184 FROM THOSE WHO KNEW HIM BEST 



ested himself in Jewish colonization. Within three years 

 of his landing in this country, his views on the subject 

 attracted such favorable attention that, while still occupy- 

 ing the position of professor of chemistry at the Colorado 

 State Agricultural College, he was invited by the trustees 

 of the Baron de Hirsch Fund 1 to take charge of the Wood- 

 bine Colony. The task confronting him was an extremely 

 difficult one. His object was to teach scientific farming 

 to the few who really, by the sweat of their brows, eked 

 out a wretched subsistence from the soil, and to interest 

 those who accepted the new idea with the presumption 

 that it would be easy to resume an avocation which cen- 

 turies upon centuries ago had been wrested from their 

 fathers. But the chopping down of trees, the selling of 

 wood by the cord, the digging out of stumps, and the 

 general labor of tilling the soil were not found to be 

 adaptable to the first settlers, and particularly not to the 

 younger generation of would-be farmers. A problem 

 presented itself, then, the very problem that today con- 

 fronts the non-Jewish farmer: "How is the younger 

 generation to be kept on the farm?" With the Jews, 

 however, the problem was more serious, since the agri- 

 cultural life of the people depended upon interesting 

 the youth in the soil. 



It was then that Professor Sabsovich proved himself 

 to be a good psychologist. In his thirst for knowledge 

 and opportunity the young immigrant would not be satis- 

 fied with mere farm labor, no matter how promising was 

 the prospect as a future tiller of the soil. As a result 

 of this observation the Agricultural School of Woodbine 

 was established, where the children of farmers, and 

 others attracted by agriculture, could be given a general 

 education while learning scientific farming. It was an 

 experiment, but so well was a demand fulfilled, and such 



