Evening star., 1908-01-12
Educating the Farmer

Educating the Farmer
Congress half a century ago recognized
the wisdom of providing for the educa
ton of the farmer continued Secretary
Wilson. Provision was made for an ag-
ricultural and mechanical college in each
state and territory. We now have sixty
five such colleges. with 10000 students of
agriculture in attendance. They have
funds and equipment amounting TO SS4,
60,o10 and annual revenues of S14, 800. GOO.
These institutions are making satisfactory
progress along lines Of education and
search and rank high among similar
terprises in the world. They are giving
Us educated men for teaching. writing.
experimenting and making research.
Each state has an experiment station,
where Investigations are made into local
conditions of soils. plants. animals and
the manufacture of farm products Each
is endowed by the federal government
with $4,000 annually. In addition to
those institutions the federal government
has made the Department of Agriculture
a central university. where the grad
ateS of state agricultural colleges continue
their education and specialize under sci
entiStS of acknowledged proficiency in
their several lines of work. We have
over nine thousand people in this de-
partment of which number more than
two thousand belong to the scientific
work of the instructors in the state agri
cultural colleges. In addition to that we
are sending out sixteen million volumes
Of farm publications a year, containing
the results of the work of our depart
nent-1.41J different publications.
THE results of our efforts to educate
the farmers have been so satisfactory
that it is now proposed TO introduce the
study of the elementary sciences of agri-
culture into the secondary schools, which
Will he fap1arS for the Agricultural col
leSes and will be open to the students
who are able to go no farther with their
education opportunity to learn something
Of their life work.
To Extend Foreign Commerce.
Thus. in his usual terse. straight style
of talking, Secretary Wilson tells what
the government has done and is doing
TO promote the education of the farmers.
and DR.. White suggests that similar meas
ures. in a limited way. be adopted for
the training OF those who will hereafter
engage in the extension of the foreign
commerce of the United States. Such
work is already carried on to a certain
degree. Departments of commerce are
now maintained in the University OF Iii
nois, the University Of Wisconsin, Cor
nell University and in several other in
stftutions with encouraging success. and
DIR. White argues that the work should
be extended for the benefit of our com
mercial relations by the federal govern
ment He proposes first the training of
our own young men in the accepted meth
DDS of foreign commerce. and for making
investigations here and abroad which
would tend 10 extend the trade of the
United States. and, second. offering in
ducements to students in the Philippine
Islands China. japan. Mexico and Cen
trail and South America TO come TO this
country for an education in such branches
as will make them familiar with the ad-
vantages and opportunities for trade be-
tween their countries and the United
States.
DR. White has embodied his ideas in
bill providing for an annual appropria-
ton, beginning with $1,000 and increas
ing at the rate OF $1,000 year until
maximum of $4,000 shall be reached, for
each of the land grant colleges Ito aid
in acquiring and diffusinS among the
people of the United States useful and
practical information on methods of con
ducting foreign business. and to improve
tine commercial relations of the United
States with foreign countries. 1t pro-
poses that this money shall be spent IN
teaching the most improved methods Tor
the extension of foreign commerce and
for instruction III the languages most use
ful for commercial Intercourse with the
insular dependencies of the United States.
South Latin America. China ana Japan
And. in order TO develop ana encourage
the trade of the United States with such
countries. he proposes that the further
sum of 500 year shall be paid toward
the tuition of each student from those
countries un to a limit of 100 students,
and provided their expenses are not paid
by their own governments. DIR. White
thinks that this would induce large
number of young men in the Latin -Ameri-
can republic and China and Japan to come
To the United States for their educa-
ton who upon returning to their ma
live countries. would become permanen
missionaries in the extension OF American
civilization and trade. He shows that
Prince Bismarck established such depart
ments in the German universities with
good results. and that the Gefman gov
1 ernment appropriated large sums of
| money for instructing young men in the
/ languages of the German colonies IN
!, Africa and the Pacific islands.
Representative McKinley's Bill.
/ Ii is an interesting coincidence that
! Representative Mckinley Of Illinois
\ should have introduced IA bill with the
| same spirit and for similar purpose
making annual appropriation of a
| similar amount for each of the land grant
/ colleges TO pay for instruction and for
/ conducting original researches bearing
! directly upon the manufacturing. mining
I and engineering industries of the United
States And everything tnat can be said
\ in favor of DIR. Whites proposition ap-