6 'Che Conservative *
cost of production , BO the farmer must
raoro aud more realize the necessity of
taking advantage of similar agencies to
assist him in putting his product upon
the market at a less cost , thereby in
creasing his margin of profit.
The Kind of Work.
Then , too , the work of the modern
school is being pushed along different
lines than formerly. It is arranged for
the benefit and convenience of the prac
tical farmer. It is more direct in its
purpose and application. It attempts to
deal with the simple and practical
things of farm life , that are of immedi
ate interest to every farmer. One of the
things it is making an especial effort to
accomplish is to strengthen and build
up the dairy interest of the state. To
do this it offers practical instruction in
the use of the most improved appliances
in dairying nud the handling of the pro
duct in the various stages , emphasizing ,
particularly , the necessity of sanitary
precautions.
The Minnesota School.
Minnesota has been operating a dairy
school , after which our own was mod
eled , for ten years. In 1890 the export
dairy product was less than $1,000,000.
In 1808 it was more than $8,000,000. In
1890 there were 125 factories. In 1898
the number had increased to 750. Over
1)0 ) per cent of the factories are cooperative
tive and 75 per cent are in charge of
former students of the dairy school.
Minnesota butter has an especial quota
tion on the market aud commands one
cent more per pound than ordinary but
ter. Out of the three hundred graduates
from the three years agricultural course
six only did not engage either directly
or indirectly in agriculture.
Impartial Review.
THE CONSERVATIVE has attempted to
give , without prejudice or favor , a re
view of agricultural education in Ne
braska. The growth and development
of the present school will be watched
with no little interest. It is to be hoped
that it will be the key to the solution of
the vexed problem of agricultural edu
cation ; that it will assist in determin
ing how instruction of this character
can be' most successfully carried on ,
whether at the expense of the state or
the individual. THE CONSERVATIVE
would not discourage efforts that have
for their object self-culture and im
provement. Special education does tend
to dignify a calling and make of it
something more than a mere occupation.
Special preparation and training are not
amiss on the farm. Agriculture offers
a broad field for the application of the
best scientific thought and practice.
THE CONSERVATIVE believes in prac
tical and industrial education. It be
lieves in making useful as well as intel
ligent citizens. It believes in young
men learning to do something.
Paternalism.
But THE CONSERVATIVE questions
whether the state should assume to do
all for the individual aud the individual
nothing for the state. One of the first
things a young man should learn is to
appreciate the responsibilities of life
and to become self-reliant. The mod
ern tendency is to inculcate in the
mind of the youth the fallacious and at
the same time dangerous principle that
the state may do anything , and that to
the state and not to himself belongs the
responsibility of either success or fail
ure in private enterprise. This idea is
destructive of all personal responsibility ,
which is indispensable to the develop
ment of true manhood aud the building
up of the highest type of citizenship.
General Cronje ,
/
SURRENDERS.wb ° Wlth an army
of 4,000 success
fully held his position for ten days
against a force of 40,000 splendidly dis
ciplined soldiers under the command of
General Roberts , finally surrendered
Tuesday morning , February 27. As in
dicated in THE CONSERVATIVE last week ,
he made use of the opportunity while
holding the British in check , to move
his artillery so that not a single field
piece came into the possession of the
enemy. Cronje's command was reduced
to a pitiable condition by reason of the
long siege and were overjoyed to know
that it was ended.
As was expected the surrender of
Cronje was attended by the voluntary
_ , _ , . withdrawal of the
Hullcr Enters _ . . .
Lmlysmlth. Boer armv Which
had for 118 days
been besieging Ladysmith and prevent
ing both the escape of General White ,
in command of the original army of
occupation in South Africa , and defeat
ing all attempts to relieve him on the
part of General Buller , who made four
unsuccessful efforts. General White's
command was in a most desperate
plight. They had for some time been
on one pound of meal per day and a
ration of horse and mule flesh. The
Boers had decamped with their guns and
all equipment. The force of General
White numbers about 10,000 men who
will be available for service after a brief
period of rest. The relief of Ladysmith
also releases the army of General Buller
and makes it available to act , in con
junction with Roberts , in active opera
tions against Pretoria.
Opinions differ as to the fighting
strength of the Boers. It is variously
, estimated nt from
Dr. Leyds the Eu
ropean representative of the Transvaal
Republic being authority for the latter.
In his opinion the Boers are now fortify
ing Winberg , seventy-five miles north-
east of Bloemfontein , with General
Joubert personally conducting the
operations.
Great Britain is not relaxing in her
preparation for the war because of the
_ , , , recent successes
IlrltlHh Preparn- , , . . . ,
tionH. bufc 1S Planning for
a long and severe
conflict. Lord Lansdowne has an
nounced the intention of the war depart
ment to equip a new force of 80,000 in
addition to the 50,000 now on the way
to the scene of hostilities. So that
General Roberts will , upon the arrival
of these reinforcements , have under his
command an army of 250,000. Orders
have also been issued for 224 new gnus.
Secretary Cham-
ANNEXATION.
berlam has made a
requisition upon the governor of New
South Wales for 2,000 additional cavalry ,
for general service in South Africa.
The colonists have been assured that the
expense of equipment will be assumed
by the imperial government and in
addition each man will receive a grant
of land in South Africa. This has been
construed to mean that Great Britain
contemplates the annexation of moro
territory in South Africa , p'robably the
two South African republics , which has
frequently been hinted.
The object of the
THE HAWAIIAN
framers of the
house bill for the
government of Hawaii , evidently , waste
to devise a measure that should take the
government of the islands out of the
control of the native population and
place it in the hands of the thrifty and
intelligent and at the same time to in
sure the future supremacy of the Anglo-
Saxon race. That supremacy is seriously
threatened inasmuch as the total popu
lation of the island is about 150,000 and
the American element numbers but 8,500
while the German population is 1,500 ,
the Portugese 15,000 , the Chinese 21,000
and the Japanese 24,000. The control
ling influence of the thrifty was estab
lished by the proparty qualification of
$1,000 or an income of $600 a year , while
that of the Anglo-Saxon was secured by
the provision that , "No one could vote
who could not read , write and speak
either the Hawaiian or English lan
guage. "
The bill has been amended by the
senate in a manner to enlarge native
privileges. The property qualification
has been removed and provision made
for the establishment of territorial courts '
which lessens the authority of the pres
ent supreme court and enlarges the legal
security of the natives. The island is
given one delegate in congress and a
guarantee of free trade the same as
other territories. The bill , as amended ,
provides a form of government that does
not differ materially from the territorial
governments already existing in the
United States.