, mining and mechanical. Does
Governor Roberts or governor any
body suppose that GEORGE A. RoEB-
LING, the builder of the first suspen-
sion bridge the world ever possessed,
was deficient in u liberal educa-
ton ? Engineers are not made by
gubernatorial .fdts-or out of the vain
imaginations of defunct politicians.
There is "no royal rodd'' to science,
and the student who hopes to become
scientific agriculturist or civil engi-
neer need noteXpect it to come through
free tuition, free books and free lunch.
But what should be doneo Better,
what can be done?
Reorganize the whole institution.
Put directory there that will in turn
put men IN the various departments
who are scholars generally, and
in their departments proficients.
Let each department be run or COLI
Quoted rs an entirety, but in harmony
with the others, each keeping its own
accounts as in any other business
matter. ii the boarding department
purchase of the farm, let it pay to the
agricultural department as to any one
else. If the mechanical department
does work for the agricultural, or the
boarding, or the literary, or the mill
tary even, let the department bene-
fitted by such work pay for it.
There is evidently want of har.
mony in the present board of directors.
The director at Bryan gives this in
formation in an interview with the
Neaos reporter some time since: Cen
eral Manager Scorr after hold.
ing his place few days resigns. A
new official, indeed, "a general mana
gerp over >ollege, president and ALL
If the present president is not the
man, select another. "a rotation in
crops of professors seems TO have
been popular heretofore, why not con
tinue 1t? But such man should be
scholarly enough 10 command the |
respect of all his associates,
mot his subordinates.) A man
of acknowledged culture--with special
scientific training to enable him to in
diligently discuss with the department
professors all the details of their spe-
cial chairs. Stillhemust be more than
this he must be an organizer, mana.
ger of men. and not hy force Of liz