THIRTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VII 453 



enormous number of students in that same university studying mechanic 

 arts or engineering. Some persons who got their information in those 

 times and have not carefully observed the progress of the present time, 

 believe the attractions in engineering are now so great that young men 

 cannot be expected to stay and study agriculture where engineering is 

 taught, for the reason that the engineering would attract them out of 

 agriculture. This is a mistaken judgment. 



The reason why engineering courses fifteen or twenty years ago were 

 attracting the students that they did attract, was simply the fact that 

 manufacturing and industrial activities in this country were exper- 

 iencing an unprecedented growth, and there was a great demand for 

 trained men in engineering. Now, twenty years later, in 1912, it is 

 found in these same institutions that there is a great demand for in- 

 struction in agriculture. Students are coming from all directions and 

 registering in the course in agriculture, and many of the larger and more 

 prominent of the institutions, including the one at Ames, have more 

 students in agriculture than they have in engineering, in fact nothing 

 could better show the change of public opinion in respect to education 

 along these technical lines, nothing could better prove the wisdom of Sen- 

 ator Morrill in establishing these colleges, than the situation in the 

 present day. The attitude of the public toward agriculture is justified 

 by the performance of the men who are going out from the institutions. 

 I recall how one man's attitude toward a college education was abruptly 

 changed. He had a son who was anxious to study agriculture, and he 

 discouraged that young man from going to college, but the young man 

 went in spite of his father's advice, and when he came home from school 

 for vacation, his father laughed sarcastically at the book learning in the 

 college and asked if he thought he would be a better farmer. Tbe fact 

 is the father himself had had a college education, but for some reason 

 he had never learned to appreciate its value. Finally this young man 

 came home after graduation, brought his diploma with him, and as a 

 last bit of sarcasm his father said, "Well, you are back from college, and 

 you have graduated, and got your diploma, have you, and I declare you 

 look just like a fool." Just then a neighbor who had lived near by all 

 the boy's life stepped in. He was glad to see John home, and to wel- 

 come John. "Well," said he, "I am glad to see you again. Well, well, 

 you have finished your college course, and I declare you look just like 

 your father did when he came back from college." (Laughter.) Tbe 

 father at once took a different view towards college education. 



Let me tell you that higher education in agriculture is being justified by 

 the performance of the men who are fortunate enough to have this edu- 

 cation, just as clearly, just as emphatically, as higher education is being 

 justified along any line. 



I recall one young man who left a poor farm in the east — of course it 

 could not be in Iowa if it was a poor farm — he left a poor farm to go 

 to college, and after he finished his work he returned to the farm, and set 

 about to see how best he could apply what he had learned, and on that 

 farm they were raising oats at the rate of about forty-five bushels to the 

 acre. It was the best they were ever able to do, and he applied what he 



