Newark post., 1911-03-22


gene Davenport, of the Illinois Col |
lege Of Agriculture for The Breeders
Gazette, is pcr,inent to the bill now
before the Delaware Legislature.
1t must be evident to those who !
have read that the modern agricul-
tural college is more than teaching
institution for the schooling of boys
and girls. 1t is an institution for the
instruction O. men and women, not
onlv OF university grade, but Of ma
turty and experience. 1t is ali in
struction for research. 1t is bureau
for information. 1t is lecture bur-
eau. 1t is a clearing house for knowl-
edge, both new and old on which the
people may freely draw. In brief it
is a public service institution in the
widest sense of the term, and what is
TRUE Of the agricultural college is true
of the State university as whole
and practically in all of the colleges.
Does "A farmer need information
which books or bulletins do not hap.
pen to afford, he writes to the agri-
cultural college, states his problem.
and in 90 cases out of 100 gets almost
by rerurn mail the i'll, formation he
needs to fit his case The State can
help the individual but when thous
ands of individuals take advantake OF
lis advice the public as whole be-
comes a beneficiary. A meeting OF
farmers is to be held to discuss agri-
cultural progress in the neighbor-
hood. Their own speakers better than
any other can recite the experience OF
the community, but az once the col
legc is called on for speakers because
in that way can be had the broadest
possible outlook on the problem. The
college man if he be a good one,
knows his subject Gtom something
broader than local point of view,
and il he is a good enough man he is
able to advise with reference to worlu
conditions. Experience shows that
addresses Of this kind are called lor
in the various States sometimes as
high as 500 in single year.
AS | write, one of the professors i'll
prominent state university is re-
tanned by the Government as all ca
per witness in a case which is to de-
terminc between private interests and
public welfare. The governors office
or some other branch of rhe State
administration desires expert lnfor-
nation on which to render decisions.
More and more are cases of this kind
referred to some department OF the
state university for information. and
SO in thousand ways outside the
classroom the -ublc service is de
irving benefit in the solution of its
hardest problems by calling on the
state institutions for information.
Manifes.'. this kind Of service can
not be rendered except by the mJst
reliable specialists, and it is s,early
evident that any great state can al
ford at least one specialist along such
important lines as its beef cattle IN
dustry, us AorscS, its dairy, its soil
and its crops as well as its .css mater
ial interests, such as its social and
economic welfare.
And that is what makes it costly. Il
is comparatively cheap to teach stock
knowledge to boys and girls. That is
because the information is eemen
paid. I a member of a recent Illinois
tary and because teachers are poor.l
legislature reported that the average
pay OF a university professor is be
low that OF a brlcklayer) But tC
teach new and rapidly developing
subject like agricultural science tc
mature men and women, many OF then
OF widest experience, demands i'll
strucrors of the highest rank Tc
conduct experiments in new fields ane
to discover and apply new knowledge
requires specialists OF the best train
ing and individuals of the keenes
judgment
To put the results of such research
into acceptable literature and SO tC
present 1t III the public address as
not only to carry conviction but tc
impel to action, al this demands &
type OF personality and a degree anc
accuracy ot training, not commonly
encountered.
The man who can do these thing:
and can serve the public along al
these lines is i'll great demand. there
are never any too many of that kind
and their cost is high. Indeed, there
is etreme difficulty i'll retaining then
i'll public service at all, because coin
mercial interests will pay two an,
even three or lour times the salary
ever yet paid by any public service i'll
stitution. While any position can bt
filled III way at any figure THAT ma,
be named, yet the time has passet
when the men abe really to do th'
things demanded OF modern universj
ties can be had for $500 or $4,000
and the time is here when they vii
cost S3. .ooo to $1,000. and even more
Is il too much? Before answering
we must remember that when wei
done this is the same kind of eNper
service for which private interest
pay engineers, lawyers, and trades
men $4,000, $4,000 and $4,000 yea
and up.
An Institution with really goo
agricultural faculty is i'll possessio
oi body OF trained experts who's
duty ii is to act as technical adviser
to the State. Such service has hig
value, and ii we'll performed is nc
likely to be overpaid, Moreover, II
State can afford to support a body c
inferior and unreliable men, first, be
cause they waste whatever funds ar
put into their hands. and, second. be
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