MEMORIAL EXERCISES 429 



feer of the Board of Education that it was eminently fit and proper that 

 he should take the leadership in the important matters of education in 

 this State. This was the first committee to report on amendments to the 

 -constitution, and its report was adopted, constituting section XIII of the 

 proposed constitution. 



During all the deliberations of the commission the people were pleased 

 with the broad and statesman-like views of this body of eminent men, and 

 •especially delighted with the liberal views of the committee on educa- 

 tion, providing for all the educational interests of the State. 



The revision of the State constitution by this commission was excellent 

 in principle and form, but when it fell into the hands of the next legis- 

 lature it was torn to pieces, and when its mangled remains were sub- 

 mitted to the people, they mercifully buried them out of sight by an 

 overwhelming adverse vote. 



ELECTED PKESIDENT OF THIS COLLEGE. 



In January, 1885, he was elected president of the Agricultural College, 

 but as he was then principal of the State Normal School, he did not enter 

 upon his duties till the following July. In the preceding November, 

 President Abbot had tendered his resignation to the board on account of 

 broken health, but continued to discharge the duties of president till his 

 successor should arrive. 



HIS WORK AT THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



President Abbot has been appropriately called the formative president 

 of the Agricultural College. Under his hand the Agricultural School be- 

 came the Agricultural College, and the agricultural course received its 

 ■enduring features under his administration. In like manner it must be 

 said that President Willits organized and put into active work the Ex- 

 periment Station, and that he was the creator of the Mechanical Course in 

 this College. 



THE EXPERIMENT STATION. 



The Hatch bill providing for Agricultural Experiment Stations in con- 

 nection with the agricultural colleges in the several states was passed in 

 .the early part of 1887. A meeting of representatives of the agricultural 

 colleges and experiment stations was held in Washington in August of 

 that year to determine upon the scope of the experiment stations, and 

 their relations 'to the agricultural colleges. In this convention there was 

 a powerful clique that strove to give the experiment station such a trend 

 as would divorce it entirely from the college. They maintained that the 

 experiment station must have no connection with the college — separate 

 buildings, apparatus and experimental farms; that no professor giving 

 instruction in the college should have anything to do with the station. 



A committee of nine was appointed to fori ulate plans, largely made 

 up of persons who held these extreme views of the supreme importance 

 of the director. President Willits was the minority in this committee. 

 When the greatness and dignity of the director were urged in the com- 

 mittee. President Willits raised this query: "There are thirty-nine ex- 

 periment stations: where will you find thirty-nine men of such worth and 

 •experience as will properly command a salary of |5,000 a year?" One of 



