The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-08-10
Y. ?. |. PLANT ONE

/ Continued from First Page)
adjacent there are about one thou
sand acres.
| In recent years SO many physical
improvements have been made that a
student of ten years back will scarce
/ ly recognize the place.
| Water, hot and cold. from a spring
! as clear as crystal, which Is tested at
frequent stated intervals by bac-
| teriologist, Is in the barracks and
all other buildings. The buildings are
| lighted by electricity and heated by
steam by a plant owned by the COL
lege. The students, who are quartered
/ in five commodious barrack buildings,
are boarded in the dining hall. man
aged and served by an excellent stew
ard and his wife and under the di-
rect control of the commandant, an
officer Of the regular army detailed
by the national government for SER
vice here, and a former student of this
institute.
| I find faculty of from forty to
! fifty able men. deeply interested in
the welfare and continued progress Of
the institute. If may judge by what
! I have already seen, and / believe
may, they may be depended upon for
/ liCai ~ Ao-SRcldlio with tue tAttdLSNc
and are more than ready to aid him in
all that may be attempted for the
betterment and advancement OF the
school
I find given here twelve courses Of
study leading to the degree of bache-
Tor of science In agriculture. horticul-
ture, biology, agricultural engineer
! ing. civil. mechanical, electrical and
mining engineering, metallurgy and
AT tlat ,f,xr npISed ~
istry and chemical engineering: in ad-
dition, two-year agricultural course
in which practical knowledge in agri-
culture and horticulture Is empha
sized. but not to the exclusion of the
theory of the subjects.
There are besides two winter
courses given for farmers and dairy
men of any and all ages at merely
nominal cost.
| I find broad and thorough course
In scientific. engineering and agricul-
tural subjects tempered and adorned
J by instruction in every case in the
liberal arts. as should be the case.
1 find that in all of these courses
the practical and laboratory features
are emphasized, as many hours each
week being given to laboratory prac
J tice as to lecture-room work.
Fine Student Body.
| have not had the opportunity as
/ yet to learn to know the student
body, but from what I can learn they
arc a body of earnest. hard-working
young men. imbued with high pur-
/ pose in life and making diligent use
of their opportunity here. ! have said
hard working" and ! have used the
word advisedly. 1t will interest the
public to know that more than one
| fifth of our students pay their way
! through the institute, in whole or In
part, by their own labor. And in
what does this labor consist? In wait
I ing in the dining hall. in maintain
/ ing the electric plant. in delivering
mail, in digging bitches fer sewer or
water pipes, in painting roofs and
stacks, in cleaning the shops or other
] buildings. in airing furnaces, in milk
ing. IN attending to the stock and in
various lines of farm work. Not
! few men. now eminent in their pro-
LESSONS in the United States, have
done these things here and have done
them with no feeling of shame, but
with pride: nor have they ever lost
caste or standing with the. student
body ~ doing them.
| l find instead Of the well equipped
/ shop building. where so many former
students have labored and learned,
heap of ashes and a pile Of bricks. A
misfortune surely. but one which shall
! In no way hamper the school or In
tcrrupt its work. Already tempo
lrary shop ;a under way, which VIII be
fnIy equipped and ready for work in
tho fall. q better more Thoroughly
| furnished and more modernly equip
ped shop will be built during the con-
ing session, and 70 progressive arcfi-
tectural firm in your city. Messrs'
Carneal 4 Johnston. has been let the
contract for it's construction.
At the beginning of this letter
stated that I could declare no policy
until it had been adopted by the board
of visitors. The board has declared,
however. It's hope that the Virginia
Pelr. ga per-
rlitted by the general assembly TO
undertake dafii Il extension and DEM
onstration work in Virginia. The de-
tails have not yet been fully worked
out but 1t is through such work that
this college can best reach the tens
of tho1sands who make their living
on the land. An agricultural college
which cannot find ways to teach dem
nitely and helpfully any worker on the
land that wishes to do better farm
ing confesses its Incompetence.
This institution will find those ways
II permitted to assume this work
Some one said recently that the Vir-
ginia Polytechnic institute is In Mont
gomery county 1t Is my hope that
not many years will pass before II 10
In every county in Virginia---a con-
slant and sympathetic helper to every
one seeking how to do better work
on the land.
see future full OF promise in
store for this valuable institution.
Not even the most phlegmatic man
could fail to be enthuscd- BY such