The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-11-28

Work at the Best AGrlcuItura CoheSe
in the South.
COLUMBIA, s. c., Nov. 21.-Presl-
dent Craighead of Clemson College,
in his annual report says that 635 stu
dents have been enrolled during the
past year and they are about equally
divided between the two leading de-
partments of Agriculture and Me
chanic Arts. President Craighead
covers fully the work in the college
, and on the grounds. The newspapers
shave already covered at different
times q great deal of what is contain
ed in the report, but the following are
parts which will be of interest:
''At the beginning of the session the
Board authorized the President to take
steps to fatten and slaughter beef for
the mess hall, instead of purchasingit
by contract as in the previous year.
Accordingly a slaughter-house was
built about a mile; to the rear of the
dormitory and pens made for both
hogs and cattle. By this arrangement
nearly 81, 900 dollars has been saved
the college, as the actual cost of beef
has ceen but IA cents per pound net,
against ST cents of last year, and as
nearly 100 hogs have been fattened
with slops from the kitchen.
THE Horticultural Department, un-
der the efficient management of your
painStaking horticulturist, Mr. J. +. c.
DuPre, has made unmistakable prog
reSS. He has kept the mess hall sup
piled with choice vegetables, and has,
in addition to this put up for the use
of the students during the winter
1000 three-pound cans of tomatoes,
okra, corn and beans. The canning
factory, more fully equipped at cost
of $3.50, has proved to be a profitable
investment as well as valuable OBJ
ject lesson for the horticultural stu
dents, who do most of the canning.
During the year a house for stor-
ing winter vegetables has been built
on the horticultural grounds, the
green house improved and enlarged,
and the valuable collection of flowers
belonging to Mr. DuPre purchased for
the college The gardens have been
indeed laboratory for the large num-
Der of students who have worked with
Mr.. DuPre. , For a full account of the
work done in this department. and of
its needs for the coming year, you are
referred to the excellent report made
by the hoRticulturist "
President Cradghead says electric
lights have been put in the laundry,
station building, hospital, mechanical
hall and in most of the professors
houses without cost to the college.
Professor Craighead recommends
that German and French be made OPP
tonal in the junior and senior year,
and says that mo man can keep
abreast Of the progress in agriculture,
physics, electricity. or, in fact, in any
department of science, who is unable
to read German and French periodic
ais. Without a knowledge of French
sand German, those Of our students
who wish to become professors of ag-
riculture, experiment station workers,
editors OF. agricultural papers, will
find their equipment incomplete.
TO prevent too much crowding III
the senior year, where some freedom
of choice of studies should, think, be
granted, the services of another in
structor will be needed. He should
teach either physiology and veterinary
surgery, mineralogy and geology, or
some other branch included in the
curriculum for which no instructor
has been employed"
About 5000 has been spent on a IL
brary and it is kept open four hours
under care of a cadet librarian. Pres
ident Craighead says that at least
$1,000, more is needed for books.
There is also a reaeing room, supplied
with leading periodicals and daily
newspapers.
STUDENT LABOR.
An important problem is that of
student labor, Discussing it PreSi-
dent Craighead says:
The student labor problem is, l
think, gradually solving itself. The
professors in the Academic depart
nent have cheerfully consented,
whenever called upon to superintend
squads. As will be remembered, the
management and direction of student
labor was left largely in the hands of
the president. Subsequent experience
viii no doubt modify and perfect our
pan, but I am more firmly convinced
as the way opens up, that all students
should be required to perform a GER
tain amount of purely educational la
Dor for which they should receive no
pay whatever. Practical work III the
chemical, physical botanical, biolog-
ical and chronological laboratories is
educational labor, required of all stu
,ents taking these courses, and should
l,vidently receive no compensation
. whatever. In like manner, students
taking courses in agriculture and hor-
ticulture should be required to do a
certain amount of work, such as pro
fessors may deem necessary to a com
pletion of their courses on the farm
and gardens, natures own laborato-
ries. So also should mechanical stu
dents be required to do a certain
amount of purely educational work in
the foundry, the wood shops, and the
machine shops, for which it would be
folly to expect any remuneration. 1t
is clear also that mathematical stu
dents should be required to do much
practical work in surveying, leveling
and the like. All work of this kind
is not only practical, but educational
in the highest sense. To abandon
this in our scheme of studies is to turn
ont theorists and day-dreamers, whose
heads are crammed with useless stuff
which their hands can never turn to
practical use. 4 certain amount then
of real practical labor. such as the
board and professors III charge consid-
er necessary. should, l think, be ex-
acted of all our students, and for
which they should receive no money.
Here compulsory labor should end.
In addition to this, there will always
be an indefinite amount of really pro
ductive labor, not necessarily educa-
tionaI, which students who need the
money can and should do, In no
other possible way can a liberal and
practical education be put within the