30 



strictly technical studies, and tlnis a judicious adjustment was effected. The 

 excellent standing of these State institutions to-day : their, in a sense, conserva- 

 tive, thoush i)rogressive. character ; their adaptation to the newer conditions 

 and requirements are a uioiumient to these men, who. l)y their clearness of 

 vision, breadth of view, and unselfishness of purpose, have interpreted the 

 trend of the times and its educational needs. The representatives of these 

 institutions, who were wise enough to retain the best of the old. while including 

 at the same time the best of the new. have secured for them that permanency 

 and that degree of pi-esent usefulness which conunand the respect and admira- 

 tion of those interested in industrial educ-ition in tliis and all countries. A 

 result like this could not have Iteen accomplished without the influence of this 

 representative organization. 



On our exi)eriment station side. too. there have been men who have insisted 

 that any permanent good to be accomplished must come from investigations of 

 a high order : that men should absent themselves from the world and, in their 

 laboratories, seek to know the mysteries of nature, and from their discoveries 

 to formulate principles which, in their application, would be of inestimable 

 {service to the world. Othei'S have urged quite as strongly that the experiment 

 station should first demonstrate to the farmers the utility of the stations' work; 

 prove, by tests in the field, the barn, and the laboratory, that the principles 

 already known are of the greatest service when applied in practice. The 

 farmers were crying for bread, in the shape of practical information ; why give 

 them a stone, in the shape of scientific disquisitions, upon agricultural matters 

 to be sure, but beyond their comprehension? " To know how to do," rather than 

 to " know how to enjoy the fruits of higher scientific research," is what the 

 farmer needs. As in the case of the colleges, the stations, too. have made great 

 progress in their development along right lines. There has l)een, on the whole, 

 a fair adjustment and combination of doing and thinking, and many stations 

 are now equipped for and are pursuing highly scientific investigations, without 

 at the same time losing touch with the farmei-. for whom, primarily, the stations 

 were estalilished. Great things have been accomplished, and. as an evidence of 

 this, the following figures may be quoted : 



In 1802, when the first complete statistical rei^ort of these institutions was 

 made, there were in the various agricultural colleges 11,358 students, of whom 

 3,460 were taking agricultural courses. The total revenues in that year were 

 $3,444,426. of which .$1,716,108 was received from Federal grants; ,$1,111,588 was 

 derived from the various States, and the balance from fees and miscellaneous 

 sources. In 1904 there was a total of 56,226 students in the various land-grant 

 colleges, of which 12,033 were taking courses in agriculture or allied sulijects. 

 The Federal aid granted in that year was .$2,015,136. and State aid. including 

 appropriations for buildings and special purposes, $5,617, !»()2 ; in other words. 

 $2.17 was received from the various States for every dollar appropriated l)y the 

 United States Government. 



In 1802 the several States received under the Hatch Act $690,000 ; in that 

 year 13 States appropriated a total of $152,000. In 1004 the increase from the 

 Federal Treasury was but $15.(M)0. yet the number of States contributing to the 

 support of their experiment stations had increased to 34. and the amount appro- 

 priated from $152,000 to $522,391. or a sum from State treasuries nearly equal 

 to that from Federal grants. 



While the association is. therefore, to be congratulated upon the. great prog- 

 ress that has been made by l)oth colleges and stations in the past twelve years, 

 as shown l)y these figures, it should not lie assumed for one moment that because 

 the institutions are now well estal)lished ui)on foundations broad and deep; 

 that because the su]terstructures in course of erection are showing such evi- 

 dences of beauty of form, harmony In adjustment, and utility of purpose, the 

 completion of the work may safely be left to itself. There has been no time 

 in the history of these institutions that called for greater wisdom of direction 

 than the present moment; too great an increase in material wealth may easily 

 be a menace, rather than an aid to right development and true i)rogress. for the 

 statement that " ii certain amount of money is necessary, liotli for tiie individual 

 and for the Government," is api)licable to educational institutions. It must be 

 rememl»ered that the value of these institutions, liotli stations and colleges, is 

 not determined so much by fine Ituildings, elaborate eciuipment. and exceittional 

 facilities for work as l>y the men who direct the work of the various depart- 

 ments, and it is (piite conceival)le that tlie supply of men jtroperly trained may 

 not keep pace with the growth of eciuijjment and endowment. I am persuaded, 

 also, that the increase iu the number of students in a college is not always a 



