DEPAKTMENT REPORTS. 43 



students' government and other organizations. 



At the beginning of the college year, 1881-2, the students changed the 

 form of their organization for self-government, so as to provide for trials by 

 jury in place of by a permanent council. The plan was found unwieldy, and 

 the organization lost efficiency. Near the close of the year a simplified form 

 of jury trial was adopted, which seems to be working satisfactorily. 



The Christian Union has been changed, with the consent of the Faculty, 

 into a college branch of the Y. M. C. A. 



The Natural History Society has held its meetings monthly. The meetings 

 have been well attended and highly interesting. 



While the College Brass Band has been well kept up, the military company 

 discontinued its drill before the close of the spring term of 188;i, and the 

 arms on deposit are not now used. 



The College was represented in the Agricultural Conventions in Washing- 

 ton, 1). C, in January, 188i, called by the U. S. Commissioner of Agricult- 

 ure, by Hon. F. Wells^ a member of the Board, and by the Secretary, Kev. 

 E. G. Baird. 



SOCIETIES OUTSIDE OF THE COLLEGE. 



On the 3d of June, 1881, the State Board of Agriculture, the officers of the 

 State Agricultural Society, of the State Horticultural Society, of the State 

 Grange, and of the State Pioneer Society spent a day together at the College. 

 After an examination of the College, a general gathering of the visitors. 

 College officers, and students was held in the chapel. A similar visit was paid 

 the College by the officers of the State Agricultural Society in June, 1882. 

 The relations of the College and these societies is most friendly, and the 

 Agricultural Society and State Grange have regularly appointed committees 

 on the College — committees that pay the institution not infrequent, unan- 

 nounced, but always welcome visits. 



A gathering of college professors of agriculture held a meeting at the Col- 

 lege June 38, ISSl, a further notice of which is to be found in the report of 

 the Professor of Agriculture. 



VACATIONS. 



The college term continues from February through the hot weather to the 

 last of August with a vacation in May of one week. The long vacation is in 

 winter. Tliis change of vacation from summer to winter was made to accom- 

 modate students who needed to teach, in accordance with a suggestion made 

 by President Williams in these words (report Superintendent Public Instruc- 

 tion, 1858, page 33) : "It has become manifest from the experience of two 

 winters, that the most advanced students will, many of them, be compelled 

 to teach school during the winter months. This will prove a serious embar- 

 rassment to the College and themselves. It is worthy the deliberation of the 

 Legislature whether the organic law of the institution might not be so changed 

 as to throw the whole, or nearly the whole, of the vacations of the year into 

 midwinter." 



This change was made. It is, I believe, of prime importance that the Col- 

 lege should continue to draw its students largely from the farming class, and 

 that expenses at the College should be moderate. As long as students are 

 obliged to teach, it will be best to continue to put our long vacation in the 

 winter. But the necessity of teaching is a very unfortunate one to the slu- 



