The Daily Missoulian., 1914-11-02
CRAIGHEAD TO HAMILTON
Missoula. Mont, Oct. 81. 1914.

fAAccou1ets 4NAOnt.s OCt. Ok 4V11s
To the Editor of The Missoulian:-
Dear Sir-My attention has just
been called to a letter written by
President Hamilton in reply to the
only consolidation article of mine APP
pearing in the, state press. Another
article. written by President Hamilton
bearing the heading Gross Misrepre-
sentation by E. B. Craighead," has
been sent broadcast over the state.
Now that President Hamilton comes
out in still another letter, 1 feel sure
that you will grant me space Tor re-
Fply.
I still insist that the separate agri-
cultural college in nearly every state
,is rapidly expanding into university,
in fact il not In name. Some Is OF
1.-THE big papers OF Washington pub
lished my reply to President Bryan
land even the editors of the agricul-
tural papers OF that state seemed to
Endorse my position. Governor Lister
is emphatic in his statement that the
agricultural college of Washington is
duplicating the work of the state uni
versity.
If President Hamilton will refer to
the 1912 catalog Of the state college,
he will find that Of the alumni of the
college only three were at that time
farming Think OF it, an agricultural
college 10 years old and able to point
TO only three farmers. According to
that catalog. only one of the alumni
sent out by DIR. Reid was at that time
engaged in farming. An official state
ment from President Hamilton to State
Superintendent Davee, written only a
few weeks ago, shows that the state
college during the 20 years Of it's ex-
istence has graduated only SO from
the agricultural course-not quite two
year. OF these, according to the
catalog of 1911-12. three are farmers.
Statistics furnished by the United
States secretary of agriculture, DR..
Houston, furnish unmistakable evil
dence that the agricultural college as
a university department is a success.
quote the following statement from
SAASSC oNoIioeASos IL IdS OCCH 1Oulu
that not one in 100 Of the men who
have attended the college of agricul-
ture of the University of Illinois has
gotten far away from an agricultural
pursuit. OF SOC former students who
| replied to inquiries about their pres
ent occupations. in 1918, 5O2 are either
farming, teaching. or following some
| other work associated with agricul-
ture. The farmers number 349.Y
President Hamilton states During
DR.. Reid's 10 years as president of the
| college, 35 men were graduated, and
of the 33 now living II are engaged
| in agriculture" President Hamilton
| should imediately revise his old cat
alogs. According to the 1911-12 cata-
log, Of the alumni graduating under
DR.. Reid, there was only one man en-
gagged in agriculture. E. v. Blanken-
ship, B. S., 1897.
! 1t is not necessary for me to repeat
| What ] said in my article that the
state college has done great work.
that its president and faculty are just
as good and upright as the faculty of
the university. What | must insist
| upon is that, according to the catalog,
it has failed to fulfill its prime mis-
sion which, according to the acts of
congress quoted by President Hamil-
ton himself has been lost sight of. Its
leading object shall be to teach such
branches of learning as are related tc
agriculture and mechanic arts" I am
aware that under the acts Of congress
the agricultural college may teach al
most any subject. but its leading sub
Iject is agriculture and mechanic arts
President Hamilton, in a formel
letter. quotes President Pritchett a.
favoring the Indiana plan, and urge.
that the Montana plan is similar. II
this connection let me quote Presiden
Pritchett of the Carnegie Foundation
Because the words mechanic arts
were placed by Senator Morrill, in tn,
act of 1862. although neither he no
anybody else knew what they meant
and neither house of congress paid th
slightest attention to them, the col
leges founded on this generous fedora
appropriation have turned aside iron
the pressing need of agricultural edu
cation to the overcrowded field Of en-
gineering. In communities essential,
agricultural, where a chronological in
stitute can reasonably be regarded a
an educational luxury. the college o
agriculture has engaged in fierce ri
valry, to the serious detriment Of tn
entire educational system, either t
wrest from the state university It
engineering school or to outshine i
in engineering enrolment and equip
ment. In the meantime agriculture
has In many cases sunk into relativ,
; unimportance"