The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1904-09-12

the sale OF public lands, not from funds
derived by taxation, direct or indirect.
Now, that Hawaii is a full fedged
Territory of the United States the
query has arisen, why cannot Hawaii
receive from the Federal Government n
subsidy in support of an agricultural
college There is no educational insti-
tuition Of college grade in Hawaii Ca
hu College, the best that we have, is a
preparatory school. The question is as
to whether the time has come when
this country can adequately support an
institution of college grade. There can
be no doubt as to the need of a higher
institution of learning but can Hawaii
support such an institution?
Before we can justly go to the Fed
eral Government and ask that our share
Of the funds derived from the sale OF
public lands be granted for the fur
Their endowment Of the agricultural col
lege" should we not make due provision
for this college? The original endow-
ment of the mainland colleges was TO-
100000 acres of land, originally esti-
mated to be worth upwards of $4,000
900. To this have been added other
land grant funds amounting to l,44l,-
OOO other permanent funds $1444,0 900;
farms and grounds, $3.50, 600; buildings,
$500; apparatus, $2,OOO,OO0; Libraries,
1900, 900; miscellaneous equipment, 81
100000; making a total permanent val
lie Of $50, 600, 900. In 1899 the agricultural
colleges of the United States were at
tended by $4,000 students and during
that year the Federal Government con-
,I ha 70 a NJ
Territories $2,2S7. 900. Three-fourths of
the total permanent endowment of the
colleges has been supplied by the States
and Trritories and 60 per cent of the
annual running expenses.
Hawaii has no agricultural college
but would like to have one IN order to
secure the $4,000 annual subsidy from
the Federal Government. 1t seems 10
me that If d college is 70 ne establish
ed the Territorial legislature should set
aside as a Pr. manent endowment AT
least 100000 acres of the best agricul-
tural land in the islands. The law
making Federal endowments specifies
that the institution receiving this fund
be "a college," and "a college Is nei-
Their an academy nor training school, "
AN agricultural college must not teach
how to use the plow and hoe, but when
and where to use them to best advan-
tage."
The law under which we would seek
benefit specifies that in this college the
leading object shall be to teach such
branches of learning as are related to
agriculture and the mechanic arts.
1t is the function of a training school
to show how a thing is to be DONE
and of college to teach why. The ag-
riCultural colleges of the mainland de-
, mand that their matrculates shall be
well educated and shall have passed
through the stage of learning how to do
things. Two-thrds of our agricultural
colleges demand that their freshmen
shall have completed work equal to the
Sth or 9Th grades of the public schools
The remaining one-third stand on the
same basis as to entrance requirements
as the universities.
If any agricultural college is estab
lished in Hawaii, it should be a college
in actually, and not in name only fol-
the sole purpose of securing Federal
endowment; 1t should be established fOI
the future more than for the present
needs of Hawaii on "A broad and liberal
basis 1t should stand at the head Of the
common school system, and should be-
: gin on a plane little higher than that
yet reached by any existing institu-
ton; finally If the people of Hawaii are
Of the opinion that now is the time tC
establish such an educational institu-
ton there is no time better than the
present in which to set apart as a per-
petual endowment for the cause of q
liberal education in the sciences relat,
ing to agriculture and the mechanics
arts at least 100000 acres of the public
domain. JARED G. SMITH.