The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-11-23
PRAISE FROM A
RUSSIAN EXPERT
PROF. sABsOvIoH ON MINNEso-
TA's AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
superintendent Of the Baron de Hirsch
School Says Local institution Is Best
Of Its Kind in the World-He Has
Inspected All Of Them in Europe and
America and Should Know.

The Minnesota School of Agriculture
has many interested and appreciative
visitors, but none has gone farther in
his appreciation and expression of it
than Professor Sabsovich, superinten-
dent OF the Baron de Hirsch Agricultur-
al and Industrial school Of New Jersey.
Professor Sabsovich. has been visiting
gave q brief talk at chapel in which he
gave his estimate Of the, school as he
saw it. He protested that his encomiums
were not compliments, as the Russian
bear does not deal in compliments.
The view of Professor Sabsovich is
that Of an expert, as he has had the
most thoro training in the Polytechnical
schools OF Europe and has studied agri.
cultural conditions in his native coun-
try, Russia, and other European coun,
tries. He has spent thirteen years in
this country as a student and teacher
OF agriculture. He has. been for several
years one of the leaders, in the move.
ment to prepare the Russian Jewish
immigrants for agricultural life as q
remedy for the evils Of overcrowdine
the cities by such colonies. ".~
The work Of his school is largely ex-
perlmental and it's results have not been
fully satisfactory. A reorganization
has been planned, and. in order to get
oil CAO uCip pOSSlDl0 lTOm Inc expert
ence OF others, Professor Sabsovich has
ondary schools of agriculture: From its
literature he. selected the Minnesota
school of agriculture as the model fol
the changes he desired to make anc
came to the school to see it's actual
workings. e." ~ = = -" -
Professor sabsovich was accompa
MED on his visit Of inspection by Dr.
julius Goldman of New York, presi
dent Of the Baron de Hirsch fund, the
man who holds the pursestrings.
N. Has No. Equal.
The conclusion reached by Professor
Sabsovich is that the Minnesota insti
tuition is unequaled in the world in its
adoption to the needs Of an agricul
tural community and in the way it is
realizing its aim Of teaching. practical
he did not believe that either they OF
their instructors fully realized what
splendid school they had or how much
good it was doing. He said: >...-
Europe, with its forty years OF
effort to raise the standard Of agricul
tural conditions, has nowhere such re-
suits to show as have been achieved in
Minnesota thru the2,i influence Of this
school in seventeen years. The Mime
sofa farmers lot should be the happi
est on earth. If any. one wants proof
that the farmers Occupation is thu
ideal one, let him come to Minnesota
and visit it's agricultural school, as we
have done.'' @E"r ~ -: -
In private conversation the Russian
teacher added that he was impressed
most strongly with the way the prac
teal side Of all instruction was brough4
out and the way in. which it was re
lated
"The whole school, - he said, F"is
thoroly permeated with farming ant
that is its, most? 5valuhble feature. The
fact that the teachers. have had to make
| their own textbooks t ~ proof that the
| school is pioneering the, field and it III
| doing it splendidly. rs = fry g. =
| The Baron de- Hirsch school, as i
| exists at present, takes Russian Jew
| ish boys at the age Of l8 and puts then
into the school for a year and a half
They!ar then placed on farms tozapply
their school training in a practical way
It is Intended to. offer them an oppor
j tunity to return for all additional yea
Of school work, but, this part of tn
plan has not been put into effect. TIL
greatest difficulty with which tn
school has to contend is that the boy
with whom they have to deal have n
i idea Of farm life and the instruction
| is wholly foreign to their ideas. .Thi
makes the problem difficult one AM
accounts for the plan Of putting then
on the farm after short preliminar.
| training ~ -.. --L L..