Connecticut western news., 1897-05-06
THE STORRS SCHOOL.
From Litchfleld Enquirer.l

From Litchfleld Enquirer.l
 The Hartford Times has discovered an synonymous correspondent, or cor respondent has discovered the value of it's columns, who has informed himself in regard to the Storrs Agricultural School. If he is, as he signs himself, "One of the Farmers at the capitol, and he has the courage of his convinc- tions. we may expect. when the Storrs School appeals reach the legislative stage to hear him repeat in parliament any language his perfectly defensible proposition that "the Storrs School, in my judgment. is about the biggest humbug that we have in the state.
 What imparts particular interest to this correspondence is the fact that the trustees of that institution are at this moment at the door of the state treasu- ry, begging for large appropriations ot money. They ask for the S40,000 held by the State, which came by way of the national government, for $50, 900 to be used in current expenses, and for S2O,- 900 for new buildings, which together represents the sum of $90, ,000. tidy amount for an institution which has graduated only 133 pupils during it's fourteen years of existence. More than this the school authorities age asking the Secretary of War for an army officer to lecture upon military science as a permanent feature of the faculty. The entrance at this time, therefore, upon the scene of discussion of this cores pondent of the Hartford Times is perti- nent and iustifable. It is high time that some one, near the base of legisla- tive supplies, hammered away at this matter.
 We learn from this correspondent, what has not been sufficiently circula- ted, that of the 133 graduates of the school 103 are living in Connecticut. We must also keep constantly in mind that the Storrs institution is an agri- cultural college, and that it's only ex- cuse for living is that it promises to ed ucate our young men to become farm CTS, and through these expert agricultur- alists to reclaim the now abandoned farm property. Says this correspond ent: "If I can count correctly, there are 103 graduates of this school now living in Connecticut. Of these. 59 re- port themselves in thls last report as being engaged in just such trades as those who have gone out of the state are in, to wit; shipping clerks, book keepers, electricians, sslesmen, real es- tate agents, etc, anything but farming. The record as made then in the last re- port of the school gives--59 plus 2e equals 87-S7 out of total of 133 grad uates as being engaged in other oceupa- tions than farming" He adds further. more, though not of course as an illus tration of cause and effect, the state. ment that more farm property has been abandoned since the opening of the Storrs School than before. We take here the liberty to quote more at length from this refreshing correspondence.
 "We have by this report, then, just | forty persons who have been educated here in the fourteen years existence oi this school who are now actually eu. gagged in the work of farming in the Ssaie of Connecticut-an average oi 3 IT farmers per year turned out oi this institution, and the trustees and officers are asking $45.O00 to support the plant for two years to come. Is moi this rather expensive education, friend I mean in the matter of educating Ire chalmers" of the farms of Connecticu' I do not doubt my friends statement that "the instruction impsrted through the medium of a very efficient corps oi instructors" is every efficient" Il ought to be-for by this last report the "corps" are put down for $6, 329 27 fol salaries, ga good thing" and ''sure pay , from the state, these times, when econ, omy is the shibboleth which we set ur at this session of the Legislature. also notice an item of $l,73l .56, pait out for labor, to hired men-apd the in mates, who are learning farming art put down as having earned Sl47. Grea Scott! If the pupils have money enough to hire workmen after they ge away from there, they will tear all the bushes i'll the state up by the roots. NJ Moody, at his school in Nortbfield, car ries on all the branches of farming, ant the boys do the work, and it costs ahou Sl00 year for expenses of each pupil At this Storrs School at the present cal for funds and the rate of expenditures 1t costs Connecticut about $S, 900 to Re one farmer educated, to work CoEnecti cut farms. It would be far better aut cheaper for the state to send these Storrs pupils to Mir Moody's school and pay their tuition-that is, thos
 who would agree to become farmers ol their return"
 The fact is, and it would have beer exposed long ago in the General Assem-
 bly, had the two great parties not beel afraid of "the farmer vote," the Storr School is neither necessary nor success ful as an agricultural institution. It graduates do rot enter upon the occu
 patton of farming and seem to care yer. little for it. If it were ever to fuldll tn mission mapped ont for it by the phil anthropic gentleman who founded 1t, would have confined itself to its origi nal plan, which really called for an az
 ricultural mammal training school,
 practical and inexpensive undertaking To day it is neither one thing or tn ] other but it doss promise to cost tn taxpayers of the State more aud nor money each year without ever filling
 really useful place among the intellect ual activities of our life.
 , We quite realize the difficulty in tn , | -.-.x- ze o.k. kI0~n, G,lool Io-ialal,np a