St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-20

done, the funds would probably Id
separated and new college established,
Great things are promised by Prof. POr.
ter at this meeting for the future. He
said that he was just ready to commence
work; that he had been engaged in
erecting large and commodiOus build,
ings on the farm and getting it in Orde1
for business. That was two years ago.
Last month at the State Farmers allt
anee meeting in st. Paul, President
NOrthrop was called before the meeting
and asked the following questions:
How many students have been gras
duated from the agricultural depart.
ment OF the university? AnSwer-TwO.
what is the average attendance? An
swer-AbOut six or eight.
How many are in attendance now?
. AnSwer-FOurteen.
Such is the sum total of the results Of
twenty years of effort ON the part of the
state university in the direction OF
agricultural education.
1t is unnecessary to make any com,
ments on such condition of affairs.
The facts are of themselves sufficiently
damaging, and prove beyond the shadow
of doubt that the university either
CAN NOT OR WILL NOT
develop the agricultural and industrial
educational interests of the state.
1t has been said to US that the Farms
erS' institute work is the work of the
university. That is not true. That
work Is being done under an act of the
legislature of 1887, creating commits.
sion for its control and making an ap.
preparation for its support; so, that
while Its work is largely controlled by
the board of regents, yet it is separate
and distinct from the college proper,
and must not be confused with it.
10 show how little the regents of the
university seem to comprehend the
work demanded by the agriculturists
and mechanics of the state, we will
quote from Prof. Kiehle's statement be-
fore the board of regents, March 6, 1888:
'Wanted-A school for farmers boys
OF fair intelligence and ambition that
will take them with such intelligence
and education as they generally get on
their farms, and give them training
that will broaden and inform them aS
men, and still give them a practical
knowledge of the elements of science,
that will cultivate their tastes for agri-
culture and make them more Skillful in
its pursuits. The terms to
include the months most suited to the
leisure of the individuals for whom the
school is intended-Say the five months
from Nov. l to April 1. The
course of the school should be
mostly objective, manual, practical and
scientific; they should attain in its re-
suits the cultivation and strengthening
OF tastes and abilities for an agricultural
life and the cultivation of the Students
powers of observation and Judgment
and his manual skill in lines belonging
to his occupation. Instructions in the
elements of those branches of science
most Immediately allied to his calling
are not to be forgotten.
We suppose we are to infer from the
above that Prof. Kiehle thinks that no
farmers boy, of more than fair intelli-
gence, would attend a school for the
purpose of getting an agricultural or
mechanical education. Perhaps he is
right. But. admitting his view to be
correct, we would certainly like to have
Prof. Kehle explain how boy of even
fair intelligence could, between the
months of November and April, with
two feet of snow on the ground and the
mercury perambulating
AMONG THE ZERoES,
get practical and scientific knowledge
of the development of plant life and the
cultivation of the soil. A fine chance
he would have to cultivate his Observa-
ton, Judgment and skill in the ''lines
belonging to his occupation" Such
nonsense is unworthy the source from
which it originates. We have a high
opinion of the professor as an educator,
but feel that he has done himself great
injustice in this case. We will tell
Prof. Kiehle exactly what we want. We
want an institution second to none,
where farmers sons of the highest in
telligence will be proud to 90 and be-
come educated. An institution that il
l. H., u = N.Aa
what West Point is to the
where the hand, the eye and the brain
can be educated in harmony. An insti-
tuition in which the student will be
taught a certain number of hours each
day, no matter what other studies lie
NAV have, the feeding and care of ami.
mails, the growth and development OF
plants and fruits, the chemistry of soils
and whatever else may pertain to the
profession of agriculture. We want ouI
boys surrounded with an atmosphere Of
the country. We want agriculture made
beautiful and attractive to our boys,
That is what we want, and that is what
congress intended by its appropriation
we should have. Now, can the State
university give us what we want? We
think not. 1t is weighted down with
twenty years of
INDIFFERENCE AND FAILURE.
1t has located its farm department in
one place and its literary and scientific
departments in another five miles
away, which makes an almost inSupera'
BILE barrier. How students can do
certain number of hours of work on
farm each day and recite their lesSOnS
in another place five miles away is Z
mystery. OF course, if there is only an
average attendance of three students in
five years, it might be managed, but il
there should be 400, as there is at times
in the Michigan agricultural college,
which is a separate institution and con.
sequently great success, it would be
difficult. But aside from thii
last difficulty, it is a fact that
whenever the attempt has been made
to annex an agricultural department Il
a university, anywhere in the United
States it has proved failure. Twenty
three states received appropriations OF
lands from congress under the act OF
1862, the same that gave us ours. Six
teen of those states, including our own,
attempted to make an agricultural an
mex to their universities, and i'll every
instance they have proved a failure,
While of the seven that have established
separate colleges. four have proved te
be very successful. The Michigan Ag
ricuItural college averages from 300 t.
400 students, and reports 60 per cent OF
her graduates engaged in agricultural
pursuits. Mississippi has full as many
and in some instances have turned away
applicants for want of room to accom-,
MEDIATE them. Kansas also average.
from 800 to 400 students, and Iowa from
200 to 300. In all these states agrlcult
ural and mechanical education
Is POPULAR AND IS GROWING
more so. Each student does several
hours work on or about the farm every
day without shocking his dignity, fol
which they are paid a reasonable price.
Rich OF poor, they have to work alike.
Many stndents in this MaY are enabled