Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1913-03-17

tenth that number. You may speal
grandiloquently of the wonders of the
Twentieth Century and scott lightly
at the miracles of long ago, but surely
a greater miracle was performed right
here in Texas scarcely year back
Three hundred thousand dollars was
actually appropriated for a new Main
Building and Mess Hall. II that Is not
breathing life itno dry and withered
bones, then surely Texas is the small.
est State in the Union. Even then II
the Hon. Burlington and few other
citizens whose hearts are larger than
scores of heads of some people we
know, had not pitched in and dragged
to light the-requisite funds, next year
the students would still be eating in
Krupp's roomy arsenal, and attending
mathematic and English classes in
BAT Roost," or the Texas Building
Company's CASTOR tents.
Some wise heads have long contend
ed that the college should be located
in North Texas, between Dallas and
Fort Worth, where the soil is exceed
ingly rich. There. is just about as
much argument in this as in the COM
plant of the murderer about to be
hanged that the rope was new and
hence little stiff. What good would
an agricultural school do at a place
where the soil is so fertile that things
other than a riot could be raised
there? A farmer owning a thousand
acres of Brazos bottom land doesn't
bother about scientific agriculture. He
doesn't need to, for the eagles come
in fast enough. II had charge of one
Of those paradise plots | would be
scared to apply science; | might 60
broke. Surely If scientific agriculture
is what it is cracked up to be, then
the outlying lands of College Station
could be made to blossom like the
Mississippi Delta gardens. Beans, pea
nuts and other legumes could be plant
ed, and surely with the chemists here
potash, nitrogen, and other ingredients
could be judiciously applied, so that
the soil would become fertile. It
stands to reason that If we are striving
to instruct the ignorant farmer as to
the best plan of building up his poor
lands, then indeed we have every OPP
portunity for demonstrating to him
what can be done along the same lines
here.
Then some have contended that high
school work, pure and simple, was
being carried on at A. and NJ. Time
and time again efforts have been made
to raise the Standard of the curric-
ulum, but what can one expect when
one of our Representatives gets up
and loudly declares that the require
ments are too high already and that
of the boys of his county
are uudDie W Set III iahlh6 Jul
courses as they are, though, we have
no cause for alarm. have talked to
scores of our agricultural and engi-
neering graduates who have been in
the world for some time and have
rubbed elbows with men OF other insti-
buttons. They were unanimous in de-
claring that they were not one whit I!
ashamed OF the class of instruction
offered at the A. and NJ College OF
Texas. The part our men are taking
in scientific and industrial affairs is !
proof enough OF their efficiency. It is .
a pity, though, that they do not ac- |
luire more here. II is not the colleges ,
'ault. Often is it the case that IL an
professor wishes to build |
my classroom equipment, he must
yrab up a hammer, swipe few nails,
ear off couple of iron bars from
he front fence, purloin several planks
rom goodness knows where, and make
t himself or 20 without. With few
econd-rate cattle, horses and hogs,
took judging pavilion buried in mud
n the winter time and covered with
lust in summer, apparatus obsolete
,efore the Kearsarge, and classroom
nd departments so crowded that 1t is
to cuss a cat, 1t is highly
improbable that the students can learn
nything.
And now with the reference to the
ecessity of the college being within
big city. If we are to accept the
of some OF our friends,
hen truly the inhabitants of the slums
{ Chicago and Cew York are the best
ducated people in the world. They
ave, at least, all the advantages OF !
metropolis. But what does the close J
roximity of large city have to do
18th the courses offered at college?
n the other hand, it seems that out
ere, where the students are away ,
'om the giddy whirls of the flying ,
orld, every opportunity is afforded
,r thorough study and instruction.