The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1889-02-28
GEN. S. D. LEES PAPERS.
AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL
COLLEGES.
" 1Currieulum OF Colleges and Univer-
sitieso-ObIect OF Congress I'm Pro-
viding for the Establishment
OF These Institutions.
ARTICLE NO. l.


them, and the necessity for their estab-
lishment What I shall write will be in
o non-partisan spirit, intended to over
come objections to these institutions,
which are honestly entertained by many
who should be their friends.
In the older States there are colleges
and universities which have grown up
with them; many of them richly en-
dowed and others supported by State
appropriations
As the newer States were organized.
similar ones were established. and in
most instances provision was made for
their liberal endowment by Congress by
donation of public lands Many of
these endowments, both to the colleges
and common schools, have been lost by
the States.
These universities and colleges in all
the States were generally patterned
after the old English colleges, and their
curriculums were gotten up to educate
young men, and fit them for the three
learned professions of law, divinity and
medicine. The theory Of their instruc-
tions was based on tie idea that thor
ough study of the ancient classics was
the only true road to learning. These
colleges, besides giving a general to-
eral education, also provided special
schools for law, divinity and medicine,
making liberal and ample provision for
those intending to pursue these profes-
sions. In doing this they afforded
most excellent and necessary higher
educational facilities only to a small
part of the people, but made no provi-
sion for the special training and wants
of the great majority of the people en-
gagged in the multiplied and learned
pursuits Of the present day.
The recent discoveries of science and
art have made very great changes in
the industries a the world, and the
education afforded by the older col
leges and universities was too con-
tracted, and favored too much certain
small classes of our population, and
narrowed down too much the choice of
selection in preparation for the differ
ent pursuits of life, and were evidently
favoring the wealthier classes and dis
eliminating too greatly in not affording
special training for the pursuits the ma
jority of population were following.
The census of 1880 shows that in
population of $4,000. 900 at the present
time, that only S5,671 persons were
doctors and surgeons, 64,69S were min
listers, and Ga, 1877 lawyers, making 214,-
SOC persons in the learned professions
less than a half million--while the bal
ance of our population earned their
livelihoods in other pursuits. one-half
being engaged in agriculture and the
others in commerce, in manufacturing.
in transportation, and in the mechan-
ical arts. These glaring facts caused
the courses of study in the colleges and
universities to be subjected to critical
examination. The inquiry was made:
Why SO purely literaryp Why for the
especial benefit of only three or four
classes of people? Why so little science?
Why so much theory and so little prac-
tice? These were pertinent questions.
and when made authoritatively by
Charles Francis Adams, at Harvard, q
few years since, they attracted great at
tenton. Under public pressure. these
curriculums have, been partially and
gradually changed. But even these
changes have been made only to meet
the Weather and better educated
classes, rather than to meet the neces-
sites of the masses of population.
These colleges have added departments
for engineering. analytical chemistry.
domestic economy. commercial train
ing. schools of pharmacy. dentistry,
schools of arts of various kinds, poly
technic institutes, normal colleges, in
fact departments for the theoretical
and special instruction of nearly every
calling, but have persistently ignored
agriculture. which. as an art, is vir-
tually the basis of all arts and of all
wealth. This is the pursuit. too. that
one-haH of the population of the United
States is engaged in, and in Mississippi
four-6fths. The recent changes and
additions in the curriculum of the
common schools are following the
same policy. In addition to the 'three
Rs" we find recent introductions oi
philosophy, botany and physiology,
and practical instruction in carpenter
ing. wood engraving, type-writing
stenography. cooking. sewing. etc. but
we hear nothing of the introduction O.
the study Of the elementary principles
of agriculture in the common schools
an art that four-fifths of the boys anC
girls of Mississippi must necessarily
earn their support from. This, too. il
face of the fact that the principles ar,
as well arranged and understood and q!
easily mastered BY dull boys and girl
as are the dry facts of arithmetic
grammar. spelling. geography or his
tory. The great straits to which th'
farming classes or peasants in Europ'
were brought. about the beginning o
this century. has made complete revo
luton in agriculture. In 1S40-just 4
years ago. Leebig reduced to practica