EDITORIAL. 3 



any sort. The only expense to the reader is that for books and post- 

 age. "The sole conditions of membership are earnestness and reason- 

 able preparation." The entire enterprise is declared by the founder of 

 the university to be a benevolent one, and the expense of conducting 

 it is at present borne by him. 



No attempt is made to compete with or take the place of existing 

 means of education. The aim of the university is "to till a gap in 

 existing means of education, and to bring an opportunity for liberal 

 education, in the true sense of the term, within the reach of all who 

 are unable, because of financial or family reasons, to attend established 

 colleges." Persons whose circumstances and means are such as to 

 enable them to attend the regular schools and colleges are strongly 

 advised to do so. 



These various efforts which are being made for popular education in 

 agriculture recognize the fundamental fact that the length and expense 

 of a four years' college course is an insurmountable barrier to the 

 average farmer's son ; and the earnestness with which the opportunities 

 offered are being embraced in many localities is a recognition of the 

 rapidly increasing evidence that the farmer needs special training for 

 his occupation. While it is not pretended that the reading course will 

 take the place of the more thorough instruction in agriculture, it will 

 be far better than no course at all. It will open the mind of the pupil 

 to the wonderful progress which is being made in agricultural science 

 and practice. It will enable him to take more thorough advantage of 

 the information furnished through books, bulletins of experiment 

 stations, agricultural reapers, farmers' institutes, etc. And it may prove 

 au incentive to keep those boys on the farm who are fitted to get the 

 most in every way out of a farmer's life. 



