The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-10-29
Agricultural and Mechanic
Art College.

The committee on education gave hear
ing Monday evening on the bill creating
this proposed institution. A large audience
was present. Colonel George w. Hooker
of Brattlebpro was the first speaker. He
said in appearing in the matter he had only
the interest of the state at heart The state
is agricultural and the farming interest is
predominant All industries are subservient
to AMI dependent upon it. An agricultural
college standing alone, with its object
clearly defined, will do more than anything
else to aid the development of the agriCu-
tural interes' of Vermont. The University
of Vermont was fine institution, a classical
school of the highest order. Its president is
one of the best in the country. Let him rise
above the prejudice of attachment to the in
itution he is connected with and say to
us: Take the liberal endowment of the
n ltiunal congress. Build your agricultural
college, and may you be as successful in
teaching in that direction us we have been
in ours" The only way such college can
be a success is to have il separate ana dis.
tinct, not attached to any classical inStitu-
ton. The artist and painter Of landscapes
has nothing in common with the house
painter. The sums appropriated by the
national congress are al-Sutlicient to keep
up and maintain such college. Objection
had been made that the bill before the pres.
ent legislature was unconstitutional. If
that be So the governor can, when the bill
passes, take consultation and advice from
the supreme court, and if the bill is then de-
clared unconstitutional, refuse it his sig
nature. Ii should be no excuse for not
passing the bill. Reverse the proposition
that is here presented. Suppose the grant
had been for classical instruction and an
agricultural college was already established
in Vermont. Would the distingui he'd
gentleman from Burlington president
Buckham) say: "This fund must go to
tie agricultural college because congress
said it was for classical instruction." Let
us all in considering this matter rise above
prejudice of locality or ofinsttution, or per-
sonal adv ancement, and stand out in bold
relief TO be champions of right and simple
justice. Say to the people of Vermont,
" Build up a college for instruction that
will advance the farming and the industrial
interests of our state" S a'istics show
that where land grant colleges have been
connected with a university, it has always
been fatal to the former. Senator Morrills
remarks before the committee last week
were greatly at variance with remarks he
had made on this same subject heretofore
He has admitted that these industrial nsti-
tutiOnS have turned out some of the abest
and most efficient men of our country.
He is himself one of the best living expo
nents of the advantages of IA practical edu-
cation, derived, as he said from fifteen
years training on the farm. The sena-
tor says the bill is unconstitutional. If so,
this institution at Burlington would never
nave ptIIlllltu iHe great expenditure Tor
lie ral talent, or for such great and good
man az Senator Morrill, to commit such a
bad mistake. 1t would have been far easier,
after the passage of the bill, to invoke a
court of equity and enjoin the trustees
from the execution of the purposes of the
act These grants are only for colleges
where instruction i'll agriculture and the
mechanic arts is the ledding feature. Are
those the leading features Of instruction al
the Burlington institution? Assuredly not.
Then why should that institution have any
of this fund? AS a friend said to me, The
mystery 10 me is how they ever succeeded
in getting it at all" The remarks made bv
Senator Morrill, must be taken with some
allowances go Il deal of allowance,-f for
he, being one OF the trustees of the Univer-
siy of Vermont, was, OF course, prejudiced
in its favor.
Mr.. Winslow of Brandon, of the State
Board of Agriculture, spoke briefly. He
said he had nothing but the highest praise
for the institution at Burlington; | have the
highest respect for the college and its presi
dent. If | understand the object OF this
act and its subsequent additions it is tC
afford education in agriculture and the me.
cnanic arts, to elevate the farmer and the
farm; to give "A pracic Il education in a spe
| CiiiC line. The speaker had written to sew
era good authorities on the question as tC
| whether such an institution could exist side
! by side with classical institution, and haC
!
| read TO the committee. One letter from al
eX-prOfessor at Burlington said that ont
! wear while he was there, the university lat
only one "A ricultural student, and IT, was tC
! be hoped for the interest of agriculture thai
! that student did not pursue his studies int
| practical work. There should be a guOt
! large farm in connection with such col
lege, to do practical work on, to give til;
students a practical education. The farm
| at Burlington was several miles from tn,
experiment station. 1t was not good sol
and was not adapted to the making of sue
! cesstul experiments. Mr. Winslow saw
some potatoes raised there on that farm =
poor, Notwithstanding things. Some iron
the same seed, raised near 10y, were AS fin
! "a he had ever seen. In order to the sue
cessful education of our Young men in agri
culture and the mechanic arts, we shoult
have this separate institution aud good pro
lessons Professor Cooke aud Professor Mi
not were untring in their good work. bu
| they were seriously Handicapped in thei
present position. The University of Yer
mont might make itself popular by relin
gushing all claim to these funds. All W
ask in behalf of the mechanics and farmer
Of this state is simple Justice. We ask tina
this fund be expended in the direction, an,
for the purpose, it was intend Il for and az
propria'ed for,
Mr.. Alpha Messer, master of the stat
grange, was the next speaker and presented
The foundation of a spec al institution de
voted 10 agriculture and the mechanic art
would do more TO develop and stimulate tia
agricultural interests, and thus the mai
in crest of the state Of Vermont, than any
thing else We should not hear of deserte
farms. Mr.. MesSer had visited The agr
cultural college in Michigan aud observe
its workings. The students were taught t
be good judges of horses and stock. Tn
practical education thus obtained was
immense value, and it could not be obtane
at classical institution like the Universit
of Vermont. Theoretical education was {
no use unless it was combined with tn
practical, and that could not be done at til
institute at Burlington. Mr.. Messer ais
visited the state agricultural college at Maj
haitian, Kansas There were four hundre
students there. The cost of the college wa
$50 900 per annum. This shows what coul
be donein Vermont. The amount of none
appropriated will be all-sufficient for tn
running expenses of an agricultural an
mechanical college in Vermont. If we ca
have this college as we desire, separate an
distinct our boys and girls will receiv
such an education as will teach them I
love and appreciate their Vermont home
l more than even in the past. They woul
, be taught to see the beauties and profit {