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V'
'Cbe Conservative *
SUNSET.
White , snow white is the glittering ground
Stretching afar in the prnirio hind ;
The fierce winds sing o'er the hidden paths
That wind whore the lonely woodbinds stand.
Cold and grave is the mist of blue
Shrouding the hills where they meet the sky ;
Beneath the desolate orchard's brown ,
And bare woven boughs the shadows Ho ,
Slowly dawning a radiance breaks ,
Shining through dusk of the somber West
Till dazzling sunbeams gather in throngs
To follow the day's last hour to rest.
Clouds that loitered with shadowing veil ,
Swept from the sun , draw their folds aside.
As if a homo for the weary world
Wc-re opened with all its portals wide ,
Outward , welcoming warm light falls ,
Gleaming like fireside flashings of gold ,
To call the desolate children of earth
Away from the night-time gloom and cold.
MAHY FIIENOII MOHTON.
THK COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE.
The Morrlll Act.
In 1802 an act was passed by Congress ,
appropriating certain public lands to the
various states , the revenue from which
should be used as the act reads : "To
the endowment of at' least one college
where the leading object shall be , with
out excluding other scientific and class
ical studies , and including military tac
tics , to teach such branches of learning
pssl SVY L as are related to agriculture and the me
chanic arts , in such manner as the legis
latures of the state may respectively
prescribe , in order to promote the lib
eral and practical education of the in
dustrial classes in the several pursuits
and professions of life. "
The Agricultural College.
In accord with the stipulations of this
law , the legislature of Nebraska estab
lished the Agricultural College as a
part of our State University. The first
course of study offered in the college
was for the year 1874-75. The object
of its establishment was , as expressed in
the report of the board of regents : "To
offer instruction in Agriculture intended
to be both theoretical and practical.
The theoretical part includes a careful
study of those sciences upon which all
correct agriculture must be based. The
practical will be imparted by showing
how the principles of science may be
applied to the art of farming. The de
sign is to train up a class of thoughtful ,
intelligent , observing farmers. "
The Original Purpose.
It is evident from the above that the
college of agriculture was intended to
be a training school for farmers ; to
give young men from the farms an edu
cation that should better qualify them
for their vocation and after receiving
these educational advantages they should
return to the farms and make practical
application of the science of bucolic in
dustry as taught at the universitythere
by giving to the community the benefit
of their superior training. This being
EffiS
the original purpose of the school of ag
riculture , have the results justified the
early claims made for this character of
education ? Was it in practice , as well
as theory , a training school for farmers ?
Number of Students.
The following table will aid in determ
ining the practical workings of the agri
cultural college for the six years , begin
ning in 1874 and ending in 1880 :
For the earlier years of the college
course , the attendance was fair , but for
the later years it materially decreases ,
and except for the first two calendar
years becomes entirely lacking in stu
dents for the third and fourth college
years. There are only two graduates
for the entire six years , neither of whom
became farmers. The remaining stu
dents either drifted into other courses of
study or dropped out of the college en
tirely.
Few Farmers.
The per cent of those who afterward
became farmers is so infinitesimal as to
be difficult of calculation. It is still
more difficult to calculate the per cent of
those who were influenced to follow in
the footsteps of Oiucinnatus because of
their college training , thus fulfilling the
destiny the college faculty outlined for
them. Instead of "training up a class
of thoughtful , intelligent observing
farmers , " the school apparently educa
ted them away from the farms , thereby
accomplishing in fact the opposite of
that intended in theory.
A Change In Method.
It was probably because of these dis
appointing results that the course of
study at the end of the period mentioned
was changed. The agricultural college
was grouped as a part of the industrial
college which includes all scientific
courses. From this time until 1895 , the
university catalogue does not contain
any record of a special classification of
distinctly agricultural students. The
course of study was of a general charac
ter along scientific lines and did not re
late directly to agriculture , but was in
tended to impart knowledge of those sci
ences upon which agriculture is based.
The Result.
The total number of students in all
departments of the industrial college for
this entire period was 509. No record is
kept by the university of the occupation
of students after leaving college. But
from unofficial sources it has been ascer
tained that the probable number of
farmers manufactured did not exceed
ten. Again it would appear that the
school had failed of its purpose and did
not result , as intended , in material ad
vantage to the farmers of the state. It
did not directly as was prophesied , give
to the agricultural communities the
benefit of scientific thought and prac
tice.
CHUHO of Failure.
One of the most potent reasons for the
ill-success of this line of education was
that the physical conditions were un
favorable. Our state was new. Laud
was abundant. The soil was virgin and
at the same time very prolific. The
most wasteful and evtravagant methods
were profitable. Intensive farming was
unknown , because extensive operations
brought larger returns. As scientific
methods can be applied effectively only
to intensive agriculture there was little
opportunity or necessity for the applica
tion of science. Hence , to give the
farmer information along scientific lines
was to give him knowledge he had little
or no occasion of applying. The Ne
braska farmer is a practical fellow. He
wants that which he can use and does
not want to but den himself with that
he cannot use. Under changed condi
tions , however , properly directed efforts
might bring forth entirely different
results.
Too Scientific and Theoretical.
Another factor was the character of
the instruction offered. The course of
study was too long and there was not
the close relation between the instruc
tion and the work the farmer must do.
A thorough course in chemistry is a
splendid acquisition to one's mental
storehouse , but it is difficult for a farmer
to associate the intricacies of abstract
chemical science with the work he is
doing on the farm. It is not an easy
task for him to see how it will be of
material advantage to him. A perusal
of a catalogue , outlining an agricultural
course of study of this character , will
not arouse his interest or cause him to
look with favor upon the proposition of
sending his boy to that school to better
equip him for an agricultural vocation.
In order to arouse a responsive chord
with the farmer it is necessary to show
him how the methods taught at school
will enable him to more profitably do a
certain thing than the way he has been
accustomed to do it. In other words ,
instruction that bears more directly
upon the work the farmer is doing is
what he stands most in need.
The Model Farm Idea.
Another mistake of these years and
one common elsewhere , was the attempt
to maintain a model farm operated on
scientific lines for profit. The purpose
was to show the farmers of the state
just how a farm should be run to make
money out of it. It resulted disastrous
ly. It was of necessity so. The theor-