146 



which these institutions have been established, has in his 

 public writings often voiced his own interpretation of the 

 original intent of the laws. He urged that the object of these 

 colleges was "to give an opportunity for those engaged in in- 

 dustrial pursuits to obtain some knowledge of the practical 

 sciences related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, such as 

 they could not have obtained at the classical colleges. It was 

 never intended to force the boys of farmers going into these 

 institutions so to study that they all should become farmers. 

 It was merely intended to give them an opportunity to do so, 

 and to do so with advantage if they saw fit." I quote again, 

 "The Act of 1862 proposed a system of broad education by col- 

 leges, not limited to a superficial and dwarfed training, such 

 as might be supplied by a foreman of a work shop, or a fore- 

 man of an experimental farm." ''If any one would have only 

 a school with equal scraps of labor and of instruction, or 

 something other than a college they would not obey the 

 national law." 



The College of Agriculture of Hawaii is the forty-nineth 

 institution to be established under the general provisions of 

 the national organic laws. The agricultural college is of 

 necessity a part of the piiblic school system of the Territory. 

 It is "the people's university." Some of its requirements are 

 that tuition shall be free to students resident in the Territory, 

 or as nearly so as conditions will permit. Tne course of study 

 must be such as to meet the wants of the people at large. 

 "W^hatever limitations other institutions may with propriety 

 prescribe, this Agricultural and Mechanical College must have 

 regard to what the people want to know and to do." The 

 public high schools and preparatory schools should be 

 accredited or approved by the college in so' far as their work 

 is worthy of approval, so that good students upon completing 

 their studies in the secondary schools may find a natural en- 

 trance to their college unobstructed by terrifying examina- 

 tions. A close, intimate, and friendly relation with the sec- 

 ondary schools must be maintained. The college should stand 

 for the best ideals in education from top to bottom, and it 

 should make higher education as attractive as possible to the 

 average citizen. Its relation to the public school system is 

 simply to complete the work already begun ; to gratify the 

 nmbition already inspired, and to make of the average man 

 who wishes it, a strong, capable, useful, high-minded, broad- 

 visioned citizen. Training for mere manual skill should be 

 eliminated from courses that lead to degrees. Not one of the 

 mainland agricultural colleges now require compulsory 

 manual labor. The labor now required in agricultural col- 

 leges is on an educational basis, mainly laboratory work. 



The ideals should be high. The institution established by 

 the Legislature of 1907 is fortunate in that full and complete 



