, 1908-02-25
PRESIDENT FAVORABLE TO MEA-
SURE INTRODUCED BY MIN
NESoTA CONGRESSMAN,
AT WASHINGTON.
Agriculture and Secondary School
Provided For, Management to Be
Under Direction of Secretary Of
Aericulture-President Says We
Should Strive to Aid in the Educa-
tion of the Farmer of Country.

Special to The Republican.
! Washington, D. c., Feb. 25.-Hon. c.
r. Davis, member of congress from
Minnesota, today forwarded to Presi-
dent Frederick Monroe Tisdel, presi-
dent of the University of Wyoming at
Laramie, the following letter and ac-
companying paper concerning the en-
dorsement given his bill by President
Roosevelt.
Congressman's Letter.
The letter to President Tisdel is as
follows:
"Dear Sir:-By appointment this
morning | had al interview with the
president in regard to my agriculture
and industrial secondary school bill
now pending before congress. | desire
to give publicity to the ideas which
the president expressed and also some
additional statements made by me, a
draft Of which is enclosed. | will ap-
preciate it very much if you will cause
this statement to be published in the
respective newspapers that you repre-
sent at the earliest date possible"
Saw the President.
By appointment, Mr.. Davis had an
interview with the president this
morning, in which the provisions of
the bill were considered. He was very
much gratifed to receive from the
president his hearty and full indorse-
ment of the measure. In this inter
view allusion was made to the presi-
dents speech at Keokuk in October
last, n the president was gratified
to know that his ideas then expressed
concerning this measure were receiv-
ing such favorable consideration
throughout the entire country. In this
speech the president said:
What President Said.
I'VE should strive in every way to
aid in the education of the farmer for
the farm, and should shape our school
system with this end in view; and so
vitality important is this that, in my
opinion, the federal government should
cooperate with the state governments
to secure the needed change and i'm
proyement in our schools. At present
there is a gap between our primary
schools in country and city which must
help the state to close it. Too often
our present schools tend to put alto
gether too great a premium upon mere
literary education, and therefore to
train away from the farm and shop.
We should reverse this process"
Duty of the States.
The Davis bill requires the several
states to first provide the ground, the
farm and the school buildings and
making the payments of the seminar
nual amounts dependent upon the right
use of the proceeding sums, and places
the secretary of agriculture in control
OF all disbursements. Judge Shields
of California says of the bill:
An Admirable Bill.
Rightly enforced the bill is admir-
able. First, it provides for technical,
industrial and practical education as
distinguished from the old theory of
educating all alike, regardless of his
type or the life he was to lead; of
teaching the boy or girl books alone
that they might thereby acquire the
strength and fiber of mind to later
learn men and things. The character
of education proposed by this bill will
teach the realities of life direct and in
the process cultivate the mind as well
as the old plan.
A Broad Provision.
One of the most fruitful fields of the
education of the future will be nature,
the wondrous world we live in, and of
this field agriculture comprehends it's
best features. This bill is broader
than that, however, including mechan-
les and domestic science within its pur-
poses. am sure that a vigorous dis
%tribution of learning in these arts and
sciences a do no harm n will do
incalculable good"