Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1885-09-03
THE STATE AT LARGE.
PRESIDENT WILLIS ADDRESS.
Commencement Day at Agricultural College


Inst. They were held In large pavilion on
the college green, and at 10 o'clock, the time
set Tor the exercises to begin, fully 2,50O
people were in attendance. All the members
of the state board OF agriculture were present,
and In addition several who are well known In
agricultural and educational circles through
out the state and country, among them being
DIR. ID. Z. Halliday OF New Orleans, an officef
Of the national board OF health; the Hon. y.
NJ. Willard, president of the board Of trustees
Of the Illinois university and president OF the
alumni association OF the college, he being
member Of the class of "a; Prof. +. X. Bellows
Of Ypsilant; the Rev. Mr.. Ciute of Iowa, OF
the class of '6i, Oscar Eaton, ex-senator sum
net OF Monroe county, Judge j. Z. Chatterton
of Mason, Samuel NJ Bartlett of Monroe and
+. s. Finley of Ypsilantl.
The platform occupied position opposite
the entrance 10 the pavilion. On the platform
were seated the members of the state board oil
agriculture and President Willis. On the
right were the twenty nine young men com
posing the graduating class and q finer ex'
ample of physical manhood would be hard to
ind. On the left Spells orchestra of Detroit
discoursed fine music and greatly added to the
enjoyment of the occasion.
The following Is list OF the graduating
class William ). Baird, Lansing; Edward A.
Bartmess, Buchanan; Richard NJ Bates, Hast
lngs Fred. l.. Chappell, Cooper; James Y.
I. French, Almena Harry p. GLADDEN., Lansing;
Elwyn r. Gardner, Centeryille: Robert w.
Hemphill, Jr Ypsanti; Theries ID. Hinebauch,
Vicksburg; Charles III. Hoyt, Irving; Edward
r. Lake 'Ypslanti; Glen G. Lawrence, Charles
worth; John w. Matthews, Hastings; George
Morrice, Pewamo; Lewis &. Palmer, Napoleon;
Truman l.. Parker, Carlton Center; Wilbur i.
Power, Pontiac; George +. Sprang, Lansing;
DoT j. Stryker, Dayton; Harris +. Thomas,
Middleville; James ID. Towar, North Lansing:
Perry G. Towar, North lansing; Hubert NJ.
Wells, Howell; Frank VI. WOodmansee, Mid
dleville; Edwin ;. Antisdale, Nyack, n. T.:
Charles b. Collinewood, Boston, Mass. Julius
r. Newton, Pendleton, ~ {.
The exercises were commenced promptly At
the hour and were opened with prayer by the
Rev. Mr.. Cute This was followed by an over
tnre by the orchestra and this by an Grafton by
Richard Nj. Bates, entitled National Prog
ress.n The next subject was Science and
Agriculture by Fred l.. Chappell. The bal
anee of the programme was carried out as fol.
lows: Orations on Culture in English Liter
ature,o by James Y. Clark; pleasure in Scien.
Hiram T. French; "Dixie at Present. Robert
w. Hemphill, lr.; Evolution THERE'S ID
Hinebaugh: preparation, then Responsible
ty,n James d. Towar.
Following the delivery OF the orations was
music, and then the interesting ceremony OF
comforting the degrees.
The address of President Willets was an I'm,
usually interesting one. Extracts are given az
follows:
This institution is twenty-eight wears old
May IL, 1851 the buildings and grounds wer.
