Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-03-31
Brains and the Farm,


One of the best of the several clever
and eloquent addresses made before
the national grange at its recent meet
ing at Lansing was that of President
Willis of the agricultural llege. Mr..
Willis said; have the pleasant duty
imposed upon me to welcome you IN
behalf of our ayr cultural college. As
the representative of an institution that
exists, and has right to exist only
because of the demand for ore science
in that art upon which all other arts
depend, venture few words of the
mutual labor between us.
Every man has the right to be a
farmer; it is his natural right; farming
is mankind's primary occupations; and
in all the ages the vast majority OF the
world have been farmers and ALWAYS
will be. could get along after
fashion without kings and princes;
merchants, lawyers and doctors poets
and priests, and even without driven
wells and patent med mes but you
blast the world s agriculture and man
kind would disappear as the snowflake
in mother earth. The agricultural
college believes this.
1t is no disgrace TO be farmer.
There is no disgrace in the proper
exercise of any natural right. A man
has no right to steal. and society whips
the thief out of its daily haunts A man
has no natural right to make another
drunkard' he VINO does is branded,
fis occupation is disgrace, and ALWAYS
will be. Not 50 with the farmer. The
sun shines in regal glory around his
labors, and the ra II fails in benedictions
on his fields. The agricultural college
believes this in the depths OF its most
secret laboratories.
i he farmer need not be fool. Ap j.
culture and the church have taken to
their motherly bosoms many crippled
sons of Adam, but because in their ma
ternal love they have not cast them
forth it mnst not be inferred that they
are to be the dumping ground OF ina
becility. Agriculture IS the stock sheer
of many men who never did square
days work in their life. ANY worthless
cub, in their estimat on, is good enough
to g a farmer or a m mister, while there
IS not in the measure Of mind aud matter,
of law and morals a wider field for the
brightest intellects than in agriculture
and religion, and has been occupied
too by some of the brightest a d pro-
fgandest minds that have adorned his
tory. The time has come, so far az
agriculture is conce ned, to repel this
sneer and this generation has on hand
the job to place the farmer in the posi-
ton 10 which he is entitled Heretofore
the so-called learned professions have
the ght-of way in literature. but now
some OF the keenest minds and sharpest
pens are interesi ed in the cause Of labor
on the farm or in the shop, and the
world may as well begin to clear the
way for the educated farmer.
The agricultural college is one of the
forces In the new movement; whatever
may be its failings it is par excellence
the representative of the intellectual
element in it. President Willis item
enlarged upon the problem that must
be settled before the agricultural college /
becomes permanent distinctive insttu- !
lion. The times are propitious. There
IS change in public sentiment as to
What shall constitute true education.
The cast iron pen of the classics and !
IS smashed and the world /.
Is appreciat ing the fact that the best re- |
suits come from the education of the |
hand and eve with the mind. Honest |
manual labor Is courted and not |
Jcorned.
Mi higan's agricu turaI college has
llway recognized this manual labor
eature and that IS why it has had its
Measure of success. With statement /
If the prospects of the college, its gem
'ral plan, which result in keeping the
,oung man in sympathy with the shop
md farm, the speaker clio cd in finally |
welcoming the national grange, and in
'iting it TO visit the college, viii be
egTetted was not in sess on, to see the
acilities oered to make intelligent
ducated farmers and mechanics. -
lansing Journal.