The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-02-23
SHOULD BE CONSOLIDATED
A Meeting Of the Friends of Industrial
Education Suggested

n MeelHg OF the FRIENDS 81 lHlutttial
Education Suggested.
In view Of the proposition 20 divide the
agricultural interests centercd at RAJ
cigh into separate departments under
two heads, thereby weakening The col
lege. it has been suggested that there
be meeting Of the friends Of industrial
education living near enough to attend at
a days notice, TO consider if the Depart
ment Of Agriculture outside u tito col
lege cannot be connected with the De-
partment Of Agriculture in the college,
so that both be made more effectual and
less expensive.
1t occurs to me that the Department
of Agriculture outside Of the college,
or connected with it n such Il way as to
draw part Of its sdstenance. has al
ways been IN the way of its deye up
ment. II will be- remembered that the
Board of Agriculture some twelve or
fourteen years ago gave the friends IF
industrial education a mighty har tiGht
before they would ever permit the A.
and NJ. College to be established. Elk
cuses OF the Board and hostile opinions
of it's attorneys were as thick as the
leaves when autumn hath b.own. But
the college was established in .,pite of
all this. though many of its original enc
mics were continued on It's governing
board. The Board of Agricultura. or
Agricultural Department. so-called, is
still in the way of the progress of the
college in the same way it opposed its
establishment. Two-thirds of the work
proposed to be done by Mr.. Patterson's
bill in his Department of Agriculture is
a legitimate part of the work of the col
lege, the work which il was primarily
instituted to do. which it can better do
than MIR. Patterson 5 department: and
the other One-third of the work he maps
out can just as well be done under the
auspices of board of trustees having
in charge the college as under the board
which creates or adds 10: as un-
derstand his bill, he leaves some of the
old board in office, for while anyhow.
and Mr.. Justices Agricultural College
Bill leaves nine members ON the college
board Similar interests seem To in
spire both bills. for they are both got
ten up To prevent reorganization. ana
they will have that effect if carried out.
Now, many members would like to
vote for reorganization for political rea
sons, and the friends of industrial edu-
cation who desire IL reorganization for
the sake of consolidation and strength
ening the college in all its departments
ought to take advantage of this auspi-
cious time when two motives may be
made to conspire to the same praise
worthy end.
We will probably never see better
time for consolidating and unjfying the
college work. clearing all obstacles out
of its way, and making the Department
of Agriculture an annex thereto or de-
partment thereof instead of allowing the
college TO become something of an annex
TO the Department of Agriculture; for
the Department of Agriculture has al
ways spent by far the most money; ane
the institution that spends the most
money is usually the biggest i'll the long
run. The Department of Agriculture
must either swallow the college or the
college swallow the Department. | pre-
fer the latter. and So as ! believe, does
every friend of industrial education in
North Carolina.
If the citizens interested find out that
there is any danger of these bills pass
ing, and | thinn there is grave danger
unless the whole question is fully un
derstood then they certainly ought to
call a meeting and memorialiZe the Leg
islature upon the whole subject, or take
some other method of expressing their
views. If the citizens should be
apathetic or Indifferent to tine eXpendi-
ture of one hundred and ten thousand
dollars per annum in their midst. not
caring whether it is most effectually
spent or not, then the Legislature will
be justified in pursuing the policy of
locating State institutions about at diff
ferent points in the State.
Mr.. Pullen had great affection for this
city. The last conversation | had with
him about the college, after we had
looked over t. was that he expected
that some day young man would be
educated there who would make Raj
eigh great manufacturing city, and |
inferred too from the tenor of his CON
versation that this was what he had in
view when he gave the site-the sixty
acres upon which the college is located.
He has passed away, but his gift re-
mains, and the gifts of many other citi-
Zens also remain; and they and the col
lege which was established by virtue of
them plead with trumpet tongues that
Raleigh should never abate one jot or one
little of it's interest in this the greatest
Institution that has ever been establish
ed in our midst; for il is destined to re-
volutionize our industries. TO make
North Carolina manufacturing State
and TO make practical much of what is
called education.
w. j. PEELE