M. A. C. ALUMNI REUNION. 435 



A farmer's occupation lias to do with tliinus in such a way as to 

 make it a complex problem, involvinn^ a knowle(]f?e of all the sciences 

 that result from the study of the various phases of nature. Hence, 

 to understand the underlyinj? i)rincii>les of their occupation they must 

 be more or less familiar with all these sciences. In many cases these 

 sciences involve an understanding of mathematics far beyond a mere 

 knowledjie of arithmetic. 



Agriculture is the basis of ^'bread and butter getting" for the entire 

 nation. We could do without the merchant and the manufacturer. 

 It has been done in the past. They are simply conveniences. They 

 are conveniences, however, that we do not wish to do without. All 

 business is de}»endent upon agriculture. 



The relation that the farmer has to those about him makes it neces- 

 sary for him to know history, civics and economics. In fact, all those 

 subjects that help him to understand his relation to his fellows, to 

 societ}', and to the state, are of the greatest imi>ortance to him. 



In looking over the representatives to the State legislature for the 

 last session, I find that about 40 per cent of them were farmers. 

 In order to be of any benefit in this day of thought, it is necessary that 

 they understand the above mentioned subjects. Without them they 

 could act their ])art only as followers, and be subordinate to men in 

 other occupations and professions; with them they would be subordinate 

 to no one, but could act as leaders or intelligent co-workers with any 

 leader. 



If the necessity for educated farmers exists, and I believe it does, 

 the farmer's education should be as thorough as that of any man's 

 in any occuj)ation or profession. At the University of Michigan the 

 time required for a lawyer or a physician to get his degree is now 

 six years; and this, too, after having four years in a high sdiool. I 

 shall take it for granted, then, that the farmer's education should be 

 thorough, and as broad as that of any man's in any otier profession or 

 occupation. 



The ])oint I wish to make is that to reach this culture it is necessary 

 to have a better })reparation than possessed by most of the candidates 

 for admission to agricultural colleges. 



I think that most men who have not had a college training consider 

 education as consisting of a knowledge only of those subjects abso- 

 lutely necessary in "bread and butter getting." The knowledge of 

 other subjects that give breadth to the mind and make tlie individual 

 an *'all round man" are looked at as giving a |)olish that is only an 

 ornament and of little or no value. These objections are so general 

 among men that we might say that they are almost universal. Such a 

 narrow notion it seems to me should be corrected. 



A young man entering college went to see the president and to make 

 arrangements as to his course of study. The president pointed out a 

 line of work that lie thought would meet the young man's caj)acity 

 and urged him to take it. vSeeing a lu^sitation, the ])resident asked the 

 cause. The coui-se of study was objected to because it was too long. 

 He could not put so much time into a prej>aration for his life work. 

 The i)r('sident then asked, ''IIow long do you ex|)ect to live'.'" The 

 answer was, "To be about eighty years old." ''\'eiy well," said the 

 president, "if that is as long as you expect to live the shortest course 



