ADDRESSES 297 



every household, and by the numberless improvements 

 which have been demonstrated to be not merely expensive 

 luxuries for the rich, but of priceless value to every tiller 

 of the soil. 



But to turn more directly to the curriculum itself. This 

 naturally divides itself into seven departments : the English, 

 the agricultural, the chemical, the botanical, the mathe- 

 matical, the zoological, and that of languages and social 

 science. 



I. English has a place in the curriculum of the Massa- 

 chusetts Agricultural College because of its practical value 

 and its educational value. 



By its practical value we mean its value in enabling the 

 student to express his thought by oral and written language. 

 Looking at the study from this point of view, we may name 

 it the study of oral and written expression. The specific 

 subjects and exercises set for securing this practical ad- 

 vantage from the study are these : rhetoric, during the fresh- 

 man year; declamations, during freshman and sophomore 

 years; essays, in the freshman, sophomore, and senior 

 years; orations, in the junior year; logic and debates, in 

 the senior year. The principal object in these exercises is 

 to secure accuracy and facility in the use of the English 

 language as an instrument by which thought is expressed. 



In addition to these studies, American literature is 

 studied in the sophomore year and English literature in the 

 junior and senior years. While, as an incidental advantage, 

 the student's style in writing and speaking may be im- 

 proved and perfected by reading and studying the best 

 works of the best authors, literature is studied chiefly for 

 its educational value. As literature is one means by which 



