The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1885-12-24
Educated Farmers.


advertised freely. We read it with
peculiar pleasure and very sincere
ly do we hope that his proposition
will be responded to from every
part of the United States. Educa-
ton for the farm, especially, is one
of the great needs of Tennessee and
we trust his young men will readily
find profitable employment. A
man especially educated for the
farm would be q novelty in our
midst, and we trust that the young
men of our county, who are now in
the colleges, will, as their college
courses terminate, return to take
their places amonst US, prepared to
become educators either in our
schools or upon our farms. We
shall surely award to them the
right, however, to seek any field of
labor that offers them 1.-THE best pay,
nor will blame attach in any ssense
should they do so. There is no
law to compel the student TO pur-
sue agriculture because he is edu-
Gated in the agricultural college of
the state. We are rather disposed
to complain that unfortunately for
US perhaps our county has furnish
ed no student to the college whose
purpose.even was.to prepare for the
farm, or who even took the agricul-
tural courses, as far as we know.
Like too many others, they go to
prepare for other fields of labor
and select the university from eco
nomic considerations. We have
got to hear of the young man from
our county who has even spent one
hour upon the farm of the universe
ty, or who has attended the college
to study, in any sense, those
branches which pertain to agricul-
ture and the mechanic arts. If our
good county has ever received any
benefit from the college, as an agri-
cultural college, though an ardent
friend of the institution and an
earnest advocate of agricultural ed
cation, we have failed to find 1t out.
Prof. Glen asks with much earn
eff our young men cannot
find profitable employment on the
farms, how can we build up agrI-
1t occurs to US that the
same question might be asked in
reference to the young doctor or
lawyer. Everyone does not step at
once into lucrative business, and
thousands are content with a bare
support whilst winning their way
to popular favor by meritorious ser
ice. The young agriculturists will
not prove perhaps to be. an excep-
ton. In answer to his question
we would say that we are fast tend
ing to the conclusion that the col
lege is supported by public reve-
nues to promote the more liberal
education of the industrial classes,
by teaching first those branches
which pertain to agriculture and
the mechanic arts. This duty IS
particularly enforced by the letter
and spirit of the organic act. Let
the college discharge it by every
student who enters it, and claims
the benefit of the fund provided for
its support, apd the dawn of 4 high
er agriculture of the state is at
hand. There ought to be three or
four hundred pupils in the college
every year, and every one studying
'those branches which pertain to
agriculture and the mechanical
arts" Then when they leave the
college large proportion of them
would go back to the farms, where
Oy their higher intelligence, "their
methods in growing
crops and their knowledge of the
general laws of rural economy"
hey will become teachers by exam
pie and will rapidly diffuse
around them the better practical
knowledge in their operations.
others will become teachers IN
our public schools, prepared to
each elementary agriculture as the
aw provides to the thousands who
attend them. In this way we shall
luild up higher agriculture and
'apidly diffuse over the state that
more liberal education of the indus
rial classes contemplated by both
rational and state legislation.
Let us have a strict enforcement |
# national and state laws in refer
nee to public education, and re-
ults would soon follow that would |
stonish our very worthy and ex-
client professor, and which would |
xcite in the minds of our people |
n interest that would soon crowd |
he college beyond its capacity.
Every public school would become
terally preparatory school. We
rant active cooperation between
iiGG college and the public schools,
9th working energetically for the
anne end. Let our excellent pro-
sssor furnish for the public
chools, and for the preparatory de-
artment of the college, an elemen
airy study especially adapted to
ur wants, if the one we have is not
efficient, and a grand revolution in
8ricultural education will be inau
urated that will send our state
upward in the scale of
EDUCATIONAL prog ess. Let him be-
in at once or other states will rob
ennessee of the credit due her as
lie pioneer in behalf of industrial
lucation in the public schools.
The course we propose must be
lopted, or the building up of an
lucated husbandry in Tennessee
i'll be an impossibiIity in the near
Iture, and We shall lose the pres
ge that our advanced legislation
rs given US abroad. Let the pro-
ssor prepare to take the stump
ext summer and wake up our peo-
e to the possibilities of the col
ge in building up the material in
rests of the state under proper 4,
engagement and instruction, and
the college in the mean time
nd out few students prepared to s
its usefulness to our {
,ople, and we may grow hopeful.
III.