Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1898-12-31
BEST SCHOOL N TaEsTgTE
Sc Says King CouptS Represent
tative of the VIA. {.
Seattle Mans Report of Visit to
the Co1lege.

RepresentatlVe-elecl Pratt, OF Sc
attic, who is also an Elitor of the
Post lntelligencer, recently visited
the agricultural college ia company
with other me,nberselect Of the
state legislature, and bis views on
that institution wers given the |
"P.-I." as follows;
Another thing Whitman county
and it's sister counties are deeply
interested in is the Washington
Agricultural college. They are
proud of it and they h4ve reason to
be. II is magnificent institution. |
Notwithstanding its shabby build
ings and paltry maintenance APP
preparation The appointment of
President Graves as president of theI
state university holds outthe hope
that its lost honors will be recov-3
cred, but for the momeift the east.
ern institution is superior to the
western. Within us scope its
achievements have been eSeater and
its work is on an equal substan
tial foundation.
The number of pupils enrolled
for this year is 256, arid. III addition.
to this the winter school for farmers
enrolled 1856. The nurhbsf ef stu
dents enrolled in the fsllsof 1898
was only %. Every dapaFtinent is
not only ovcrcrowded, Dut the
classes have to be held An every
room, and even then hey Iavesto
take turns. The presidents private
office has thus to be sufrendefed
during a part of each tsgg} ~ .;5sses
departments, particularly that of
veterinary work, the lectures have
to be given in little room which
is already more than comfortably
filled With pathological specimens,
and there is no place where oper-
ations can be performed In the pres
ence of the class.
"In November, 1897, Ferry hall,
the boys dormitory, was consumed
by fire, with all its contents. The
students lost all thelr books and
other effects, aggregating about
$4,000, and their loss would have
been very serious but for the gen
eral help rendered by the public.
The ruins still stand, there being
no provision for rebuilding That
building, with others, had been in
sured by the. board of regents in
1893, as then required by law, but
the state auditor, acting on the ad
vice of the attorney general, refused
to audit the bill for the payment of
the premium, and the board was
compelled to cancel the policy
The reason given was that it was
the policy of the administration to
carry all its own insurance, the cost
of insuring all state buildings being
very large. Whether that was a
wise policy or not, the fact remains
that the dormitory was destroyed,
and the boys are scattered all over
the town. This is not only incon-
venient but incompatible with the
discipline and supervision which
parents have right to expect for
sons sent from home to complete
their education. The building cost
| $34, 900. and the contents were
worth about $4,000 more. The leg
islature will be asked for an appro-
priation sufficient to rebuild it.
"The institution is threatened
with another danger. Most valu
able scientific instruments and even
more valuable chronological specl-
mems, are housed inga building
which would burn like match box
if it once caught fire. These val
uables should be kept in a much
more substantial structure. Such
a building could also be adapted
for the use Of classes, and so relieve
the main building from the tre-
mendous pressure now bearing up
on it. The chronological collection
is not for abstrusely scientific pur-
poses. It's main object is to secure
specimens of insects detrimental to
fruits, and also those which are the
enemies of the pests. This is one
Of the most valuable objects of the