The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-06-24
. DAY AT THE A. & M. COLLEGE
WHAT INDUSTRIAL EDU-
CATION is.
Cor. Of Progressive Farmer.

how does 1T differ from the education
usually given in schools and colleges g'
A visit to the Agricultural and Ne
chanical College at Raleigh supplies
an answer to this question. 1t shows
industrial education to be prepare
ton for the industrial professions
engineering electrical, civil, mining,
mechanical, and chemically, cotton
manufacturing, agriculture, and the
various mechanic arts, precisely as lit
erary education is preparation for law,
politics, and theology. Industrial
education includes book-study and
liberal culture in history, mathemat-
les, language, and science; but these
are not all. 1t includes, besides, man
ual training, skilled work, special
technical knowledge such as are re-
quired today in any industrial trade,
occupation. or profession. The time
is past when young men can afford to.
receive literary and scientific educa-
ton of a purely theoretical character
and then enter upon some industrial
business for which they have no prac-
teal preparation. Business competi-
ton today in all lines demands of
young men special preparation and
practical preparation for whatever
business they wish to follow. Mere
ability to think is not sufficient. One
must be willing also to work and must
know how to do skilled work, to map
out skilled work, to superintend skill
ed workers. Industrial education fur
nishes training for this, and, what is
equally as valuable, it fosters and de-
-11z~- =, $500 = c,,nh a .cOTrI% Of
work and such habits of Punctuality,
system, and economy as are essential
to success in every line of business.
THE SPIRIT OF WORK
A visitor to the A. & M. College at
Raleigh is much impressed by the
spirit of work which prevails there.
A majority of the students, during
intervals between boOk-studies and re-
citations, are seen in overalls, doing
some sort of work in the shops, labo-
ratOries. or cotton mill; in the barn,
dairy, or greenhouses. All the skilled
work of the College is done by stu
dents or by professors. This work is
part of their education. A future
electrical engineer is building a motor
or a dynamo, wiring a building,or run
ming the engine and dynamo to make
lights for the College. A future archi-
tect is handling the plane, the saw,
and the chisel: is measuring and
sketching buildings, making original
designs, and testing the strength of
wood, brick, cement, and iron. A flu
ture mechanical engineer is laying
out and performing work in the ma
L. H. 41-4s--- I-s1o-- 81 -
gines, making designs, patterns, etc.
A future civil engineer is surveying
the farm, designing a bridge, or lay
ing out the foundations of a new
building. A future cotton mill SUI
perintendent is setting up looms, de-
signing cloth patterns, making cal
culations as to the cost of power, plan
ming a system of fire protection; is
carding, spinning, designing, weav-
ing, and dyeing. A future farmer is
studying plants and animals, with
books, microscopes and instruments;
and, by practical experiments in the
greenhouses and fields, is testing what
he has learned theoretically. He
milks and feeds the cattle, makes but
ter with improved dairy machinery,
judges live stock, studies and expert
ments with soils and fertilizers, de-
signs farm buildings and lays out
drains, studies and experiments with
the propagation and culture of plants,
the breeding and feeding of animals.
In short. the future industrial worker
is not merely studying a thing in
books and hearing a professor lecture
about it, but is himself actually doing
the thing and testing his own skill
and knowledge.
THE PR OF ECONOMY AND ORDER.
Another impressive feature of the
College is the spirit of economy and
order which prevails there. This is
a natural result of the spirit of work.
The regular daily work of the College
requires its students to be p~unctual
and systematic as we'll as diligent.
Every man must be in place when the
clock strikes, his tools must be put IN
place and kept in order, even his
clothing and person are subject to
discipline and inspection. In short,
at the A. & M. College a lad is not
only being trained for business, but
is already in business. Under such
system, economy, pu~nctuality, and
regularity are a natural result. The
spirit of work is so strong hat a ma
jority of the students perform not
only the required work, but, in addi-
ton, outside of College hours, do ex-
ira work and earn considerable money
thereby. During the present year
almost $4,000 has been earned in this
way. While at work, each student is
in Overalls; when not at work, he is
in uniform. No rivalry exists about
dress, room furniture, boarding places,
etc. The result is no foppery, snob-
bishness, nor dudism, and no aristoc-
racy except merit. Every artificial
prop is knocked from under a bow.