The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-08-03

The speaker then dwelfeN on the land
scrip granted thesStates in 1862 for edu-
c%ational purposes, and showed how
South tarolina's a~pportionment had
been wasted on the South Carolina COL
lege.
The great question is. will an %agricul-
tural CO &c, properly conducted, he
beneficial to the State I do not mean
Il literary college with Greek and Latin
chairs Md an agricultural college only
in name. ] do not decry .our college. I
am proud that we have one, but it does
not come up to the cid days of DR..
Ih"rnweH even aS n literary college,
and ! tell you in all can,lor YOU cannot
educate Il hoy there to agriculture The
Inducements I" work are not offered, nor
are the facilities there. at the last OK
animation it was Developed that only
two.s ndrnts took agricultural chemiS-
try in theirs. while all the rest devoted
their time to other studies.
Has tn" study Of Latin and Greek
mn'ic any Of you better farmers? I
was not benefited MS a farmer by the
stu ly Of Latin and Greek, though [
devoted three years TO these S%tu,iies.
" hat | advocate is. give q boy Il practi-
cal education. Literary institutions will
not afford the relief demanded. There
is Il dread in the minds Of some farmers
that an agricultural college will Increase
taxation, Int If you will s'nd the right
kind Of men to the Legislature We can
have such a college and yet reduce tax
alton.
The Department Of Agriculture has
been IN existence six years, and how IS
it sustained? Who pays tho expenses
Of il? To raise money for this purpose
the Legislature lrvirs II tax of twenty
fv" cents on each ton Of gnano mined
in To" Stat, but who pays this tax ? 1t
comes ont ct Tie pockets Of the farmers
Of the Stat"; and yet no farmers wrr.
elected by the Legislature to manage
this !hh'i-the board consisting If two
Political farmers and one hctwixl-an.!-
between farmer, who is really the best
one OF the three.
Men Of this class have governed the
state and will continue to govern it UNI
less the far n"rS organize and pull to-
gethcr. TO effect this let each county
organize an agricultural society. hold
agricultural fairs. at stated meeting read
eaSSayS calculated to Improve the minds
Of the farmers. Z : may NC call ii
class Legislation, but it is not. nor do l
advocate such doctrine. 1t is to the in
ter"st "f the lawyers and the merchants
to see the farmers prosper. 4 lawyer
knows he cannot obtain n big fee from a
farmer ON his way to the poor house
and the merchant will not credit a farm
cr VIII has no means Of paying his con-
tracts.
How is it in .Ahhcvillc county I have
no means of knowing, hut in tn" State
1T large it is estimated that onn-firth Of
the agricultural land is tied up in mort
cages. Merchants, bankers. and foreign
capitalists have mortgages on this
property, and those making the debt
will be Scrfs when they ought to be
lords. But if the lawyers join tn" farm
crS, where is the oStraciSm The doc
tors arc with us, aS they always lyave
been. and if all professional classes lsin
us where is the ostraciSm? But VIC
don't want them TO get OH with us
through the Legislature.
He next discussed ut length the sub
ject of farmers institutes, and read from
published reports the plan adopted in
the conduct Of these colleges by Ohio
and other States. After showing
the interest taken ill the work by the
superintendent of the Ohio institute. he
asked il there is any official in South
Carolina taking similar interest in the
agricultural department Of her college.
He then spoke of having cited in con
versati"n recently with Il gentleman Of
this State. the Michigan Agricultural
College, hy which the Mississippi Col
legc Is modelled, AS Il fine institution,
when the gentleman replied, Yes. but
STATE pride forbidS our copying from a
northern State. South Carolina DON'T
follow we Lead Then, continued
Capt. "illmun, in the name of God /!
what do we lead South Carolina did
lead to Secession, but in the point OF fact,
AZ progressive State, we are ut the rear
end OF the column. One Southern State
-Mississippi-is copying from Micii-
gam, and such an insulation in our State
as the Mississippi Agricultural College,
would be OF more benefit t. the State
than in any other way the money could
be invested.
He hen read extracts from reports
showing the manhrr Of conducting the
Mississippi College and the bcuciicial
results OF tie Institutions.
in Mississippi they do Iot teach farm-
ing in the house, but in the field, wncrc
practical lessons can be given, and where
the boys are taught that it is not IL dis
grace to work at manual labor. The
| student is required TO work in the field
paid eight cents per hour, and on Sat,lr-
days he may work all day ut the same
rate. BY this means some OF them pay
their way through the college at il cost
Of not more tn 500 over their earnings.
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