Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1911-08-18
THE STATE COLLEGE OF WASH.
INGTON
BY E. A. Bryan, President of the
College

The first act toward the establish
ment of the college was made in 1890.
Washington had just been admitted
as a state, and among other things
had received from the United States
two splendid gifts of land for techni-
cal 1000 acres of land
for college of agriculture, and
| 100000 acres for scientific school
The national government stood ready
| to supplement this by annual gifts
for instruction and agricultural ex-
| perimentation. The state agreed to
| the terms, accepted the gifts, and
| formed single institution on this
foundation, uniting the proposed col
| lege of agriculture and mechanical
arts into single institution to which
it gave the long title The Agricul-
tural College, Experiment Station
and School of Science of the State of
| Washington, now shortened into
the State College," adopted char
ter and provided for governing
| body to be known as The Commits
sion of Technical instruction. A
| year later a new and more adequate
charter was given. The same name
was kept, but a fuller and more de-
tailed description of the functions
were given, and the governing board
called The Board of Regents.
The college was opened January
4, 1892, and is one of the youngest
of all state colleges of America. 1t
was and is a college of agriculture.
But it is more. 1t is a college of Me-
chanical Arts as we'll, and it is the
| scientific and technical school as we'll
1t represents distinctly that new
movement in education which sees
in the entire industrial world the
need of a higher education founded
| on a genuine scientific basis and
guided by trained minds. AS such il
contrasts strongly with the earlier
systems of college and university
work, which relied almost exclusive
ly on so-called liberal arts. follow
ed purely literary method and aimed
at professional careers separated
largely from the world engaged in
producing and handling natural
wealth
1t is Il distinctive feature that it
refuses to segregate and separate
the industrial activities in their edu-
cational basis. 1t groups the same in
separable group, Agriculture, Manu-
Trade and Commerce. These are in
separable in the producing and con-
Stunning world. You cannot tell where
one begins and the other ends. They
constitute unity in point of fact.
A nation devoted exclusively to one
of these would be somewhat help
less nation. A vast nation like the
United States with its far extended
territory and its worldwide range of
resources, must, If it do well, pre-
serve an equilibrium in its Industrial
activities and must stimulate and
guide the several industries so that
with even and uniform step they
must approach the good of national
life. Then there is a unity in these
several lines because they rest on the
same basis in the primary sciences.
The chemistry which lies at the ba-
Of 1f,tv.s fy f1,n nI,D
istry which lies at the basis of trade
and manufacture. Wherever mechan-
les is used, whether in the mine or
factory or shop or on the farm. And
again, the method of investigation
and study is the same in all of these.
And, further still, there is a unity of
an attitude toward work common to
students in all of these lines which
is of the utmost practical impor
lance and in which they contrast
strongly with those looking to en-
trance to the learned" professions.
There is yet another 'raison detre"
for the existence of these industries
in a single educational group, that
is because the precision and the
thoroughness found in all mechanical
training, by reflection adds greatly
to the possibilities of agricultural ed
ucation which might easily become
superficial and worthless. The State
| College of Washington should there
fore be thought of as a college of ag-
riculture; also as a college which
bears equally upon the development
of mining industries, manufacture,
constructive enterprises, whether
they be roads, railroads, waterways,
power plants, or irrigation, trade and
commerce as we'll. So much for that.
The college opened in 1892 teebly
and hesitatingly. A year and half
afterward ended in disaster and ed