The Savannah morning news., 1902-08-16
THE UNIVERSITIES DEFENSE.
CHANCELLOR HILL RENDERS An
ACCOUNT OF ITS STEWARDSHIP.


Agriculture in Georgia.
At the Thursday morning session OIL
the Georgia State Agricultural Society
Chancellor Walter B. Hill delivered q
stirring and convincing address upor
the rela tons of the College Arts Of
Agriculture and the mechanic art tC
the State University.
The address was inspired by a res
olution introduced by W. L. Peek OF
Rockdale, providing for the appoint
ment of a committee to secure such
legislation as would result in tbs
physical and financial divorce of the
two Institutions. In brief the plan
which springs up perennially, was to
remove the College of Agriculture
from Athens.
The resolution was defeated by a
vote of IS to Il. This effect was large
ly induced by the address of Chancel-
Tor Hill, though much of the credit,
doubtless. must be ascribed to the
native hood sense of the members of
the sociey.
Chancellor Hill said in part:
Chancellor HIS speech.
THE State Colleges of Agriculture
and Mechanical Arts, as they are
called, are established in each state
under an act of Congress. This act
was passed in 1862, and is known as
the Morrill, bill, having been introduced
in 1857. and pressed to final success by
Senator Morrill, of Vermont. 1t was
amended by later act in 1890. The
states of the North and West took ad-
vantage-some during the war and
some Immediately after the war-of
the provisions of this bill. The edu-
Gators of the state. although aware of
the bill, took no action in the matter
pending the existence of the recon-
struction governments, but in 1872
when Georgia had been redeemed from
Republican misrule. Gov. James NJ
Smith took up the matter with the ma
tional government, and arranged for
Georgia to receive annually her share
of money under the Morrill, bill.
AN important clause of the bill, in
this connection. is as follows No por-
ton of said fund shall be APP
piled to the purchase, erection, preser-
walton or repair of any building or
buildings
AT that time the state was impov-
winch
to erect buildings in which to provide
for the teaching of the sciences speci-
fed in the bill, or to provide dormi-
tories for students. Gov Smith there
fore proposed to the trustees of the
University of Georgia to place the fund
in their control, so that the buildings
of the university might be used, in
order to carry out the purposes of the
act. 1t was true, however, that the
buildings of the university although
adequate for the purposes of the liter
airy course taught in Franklin College,
at Athens. were not wholly sufficient
for the purpose, and at this juncture
the citizens of Athens, in order to Sc
cure the college, held an election and
issued bonds to the amount of $4,000.
and erected the building known as
''Moore's College, to be used for the
special purposes of the State College
of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts.
In order to understand the nature
of the institutions created by the act
of Congress, we must examine care
fully the terms and provisions of the
Morrill, bill. for that bill is the char
ter of everyone of these institutions
1t describes the character of these col
leges as follows:
what Congress Designed.
The leading object of these col
leges shall be, without excluding other
scientific and classical studies, and in
Guiding military tactics. to teach such
branches of learning as are related to
agriculture and the mechanic arts in
such manner as the legislatures of the
states may respectively prescribe in or
der to promote the liberal and practi-
cal education of the Industrial classes
in the several pursuits and professions
in life
THE amending act of 1890 provides
that the fund paid hereunder, shall be
applied only to instruction in agricul-
ture. the mechanic arts, and the va
rious branches of mathematical, ply
steal. natural and economic science
with special reference to their applIoa-
ton in the industries of life and to the
facilities of such instruction
THE Morrill, bill created a new class
Of institutions, and required a new
class of teachers. There had been pro-
fessors of languages, mathematics and
some of the sciences, but there never
had been a professor of agriculture
Undoubtedly the forces of education
encountered great difficulty in shaping
the new institutions and their course y
Much of the difficulty, however
met with at the beginning has been
removed by the conferences of the AS
ISOLATION of the State Colleges. The
presidents and faculties of the coll
leges have met with the Secretary OF
Agriculture. who is the responsible Of
ficer provided by law to examine the
work. They have shaped the eurclc-
ulum which has been adopted in all
the states leading to the degree OF
Bachelor of Science in AgrIcult IRE.
Certain of the colleges have also franz
ed and offered courses intended for the
benefit of those who are not fully pre-
pared for the college work
Now the resolution of Col. Peek
proposes to remove this institution
from the University of Georgia 1t
now, together with Franklin College,
makes up the academic part of the
University, the one giving a course on
which the emphasis is literary. the
other a course on which the emphasis
is on science. Let US see what must
be done before this removal is effect
ed: first, of course, as every honest
man would say, the state must refund
to the citizens of Athens the $25. 900
which they paid out of their own pock-
cts to secure the loca ton of the state
college al Athens. and to erect the
building for this special work Second
ly, in view of the act, already quoted.
that none of the Federal funds can be
used for buildings, il would be neces-
sary for the state to provide buildings
in which can be taught all the studies,
both classical and scientific which
are required by the act to be taught
and, also, to provide dormitories. din
ing halls, library. and all other build
ings for the equipment of a college.
At the least this would require an ex-
pen6iture of $150,000.
senator MoriII's Ideas.
"Noy what are the ol,iac+. g.. ,.1.,