The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-02-12
AGRICULTURAL AND MECHAlJI-
CAL COLLEGES.
by Gen. s D. Lee, Of Mississippi ]

HDlTOR n ARMEH .---l propose WE1b1Il8
few articles about Agricultural and
Mechanical Colleges, and intend show
ing the object and intent of Congress
in providing for them and the neces-
sity for their establishment. What /
shall write will be in non partisan
spirit, intended to overcome objec-
tons to these Institutions, which are
honestly entertained by many who
should be their friends.
In the older States there are col
leges and universities which have
grown up with them; many of them
richly endowed and others supported
by State appropriations AS the
newer States we're organized, similar
ones were established, and in most IN
stances provision was made for their
liberal endowment by Congress by
donations of public lands. Many of
these endowments, both to the col
leges and common schools, have been
lost by the States.
| These universities and colleges In
all the States were generally pat
termed after the old English colleges,
L +
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 instruction was based
on the idea that a thorough study of
the ancient classics was the only true
road to learning. These colleges,
besides giving general liberal edu-
cation, also provided special schools
for Law, Divinity and Medicine,
making liberal and ample provision
for those intending to pursue these
| professions. In doing this they
afforded most excellent and necessary
higher educational facilities only to
small part Of the people, but made no
provision for the special training and
wants of the great majority of the.
people engaged in the multiplied in
dustries and learned pursuits of the
present day.
The recent discoveries of science.
and art have made very great changes
in tE industries Of the world, and
the eertsast;on afforded by the older
colleges ans universities was too con
tracted, and, fagored too much certain
small classes OF pur population, and
narrowed down too much the choice
of selecting, in preparat IN, for tb4
different pursuits of life, ia are.
evidently fayoring the wes,ssis r
classes and discriminating too greatly
/ ip not affording special training for
the pursuits the majority of our. pop
ulation were following The census
of 1880 shows that in a population of
10000, 600 at the present time, that
zonly 85, GIL persons were doctors and
surgeons, 50, ,698 were ministers and
GA, 137 lawyers, making IA, ,506 per
sons in the learned professions, less
than half million, while the balance
of our population earned their liyeli-
hood In other pursuits -one-haLf being
engaged IN agriculture and the other in
commerce, in manufacturing, In trans
portation and in the mechanical arts
These glaring facts caused the courses
of study in the colleges and and uni
! versities to be subjected to critical
examination. The enquiry was made:
Why so purely literary Why for
the especial benefit of only three or
four classes of people2 Why So little
science Why so much theory and
so little practice
These we're pertinent questions,
and when made authoritatively by
Charles Francis Adams, at Harvard
few years since, they attracted
great attention under public pres.
sure these curriculums have been par
italy and gradually changed But
where these changes have been made
only to meet the Wealthier and better
educated classes rather than to benefit
the necessities Of the masses Of our
population. These colleges have added
departments for Engineering, Analy-
tical Chemistry, Domestic Economy
and commercial training, schools Of
Pharmacy and Dentistry; schools of
arts of various kinds, Politecnic In.
stitutes, Normal Colleges, and, in fact,
departments for the theoretical and
special instruction of nearly every
calling, but haze persfstently ignored
agriculture, aOhsch, as an al, Is vsrtuQgEg
tie basis of al arts and Of al gealas
This is the pursuit, too, that one-half
of the population Of the United States
is engaged in, and IN Mississippi sfoa1t
55ffiss. The recent changes and addiE
tions in the curricnlums of the coms
mon schools are following the same
policy. III addition to 'the three
Rs, We find recent introductions of
philosophy, botany, physiology and
practical instruction IN carpenterlng.
wood engraving, writing, stem
ography, cooking sewing &c:s but
we hear nothing Of the Introduction /
of the study Of tile elementary prln