TWO OF A TRADE, &c. 55 



for the purpose of establishing an agricultural department, 

 might have an Agricultural College founded upon it. The 

 governor urged very forcibly that the Agricultural College 

 should be united with Harvard College, and the intention of 

 the testator of that will carried out. But the legislature said 

 no. They said so decidedly : " We will not be connected 

 with that or any college." Well, there is an end of the matter. 

 The next year I talked with Governor Andrew on the subject, 

 and said, " It is a pity that thing could not be done." His reply 

 was : " I recommended it to the legislature ; I was beaten, and 

 I know when I am beaten. It is impossible, with the temper of 

 the legislature, to make a union with Harvard College or any 

 other college." Now we are located at Amherst. The trustees 

 made the best selection from the different farms that were 

 offered them ; and I will venture to say that no man on the 

 Board will say that it was not the best selection as a farm. The 

 best location, perhaps, would have been in Lexington, being in 

 the centre of the population of the State ; but the farm offered 

 us in Lexington was very ill-adapted to the purposes of an Agri- 

 cultural College on one account — it was a very sour, cold piece 

 of land, full of rocks, and in no way adapted to the purposes of 

 this college. Therefore they did not go there, or this was one 

 of the reasons why they did not go there. 



The objection is brought up by Mr. Perkins and other gentle- 

 men that the location at Amherst is so near another college that 

 the Agricultural College cannot flourish ; and Mr. Perkins says 

 that if it was established in a town where there was no college, 

 you would get a large number of students from the local popu- 

 lation. That is the very class of students we do not want to 

 come in, because they would naturally go there to get an educa- 

 tion for other purposes. Now, those who want to qualify them- 

 selves for other professions will go to Amherst College, and we 

 shall get for the Agricultural College just such men as we want. 

 I think the fact that there is another college so near will be an 

 advantage. Amherst College will attract men in pursuit of a 

 profession, and the Agricultural College will attract those who 

 have a love for old mother earth, and are willing to live with 

 her and die with her. God bless them ! They will come — I 

 know they will. 



