The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-28
Land Grant Colleges. .
+ of The Times-Dispatch:

Editor of The Times-D Dispatch:
sir,-The leading object OF the agr.cul-
OF learning as are related to agriculture
and the mechanic arts in order
to promote the liberal and practical edu-
cation of the industrial classes in the
several pursuits and professions in life."
The l30i-'S catalogue of the Michigan
Agricultural College, on page Al, sets
forth the purpose OF that institution in
this pregnant sentence: In all the
courses of the Michigan Agricultural
College the end In view is to apply science
to the affairs Of everyday lite." or, as
Senator Daniel has expressed 1t, Science
must be hitched TO the wagon and the
pillow and go to the root of the tree"
Two of the Oldest Of these colleges and
those that have probably achieved more
real success and are sticking more closely
to their text than any OF the others, are
the Massachusetts, at Amherst, and the
Michigan, now In It's forty ninth year.
semi-centennal with more than one
thousand students In attendance. The
Michigan Agricultural College has but
| four leading courses-"the agricultural,
womens' course and the four-years
course in forestry" All members of the
! senior, junior, sophomore. four-year
freshman. five-year freshman, sub-fresh.
man and specials" take the agricultural
course or the course in mechanics. That
Is what the land grant was made for and
| they seem to be honestly endeavoring to
1 carry 1t out to the letter. This school
has. in fact. but two coursss-the asri-
in a separate building. pursue such
studies as apply science to the work
of the household" 1t was established in
1896 and the forestry course was put in
operation In 1862. Practically every stu
dent who expects to take degree In
| that institution takes either the course
| In agriculture or that in mechanical en-
lgneering. AT the Virginia POLYTECHNIC
Institute Qhe late Virginia Agricultural
and Mechanical College,. out of six hun
bred in attendance, has seyenty-tive
studying agriculture around in any old
place where they can find shelter The
| foundation of pretty comfortable
| at last and they may soon be able to go
under their own shelter. In the mechani-
cal department there are one hun0red ana
twenty-one out of six hundred. The lab
course is buried alive In a dark subter-
ranean basement room under the "aca-
demc building" which towers in i'm.
posing magnitude above the mechanical
| insignifcance. Out OF the six hundred
students in attendance one hundred and
nnety-six seem to be studying the sub
| jects for which all OF the money has
been appropriated, and 1t is a good round
sum. Out OF the present freshman class.
numbering two hundred and forty-seven,
one hundred and eighteen are from cities
and towns. Whether they belong to the
| industrial classes for whom the appro-
prlatlon was expressly intended, I am not
prepared to say The Agricultural Col
| lege of Michigan has really but two
courses-agriculture and mechanics. The
| Virginia Polytechnic has nine, among
them general science civil engineer
| ing" electric engineering. etc. The
! money appropriated to the study and de-
velopment of agricultural and mechanical
science has been taken from them and
| applied to other subjects but remotely, II
] at all. cognate or correlated. A course In
| electrical engineering in Bliss School In
| Washington, D. c.. costs 500 per annum;
| the same course at Blacksburg costs
about $3.50. have just this moment re-
| of the Massachusetts Agricultural and
Mechanical College. 1t reads as follows:
| "All the students In our institution study
| agriculture during the first two years.
| Tho courses or subjects are elective dur
Ing the last two of the four years. Dur
of our students in recent years. elect
either agriculture or horticulture
| DR.. Nathaniel Southgate Skater In a
work entitled Man and the Earth"
about the highest authority on the sub
| ject which he treats, states that over one
great Mediterranean basin has been lost
by the reckless exploiting OF the soil Of
| that splendid granary OF the Eastern
| Hemisphere. The same mad. suicidal
| guess-work Is constantly going on In the
State of Virginia and we are more in
perts to put an end to this mischief than
we are Of accomplished men in any other
occupation or profession. Can the I.egis-
| lature regard such a condition with In
difference? b. w. ARNOLD, Sr.
| Montvale, Va.