The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-05-03

Ing some hard hits at the State Agricul.
turai College at Kingston. There is nc
question but that the school is badly To-
Gated, but when It gets in good running
order 1t will be . useful institution. II
might DO well before rebuilding the
burned edifice to consider the pro-
priety OF moving the Institution to q
location near the railroad. In these days
public institution OF any kind two
miles and half from the railroad is near
ly out OF the world.
PawtuIet Valley Times.
We should think that when the approp-
Ration for more money for the Kingston
Agricultural School comes up in the Sem
ate tomorrow that there would be no OBJ
lection to laying 1t over to the next ses-
sion, and meanwhile appointing a joint
special committee to look into the school
with view to learning why 1t has not
shown better results for the money
already invested in it.
According to the Providence NEWS,
which appears to have looked into the
subject very closely and with an eye single
to the public interests, the State Agri-
cultural School is going backward. 1t
has what amounts to q million dollars OF
endowments, but it can show only 60
pupils taking the full course of study
and these represent only small
part of the State. The figures seem
to show that the location of the school
Is responsible for its failure to make q
satisfactory showing; but, whatever the
cause, there is evidently something the
matter down there and an Assembly COM
mittee can probably find out what. II it
Is found necessary to change the location,
now is the time to do 1t before spending
any more money on the plant.
Westerly Sun.
What large matter little fire some-
times kindlss. The burning down OF the
dormitory at the Agricultural college has
placed in the balance the future of the
whole institution. 1t will be remem bered
that at the opening OF the January
session the board Of managers asked
for 10000 to rebuild the accommo-
dations destroyed, and a drill hall in ad-
dition thereto. The Providence NEWS
took the matter up, and has since so per-
sistently piled the dissecting knife upon
the management OF the college that the
members of the General Assembly are in
a sad quandary. Shall they grant
the 10000, or shall they only give
enough to build q new dormltory,
or shall they give nothing unless the
school is brought nearer to Kingston de- |
pot, or shall comission be appointed to
investigate the matter? These are the |
Tour questions that are puzzling the men |
who hold the keys TO the State treas
ury. 1t is shown that since the
was first conceived, up
ward OF s3s7,oo0 has been given
to it in the way OF national endowments
and State appropriations. These figures
include the experiment station as well as
the college proper. There is being main
tained roll OF "a teachers at an annual
salary Of over $4,000. There are
1t present, or when the last re-
port was issued, but la pupils for
he teachers to look after, of whom 81 |
ire classed as specials. An analysis Of the /
school attendance shows that 1t is largely
by accessions of new pupils
who replace many Others who drop out
before completing their full term.
The present agitation may result In
,othing more than Q frightening OF the
board of managers and the faculty, but
{ there is any citizen of Washington
county who wishes to express his views
IN the college to the General Assembly,
aow is the time for him to do it.