New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 2 
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lightly regarded, nor is it to be blindly followed. Theories should 
always be brought to the test of experience, and a wise people will 
always see the importance of harmonizing a conservative theory 
with a progressive practice. 
Following upon this new accession of territory were certain 
others of less importance. It was an easy transition to the issue 
of internal improvements which assumed large proportions as ex- 
pressed in national political platforms. The development of the 
new and unsettled country then encouraging most liberal emigra- 
tion from Europe called for the improvement of public highways, 
means of transportation, and other forms of Federal or State aid 
under the theory of general welfare. Subsidies for railroads were 
justified under this plea. 
The most important of all these movements was the Morrill Act 
which provided that the Federal government should initiate the 
movement for a form of education for the industrial classes which 
prior to that time had not received adequate consideration or at- 
tention. This act sought to bring to these classes, and indeed to 
all interested, education in the sciences related to agriculture and 
the mechanic arts. It is true that these sciences had not been 
overlooked in the existing system of education, and equally true 
that their application or study in the interest of these two great 
classes of industry had not received any serious attention. ‘The 
government sought to develop this interest through the application 
of science to industry. In the debates concerning this measure 
much political and irrelevant discussion occurred, but it reflects 
great credit upon Mr. Morrill that he was able to fasten the atten- 
tion of Congress and the country upon the essential and vital issues 
in the bill, Among these I make mention of the following: First, 
that the unappropriated public domain was the property of all the 
people and should be used for the benefit of all the people, a national 
domain for national purposes. It was in no sense a local question, 
but always to be regarded as the interest of the nation. Certain 
recent movements to preserve portions of the national domain for 
forestry reservations lay a clear and unmistakable emphasis upon 
this doctrine. The proceeds of this public domain when sold did 
not change in character because the title had passed from all the 
people to particular individuals. This theory of the public lands 
while under consideration brought to the public mind a new em- 
phasis upon the responsibility for the use of public funds, suggested 
that the use of public money could not be justified for private 
