CONVENTION OF AMERICAN AGRICULTUEAL COLLEGES. 405 



make ethical or moral values the guiding and controlling principle in 

 the application pf scientific method to education and to the organiza- 

 tion of every school, college, or university." Speaking specifically of 

 the duty and obligations of the colleges and universities embraced by 

 the Association, he said: "They are indeed national institutions of 

 learning, and in their plans and systems of stud}^ and organization 

 they ought to give preeminence to those subjects which will secure the 

 best results in our national life. If, as has been said, philosophy is 

 the morality of science, and political economy is the morality of 

 industry, commerce and agriculture, and natural law the morality of 

 legislation, and social science the morality of history and politics, then 

 these moralities must be the crowning subjects of education in these 

 national institutions of learning. These represent the liberal element 

 that must pervade all technical courses of instruction. Systematic 

 moral teaching demands a first place." 



The report of the executive committee, presented by H. H. Good- 

 ell, chairman, mentioned the favorable legislation secured at the last 

 Congress, providing that if at any time the proceeds from the sale of 

 public lands is insufiicient to meet the annual appropriations for the 

 land-grant colleges the deficiency shall be paid from any money in the 

 Treasury. A section has been incorporated in a bill now before Con- 

 gress, making the libraries of all the land-grant colleges depositories of 

 Government publications. Only 2.5 of these colleges are now desig- 

 nated depositories and their continuance as such is not insured. In 

 this connection, steps have been taken by the executive committee to 

 insure the more prompt delivery of public documents to the designated 

 depositories. In accordance with instructions from the last convention 

 the executive committee secured a place on the programme of the 

 National Educational Association for 1900, in order to present the 

 mission and scope of the land-grant colleges in the American system 

 of education, and the paper was presented by President Beardshear, of 

 Iowa, at the meeting held in Charleston, S. C. The committee called 

 attention to repeated violations of the franking privilege, and recom- 

 mended "that a codification of the postal regulations be made and sent 

 to each president and director, urging his strict compliance with the 

 law." 



President Hadley, of Yale University, addressed the Association 

 briefly, after which a recess was taken to enable members of the Asso- 

 ciation to meet him. 



The report of the treasurer showed that the expenditures during the 

 year had amounted to $2,019.08, leaving a balance of $112.97 in the 

 treasurA^ 



The report of the section on horticulture and botany, presented by 

 S. A. Beach, showed that in the work of teaching increased attention 

 is being given to physiological botany. Attention was called to the 



