The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1886-11-12
From the NewbSrry Observer.
Further Defense Of the Agricultural Annex.

EDITOR OBSERVER Your comments on my
article in reference to the "Anucx" of the g..
G. College were not seen by me until after theS
opening of the session; aud 1 have been to o
busy to answer your questions sooner.
When Mr.. Timan sand that out Of "a gradu-
Rtes last year ''two hal studied farming little
agriculture! chemistry''-if he meant, as he
evidently did, that this was all the instruction
on that subject given in tho college, and that
only two students had done this much, his
statement was as incorrect rs 1t could we'll be.
i presume we will have no quibble about the
word farming the catalogues Of the col
leges embrace instruction on this head under
the title of Agriculture.
Agriculture proper is not Agricultural Chem
istry any more than Latin is Latin Literature;
and the study Of agriculture is no more confined
to the technical agriculture course than is Latin
to the special Latin course.
Out of the "a students who graduated in 1886,
of them may justly be said to have studied
farming-for ono year at least-besides other
cognate sciences Now, 10 Of the "a were law
yers. Nine out of the remaining "a academic
students is by means bad showing.
In order that may not be charged with indi-
rection, will give precisely what these nine
studied and let your readers judge for them
selves whethcr am not justified in my classifi-
cation. Before doing let me repeat that
agriculture proper in our catalogue means q
course of study for one year in soils, mauures,
plements, domestic animals, etc. 1t is as full rs
that given in most colleges, and is few weeks
shorter than the coul Sc in the Mississippi col
lege.
Out Of the rhirty-four graduates Of 1885,,
One had studied Agriculture Que year, Chem
istry and Physics each one year, besides Mathe-
ma,ics, Languages, English, etc. lie was in the
teachers course.
Ttco had studied Agrioulture one year, Botany
one year, Chemistry four years, Inorganic
Organic, Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis,
each one year, Pharmacy, Zoology, Physiology
besides Mathematics, English studies and sew
eral languages.
One had studied Agriculture one year, Agri-
cultural Chemistry three years, Botany one
year, Zoology, Physiology aud Surveying, be-
sides Mathematical, English branches and Mod
ern Languages.
7iro had studied Agriculture one year, Chem
istry three years, Mineralogy, Geology, Botany,
Surveying, Physics and Mechanics, Mathemat-
les through calculus, Astronomy, Drawing, Civil
Engineering, besides English branches and some
French and German. These two obtained posi-
tions on railroad surveys.
Ono man studied Chemistry four years,
Agricultural Chemistry one year, Botany,
Zoology, Mineralogy, Physiology. Surveying,
Mechanics, Physics, besides Mathematical
English and Linguistic studies.
One man studied Agriculture ono year, Zool-
ogy, Mineralogy, Physics. Botany, Chemistry
(oue year,, Physiology and Geology, two years
each Zone year each being post graduate), be-
sides Languages, Mathematics English branches,
etc, including one year in post graduate psy-
co!ogy. psychology, by the way, should say
might be taught to nll farmers, In order tha,
they may study the workings Of the MUD OF
the negro aud the mule.)
One had taken Chemistry four years, o two
years post graduate course in very advanced
agricultural Chemistry, Bo,any two years, Zone
Geology, Surveying and Mathematical, English
and Modern Language classes.
An examination of the Curriculum Of any
average Agricultural College will show that
these sciences are taught in them, but will show
also that while the student gets less pitch-fork-
ing and other manual exercise he secures much
moro science and mental culture. And which
il nhRa to 45a 5tfash and hosing at home
devote that time that might ne cxpeuued IN sor-
ence to the performance of duties that can better
be learned at home?
The South Carolina College gives no twelve
veeks courses on science What she proposes
to do she attempts to do thoroughly. She mas
in her scientific departments four professors
two adjunct professors and two tutors, and they
a,e kept busy. ANY day there can be seen from
twenty to thirty students in the chemical labor
atory working two or three hours day lot
wear besides seventy live or more In theoretica
chemistry. How many colleges have their stu
dents in the fields wing and classifying IN
fora of the neghborhood, besides other s.uaen'
.ur~ eyiNs, doing ouGsoeer'nS "orh' P'""ih
railroad bridges, etc.
The Mississippi College, for instance whic
I take simply as one of the best OF It's type
was established as an institution ut which u
youth of the State may acquire common scho
Education, and scientific and practical now
edge of Agriculture, Horticulture ana tue M NJ
cbanic Arts, without excluding other scienti
md classical studies, including military tactic
n ia seen ut once that the standards are dife
ent i do not mean to say that instruction
mississippi is confined to the common curric
lum, but do mean that beginning with IL
standard, and having much Of the day occu2i
in drill and manual labor, and ringing curf'
at9SOp. m, the Mississippi College canr
give as thorough instruction in silence as 9th
colleges with higher standards can.
Are the sons Of farmers to be restricted
elementary intellectual training while the 80
of other men arc to enjoy the advantages of I
highest instruction in literary colleges? We
this proposition made by any but farmer
would be hootcd out Of the State Is th'
anything in farming that incapacitates m
from taking The highest scientific educat
possible?
/ think it hardly necessary to argue t
chemical analysis and civil engineering
connected with Agriculture and the .Mecha
arts They are taught in all Agricultural (
leges of any pretension. Nothing can
known of the constituents of the soil, OF
plant, of the fertilizer, except by chem
ANALYSIS while there is not a mechanical opt
ton on the farm, from laying off horizon
cotton rows, shaking lime or mending rot
up to the more gigantic enterprises that d
not call for scientinc engineering. mat wo
be pretty agricultural college indeed
omitted these two branches. In my artic
did not however mean to class them as spe
instruction in Agriculture. They are cogr
studies
But the annex is said TO educate young ,
aUay from The farm, while the separate a
culturnl college sends him back there.
Is this true? Kansas, Massachusetts,
Mississippi have, next to Michigan, the nj