370 AS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT -V 



largely aided in developing agriculture throughout the 

 State and country; and when others were added to 

 him, like Comstock and Bailey, the success of the de 

 partment became even more brilliant. Still, its old 

 reputation lasted for a time, even after a better era had 

 been fully ushered in. About a year after the tide had 

 thus turned a meeting of the State &quot;Grange&quot; was held 

 at the neighboring city of Elmira ; and the leading speak 

 ers made the university and its agricultural college an 

 object of scoffing which culminated in a resolution de 

 nouncing both, and urging the legislature to revoke our 

 charter. At this a bright young graduate of Cornell, an 

 instructor in the agricultural department, who happened 

 to be present, stood up manfully, put a few pertinent ques 

 tions, found that none of the declaimers had visited the 

 university, declared that they were false to their duty in 

 not doing so, protested against their condemning the in 

 stitution unheard and unseen, and then and there invited 

 them all to visit the institution and its agricultural depart 

 ment without delay. Next day this whole body of farmers, 

 with their wives, sons, and daughters, were upon us. 

 Everything was shown them. Knowing next to nothing 

 about modern appliances for instruction in science and 

 technology, they were amazed at all they saw; the libraries, 

 the laboratories, and, above all, the natural-science collec 

 tions and models greatly impressed them. They were taken 

 everywhere, and shown not only our successes but our 

 failures; nothing was concealed from them, and, as a re 

 sult, though they &quot;came to scoff, &quot; they &quot;remained to 

 pray. They called a new session of their body, pledged 

 to us their support, and passed resolutions commending 

 our work and condemning the State legislature for not 

 doing more in our behalf. That was the turning-point for 

 the agricultural department; and from that day to this 

 the legislature has dealt generously with us, and the in 

 fluence of the department for good throughout the State 

 has been more and more widely acknowledged. 

 Of the two technical departments referred to in the origi- 



