Imperial Valley press., 1908-12-12
VALLEY COLLEGE
 FORMALLY OPENED Objects and Aims of New h. Stitution Announced by Eminent Educators
 at Heber,

nesday, December 9, although it has been doing regular class work since early in September.
 The great interest taken in the school by the settlers of Imperial
 Valley was shown by the gathering of representative men and women at Heber on Wednesday to participate in the formal exercises.
 John F. Giles, vice president of the Board of Trustees, presided. The program opened with the audience singing Coronation, and invocation by Rev. LeRoy Glasby, pastor of the Heber Congregational Church.
 Dr. Robert P. Shepherd spoke on the theme, Educational Possibilities of the Institute" He made many happy hits and spoke with an earn estness and impressiveness which eX- alted the object and aims of the new educational institution in the minds of the hearers.
 Mine is the unique privilege of be- ing a chronicler, an exposition and a prophet" said pr. Shepherd. q have the privilege of telling you of this new child in the educational world, and of the necessity for it's place in the valley"
 He then detailed the early history of the educational movement in I'm perial valley and spoke of the fact that the original plans for the townsite of Heber made provision for it be- ing a college town even before any other detailed plan was finished "There is reason beside the impulse of desert pioneer for this Collegiate Institute, said the speaker. 'Imper- ial Valley men and women want it here for the benefit of their children. At a meeting recently held here, nine men pledged $1O,0OO for a permanent fund for this school. Harvard College had no such start. Our children shall come here to learn the way of life. Our homes shall be blessed, our State shall be purer and our business shall be conducted with integrity, if our hopes for this institute are full filled in the boys and girls who shall assemble here"
 Messrs. Michell and Hatch of I'm perial gave a duet, "Oh, that We Two NTox yiY,rr fnII by an address by President George A. Gates, Pomona College.
 President Gates spoke of the Chi cago University starting out with the Standard Oil millions behind it. of the Leland Stanford University open ing with it's millions of dollars of backing, and of other similar cases.
 But most colleges do not start in this way" said the speaker. Prince ton, when forty years old had a globe and a thermometer-both in bad or der"
 He spoke of the fecundity of col leges in California and said the crop almost equalled the prolific vegeta- bles of this State and then gave some wholesome advice as to the lines to be followed by the Imperial Valley Collegiate Institute.
 Be yourselves" said the speaker. "This will probably be good deal better than trying to be Harvard. Every college stands on it's own feet, has its own peculiar field and condi- tions to meet. There are plenty of fool miversities-let this try to be a good college. The name is good the more I think of it the better I like it, I like the way you have begun gathered what students you could and started at the work in an earnest man. ner, Your selection of faculty is a wise one,
 Rev. Mott Mitchell of Imperial gave solo, Whats in My Heart, and this was followed by an address by Prof, F, J, Wickson, Dean of the Az ricultural Department of the Univer sity of California, who spoke on "Ag- ricultural Education"
 Prof, Wickson dealt on the neces- sity in this age of practical educa- tion as an aid in the doing of ones duty towards God and towards ones fellow man, and of the rational re- suits following the Introduction of az ricultural studies in the curriculum of present. day institutions of learning He qAoted President Roosevelt's words, G5od crops are of little value to the farmer unless they can open betteh life to the farmer" He de nl