S2 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



■of tlie system; but it is none the less true tliat in institutions of lesser 

 grades — that is, in training schools — a compulsory labor system may be 

 advisable and Uv^cessary. 



Another battle royal has been fought between the agricultural college 

 .and the university. It is not surprising, seeing that industrial educa- 

 tion is a revolt from the older literary education, that there should be 

 a schism between the two. Each was intolerant of the other. The agri- 

 cultural college suffered in the competition, when placed alongside the 

 litei'ary institution. This was proof of its weakness. I well remember 

 in my student daj's at the Michigan Agricultural College, that it was 

 the general opinion that an.agricultural institution must of necessity be 

 separate, and that all agricultural departments connected with univer- 

 sities were doomed to failure. The real difficulty, however, lies in the 

 unlike spheres or standards of the two, not in the fact that the one 

 taught agriculture and the other taught Greek. Too often the idea of 

 the agricultural college was that of a training school, or at highest the 

 grade of an academy, whereas the university idea is distinctly that of 

 the highest education. As soon as the agricultural college does real 

 university work it amalgamates perfectly with 'the university, as is 

 >£learly shown by the expefience at Cornell. 



CONCLUDING KEFLECTIONS. 



Two centuries and more have passed since definite attempts were 

 first made to instruct the common people in the principles and practice 

 of their trades, and yet the common people are still untaught in those 

 subjects. It is easy to found and maintain institutions for the higher 

 education; it is difficult to reach the masses. Nearly every effort which 

 has been designed to afford simple technical education for the masses 

 has resulted in affording higher education for the few. One reason for 

 this is the fact that these efforts presuppose thoroughly equipped 

 permanent institutions, or buildings and apparatus; these things cannot 

 be moved, and therefore the i)eople must come to the institution or be 

 uncared for. These institutions have been of incalculable benefit, and 

 they should be maintained and strengthened; but what we most need 

 now in agricultural education is a movement, not more institutions. 

 When moA'ements become institutions, they cease to be movements; 

 they are stationary! We need movements which move. Christ did not 

 found a church; he taught. 



I mean that we need some effort which has so little luggage that it can 

 go to the farmer's home. I do not believe that an effort should be made 

 to give every man a liberal education; I am not sure that everyone 

 should go as' far as the high school; but OA^ery man should be awakened 

 and interested to some degree to know and appreciate the things with 

 which he deals. Strange that education should have begun with the 

 universe and end with the daisy! 



The university extension movement is the greatest educational fact 

 of this generation. At last education seems to have broken its bond- 

 age of creeds and to have become a missionary. Of this extension move- 

 ment, the greatest application to agriculture has come in the last two 

 years in the nature-study enterprise. It is vital and fundamental for 

 the reason that it interests the farmer in the things with which he lives. 



It is apparent that there is a growing feeling among educators that 