dedicated by the state board of education, with
appropriate services, in the presence OF the
governor, several officers of the state govern
ment and a large concourse of citizens from
various portions of the state. II was the first
agricultural college on the continent Other
states had moved In the same direction, but
Michigan forestalled all Others in the enter
prise of establishing an institution of learning
whose sole object should be the intelligent in
vestigation and application Of subjects pertain
ing to agriculture and the edu alton OF young
men into n higher and, If possible, beitei
system of farming, as well as into a cultiyated,
practical manhood"
'The enterprise had been wen considered
Ii was the creature of the Michigan
state agricultural society, and to the
persistent exertions of that lody the state
largely owes the, the prompt &c, consideration h %
1919, at the second annual meeting Of
the executive committee of that society al
Jackson, at which were present Gov. +. Ran
som, +. s. Fnlay, Bella Hubbard, Michae
Shoemaker and Others II was resolved TO inter
est the legislature in establishing state cen
trail agricultural Office, with which should bt
connected museum of agricultural products
and implements and an agricultural library
and as soon as practicable an agricultural col
lege nd model farm. A committee was duly
appointed TO memorabilia the legislature, anC
In January 1880, Bella Hubbard, for the com
mittee, presented the subject 10 the Legislature
In well-considered memorial, In which he SET
and summed up the scope OF such an institu
ton by saying that there should be laugh
there those branches of education which Will
tend to render agriculture not only useful, bu
learned and useful profession, and its cult
vators not the bone and sinew' merely, bu
ornaments Of society,""
1.-THE result was that the legislature by &C
of Feb. IL, 1855, established this college, pro
yiding that IL should be located within ter
miles of Lansing, the site 10 be G farm o.:
not less than 800 acres, to be selected subjec
TO the approval of the state board of education
by the president and executive committee OF
the state agricultural society. The present
site, then virgin wilderness, three miles eas'
Of the City of Lansing, was June 16, 1855, sc
lected, and May 10, 1851 on this very spot, az
near as may be, the new enterprise was dedi
Gated"
''ln the years that have interviewed nearly
1900 students have entered its halls, 360 have
graduated, and all, whether they have stayed
months or years, have gone forth with pur
pose ennobled by their associations here, and
the larger proportion of them have in the fol
lowing years adopted agriculture as a profes
sion. Ofthe graduates over 30 per cent of them
are farmers or In kindred pursuits. Sixteen
are professors or instructors In agricultural
colleges, north and south, east and west. One
lege, another has almost from its
foundation been member of the Illinois in
dustrial university, and Is now president OF
the board. There is not a professional school,
CitntI VI law OF meuclnc, IN the country,
which can show llrger percentage of gradl
ates who finally follow the profession therein
taught, and this notwithstanding the fact that
many have entered the agricultural college
with the avowed intention of not following
agriculture as a life pursuit. The doors have
not been barred against such for the reason
that even these In their respective spheres oil
life will be instinct with agricultural tenden
cies and will be active promoters OF agricul
tural science.n
'At the farm extended practical instruction
is given upon land drainage, rotation OF crops,
the proper cult on of crops, the manage
ment OF manure are Of farm premises and
implements, breeds of domestic animals. theiI
Character sites aud adaptations, the feeding OF
animals marketing farm accounts, farm law,
etc. Theoretical instruction is supplemented,
illustrated and enforced by the actual working
of farm of 600 acres, with improved build
ings. implements aud the various breeds OF
stock
''The botanical laboratory and museum oil
vegetable products with the needed rooms oc
cupy the whole OF a fine gothic building 46x6t
feet, two stories high, with gallery above
The rooms contain many Of the most recent
and valuable works on botany. a fine herbari
um, including MOSES and fungi; collection
Of seeds. grains, grasses. fruits and prepare
tons ready for study; the state collection ON
forestry products shown at Philadelphia and
New Orleans, for which diplomas were gwen
The laboratory contains a large number OF
good compound microscopes with much usefu
accessory apparatus
With an arboretum of 900 species, botanI,
garden of 200, greenhouses containing Loo
species and varieties, the parks, gardens and
orchards many more the botanical department
israrely at loss for any kind OF material fol
study and illustration.
''Thc chemical department with its Laboratory
off ighteeni rOoms,a lecture room with seats fo
100 students. with two rooms for chemical an
alysis and desk space for sixty-eight students