120 



tion would aoromplish no sood and would " be altogether harmful to the State 

 and detrimental to the c-ause of higher education." 



On the other hand, in Idaho, where the land-grant college and the State uni- 

 versity are united, a strong effort was made to secure the passage of a hill sepa- 

 rating these institutions. While no definite action was taken at the last session 

 of the legislature, then' is still a strong feeling among a large number of the 

 people of Idaho in favor of sei)aratiou. 



In Wyoming, al.so. there is talk of dividing the State university, and maintain- 

 ing the land-grant college as a scpai-ate institution. 



In California .f; 1 ."(»,((( lO was aitproin-iatcd by the last legislature for the pur- 

 chase of a farm to be used in connection with the work of the agricultural 

 college. Suitable land, it is said, can not be secured in sufticiently large (juan- 

 tities in the inunediate vicinity of the university, and advantage is taken of this 

 to agitate the (piestion as to whether the land-grant college should not l)e sepa- 

 rated from the university. 



In some States, where the land-grant colleges are associated with the State 

 universities, difficulties have arisen over questions relating to the rank of the 

 colleges or departments of agriculture and mechanic arts with the other col- 

 leges or departments of the university. This was particularly true during the 

 earlier history of these institutions. 



The conditions affecting the work of the State universities and the land-grant 

 colleges are so diverse and depend so largely upon local environment that it 

 seems impossible to work out a general plan that shall be api)licable throughout 

 the c(mntry. But it should not be impracticable to reach an agreement upon 

 a number of the most important matters l)earing upon this (juestion. In order 

 to determine the relations that should exist between these institutions it is nec- 

 essary to consider, first, the origin of State universities and the objects in view 

 in their establishment: second, the function and scope of State universities 

 prior to ISdi': third, the origin of land-grant colleges and the purposes of their 

 establishment : fourth, the concurrent development of State universities and 

 land-grant colleges since 18ti2 : and. fifth, the present scope and character of 

 these institutions. 



The limits of this i)aper preclude anything like a complete discussion of 

 these (piestions. As a basis for the conclusions which are to follow, however, it 

 is imjiortant that brief reference be made to at least a few of the leading 

 features. 



The origin of the State university dates back to the famous ordinance of 1787 

 for the government of the Northwest Territory. This ordinance declared it to 

 be the duty of the nation to support education, and I'eserved two townships of 

 fiublic lands in each State for the maintenance of seminaries of learning. The 

 States which were subsequently organized out of the Northwest Territory car- 

 ried out the e<lucational provision of this ordinance, and through thirty-two 

 separate acts of Congress, passed largely during the first half of the last cen- 

 tury, all of the States west of the ^lississijipi received similar land grants for the 

 endowment of universities. I'nder these acts api)roximately l..")0(t.000 acres of 

 land were granted for the endowment of in.stitutions of higher education in 

 twenty-two different States ;ind Territories. The purpose in view was the 

 estaiilishmcMit of a university in each State, under the control of the Conmion- 

 •wealth, to iiromote. in the language of the ordinance "good government and 

 the hai)i)iness of mankind." The character of the work contemplated for these 

 institutions is indicated in the provision of the ordinance which declares that 

 the land granted should be used for the sui)port of a " Uterarn iiixtitiitio)!, to be 

 api)lied to the intended object by the legislature of the State." 



The oldest of these State universities es1;ililished under the ordinance is tne 

 University of .Michigan, founded in 1S:',T. The Fniversity of :\Iissouri was estab- 

 lished in 1S4<I. .-uid the Fniversity of AVisconsin in 1S4S. Most of the other State 

 uni\'ei'sit ies hiive been established since isds. 



At the time of the passage of the Morrill land-grant act in 1802 the accepted 

 tyi)e of higher education was the fcmr years" course of the old classical college. 

 The conventional courses in classics, literature, and philosoi)hy were the lead-, 

 ing features of college work. The State universities were expected to be, as it 

 was declared in the organic act that they should be. lUcrary institutions. They 

 were cdnfined for the most p:irt to the traditional courses of the time, and 

 differed little, if at all, from the old classical institutions. 



During the years inunediately jtreceding the i)assage of this act. extending 

 over a period of .about two dec.-ides. great iircigress was made in th(> develoi)ment 

 of the country, and there was an increasing con.seciuent demand for trained men 



