Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1888-12-17
WHAT Is AGRICULTURAL EDUCA-
TION?

The CAPITAL JOURNAL recently |
published u correspondence to the |
Country Gentleman on the above
topic and endorsed the sentiment
expressed by the author. "Sancho'
an able correspondent from Oregon
in the California Patron and Agri-
culturist takes issue with the CAP
ITAL JOURNAL on that question
and belabors it most numerically.
This writer thinks "Sancho"
'looked through the glass darkly'
but failed to get the true gist of the
argument.
"The more | see of the agricultur-
al schools, the more | study the sub
iect of agricultural teaching, the
more | am convinced that the
teaching of practical farm work at
college or school Of agriculture
is, and Of necessity must be, farce
and humbug."
Is this not true? Can "Sancho"
refer to one college that is an eNcep-
ton? The writer knew no less
than a dozen farmers sons who
graduated at an agricultural college,
not one of whom is practical
farmer nor follows that profession.
If we send our sons to medical
school and they return disgusted
with the profession we would GER
tainly pronounce that school Il fail
ure. lit was II law school, "a theo-
logical or business college and the
young disciple was taught and en-
couragcd to love something else the
verdict would be the same.
A "pmcticap farmer may have
little or no knowledge of Latin,
Greek or Hebrew; may know moth
ing of the orbits, of the planets nor
of the sidcreul heavens; i'm fact he
cannot clucidate the mysteries of a
ray Of light nor point out the signs
of the zodiac; explain the causes OF
the chb aud flow Of the tides nor
the beauties of the Aurora borealis.
There are many other things he
need not know to be II "practicaP'
farmer, and yet there are many
things not taught in our agricultur.
al colleges that he must know be-
fore he can hope to succeed,
The writer once saw college pro
fessor attempting to plow some clay
lands aud he was dragging his pillow
along lretting and scolding at ter
rible rate because it would not dC
better. The writer was raised ON I
farm, his past experience detected
the defect Immediately, and turn
ing the plow over removed the clos
that had accumulated underneath
and then he went ON his way doing
good work and rejoicing. This LITTLE
experience he never will forget anC
would readily relieve his plow whel
the clog should accumulate again
We also take issue with "Sancho'
on the labor question-it is not tn,
laborer that dignities labor but tn,
compensation. Ifall the great mel
ofthe world hocd cotton for so cent
per day the labor would be no NOR
dignihod than now but If the com
pensation was raised 10 ten ortifteel
dollars per day the labor would b,
so dlguihcd that the most promi
uout citizons would gladly do /
homage, II the tifty thousand 1
year was taken nom the Presiden
of the United States and only
starving pittauoe allowed, the otlic,
would sink into iusigniiicance an,
the presidency would lose its dlgnl
~.
Farmers must stand together
must dignity their labor hy making
it morl profitable then their son
win ly D1nt,n.,d Go stay on th
farm and utilize their science, thej
chem. Uy hdU law their know
edge ul auu'e relations 90 em
hollIsh tl, dignity the lucrative oy
pua,im has n.vea lhum
As experimental STATIONS when
lleyoms @mrmay duukm th