24 Transactions of the 



in agriculture and the mechanic arts, should be rigidly and judiciously 

 applied in that direction. How important that the expressed will and 

 intent of the National and State Legislatures in the establishment of a 

 college for the benefit of these industries should be faithfully and effec- 

 tually executed. 



Indeed, those interested in these industries and in^he development of 

 our material resources have a right to and should demand of the State 

 such an execution of the trust donated to her for their special benefit. 



But what is the real condition of our Agricultural College to-day? 

 We have a Universit}^ and as one of the colleges composing that Uni- 

 versity there is a College of Letters, or Classical College, in all respects 

 tolerably and in many respects admirably equipped — good enough for 

 Yale or Harvard. 



For an Agricultural College, which by law was to be first established 

 and to receive primarily the benefit of the donation, we have a Professor 

 of Agriculture — but transferred to and engaged in the chemical depart- 

 ment. 



For a farm we have at Oakland a highly ornamental park, which is a 

 delightful resort for the residents of the neighborhood, and a favorite 

 drive for the citizens of Oakland and vicinity. The ornamentation is of 

 such a character that no use can ever be made of this ground for 

 experiments in agriculture or horticulture, and indeed it is not designed 

 that there ever shall be. 



At Berkeley we have a most excellent piece of land, upon which has 

 been expended this year in laying it out and in general ornamentation 

 the sum of nearly nine thousand dollars; but not one dollar to prepare 

 it for agricultural or horticultural purposes, and if it is ever to be used 

 for these purposes most of the work that has been done will have to be 

 undone. It is understood that the Regents put the time of occupation 

 of the lands at Berkeley for agricultural purposes to a period of eight or 

 ten years hence. The agricultural Professor has not yet been permitted 

 to plant a tree or make one single experiment on the grounds of the 

 University, either in agriculture or horticulture. 



For an Agricultural College building we have the basement story of a 

 building called the Agricultural College, but really designed in the far 

 future for a chemical and metallurgical department. Thus it will be 

 seen that while we have accepted the grant of Congress and nominally 

 established an Agricultural and Mechanic Arts College, we have really 

 nothing to show for them in a practical way. All that we have to show 

 for the congressional donation and the large appropriations from the 

 State School Fund, the Seminary Fund, and the Public Building Fund, 

 is a Classical College where students designed for the learned profes- 

 sions are educated free, or rather at the expense of the donation and 

 funds intended to be devoted exclusively for the benefit of the farmers 

 and mechanics, and indirectly for the development of the material 

 resources of the State. A classical education will never make a farmer 

 or a mechanic; and we think the industrial classes have just cause for 

 complaint at the manner in which the trust designed for their especial 

 benefit is being administered. In looking over the list of twenty-two 

 Regents who have had the management of the affairs of the University 

 since its organization, or for the past four years, we find that twelve are 

 residents of San Francisco, and eight of Oakland or its immediate 

 vicinity, and that but one of the whole number is a practical agricul- 

 turist, and one a practical mechanic. 



