Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1893-03-10
THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

A correspondent Of the Las Cruces
Republican critieizes the LIBERAL be-
cause it mentioned the Agricultural
College as a place where arithmetic
and grammar were taught, and adj
yises the LIBERAL and all other igno-
rant persons to inspect the college and
the scheme Of studies before saying
anything about it.
The LIBERAL is always glad to be
corrected If it has made any mistake.
1t was led into this mistake, il mis-.
take it was, by remembering what a
student in that institution had told of
his studies. On reading this criticism
it Immediately took up the catalogue
and looked for the schemes OF studies.
On page 80 Of the catalogue it found
among the scheme, which covers three
years Of three terms each, the follow
ing as the studies for the spring term
OF the "a" class; Arithmetic, hygiene,
grammar, spelling, reading, compost
ton, drawing, writing and dcclama-
tion. A further inspection shows
that this is the scheme of studies for
the preparatory school, but as seven
out Of the nine teachers of the pre-
paratory school are members Of the
college faculty, and, presumably, draw
their salaries from the college funds,
the criticisms Of the LIBERAL has to
stand.
The idaa Of the LIBERAL in regard
to the studies to be pursued at an ag-
ricultural college, and that idea was
drawn from n Of the foremost agri-
cultural colleges Of the country, is
that especial attention is paid to
mathematics, the natural sciences,
practical agriculture, horticulture, in
GLIDING fruit raising, the mechanic
arts, and the studies necessary for
their understanding, military drill
and military sciences, and q sufficient
study Of the English language, rhet-
oric, logic and philosophy, to enable
the student to express himself in
speaking or writing in a way that may
easily be understood. This is general
ly divided into two courses with many
studies in both.
The time OF the professors in such
an institution, after preparing for and
hearing their classes, should not be
taken up in listening to children re.
citing the multiplication table and
parsing sentences, but should be de-
voted to original research of the re-
sources Of the territory. There is
plenty Of scientific study necessary
and these scientific men, whe are un-
der the pay Of the territory are the
men TO make it.
The necessity Of this preparatory
department does not appear, unless it
is intended as high school for the
benefit of the people Of Las Cruces
and its immediate vicinity, and assur-
edly, IL was not the intention of the
legislature TO tax the people Of the
entire territory to teach the children
OF the Mesilla valley the elementary
studies, the three RS"
IL Is true that there is connected
with the Agriculture college the ex-
pertinent station, the object Of which
is TO make original Investigations IN
the different states for the benefit Of
the farmer, the gardener and the fruit
raiser. The LIBERAL again admits
that it has not followed closely the re-
suits obtained by the professors con
nected with this station. When II
saw one Of the bulletins and found It
vas devoted to the coddling moth, q
fruit pest that is so well known that
-the bulletin writer could offer moth
ing original about It, the LIBERAL
came to the conclusion that the orlgi-
nal matter that was TO be produced
ia this station was original in the
same way the boys composition was.
lie said it was marked original In the
book he copied 10 out Of.
The course Of study In what Is
known as The college proper appears