272 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



the name of God and humanity for many a farmer's son, 

 thrilled with the spirit of the "Mayflower," the spirit of 

 '76, the spirit of Lincoln and Maceo, the spirit of Captain 

 Dickinson of the college as he bravely met his death while 

 crowning the heights of San Juan ? This country has been 

 blessed beyond any other in growth, prosperity and re- 

 sources. Shall she infold herself in selfish luxury, and 

 supinely wait for the world's laurels to be brought to her ; 

 or shall she press her enterprise and light among the millions 

 who sit in the shadows of the mediaeval ages ? 



History says it was the policy of Metternich, the great 

 Austrian statesman, "neither to innovate nor to go back, 

 but to keep things as they were.'' This is not the spirit of 

 the age. It is not American. Men may talk of expansion 

 and anti-expansion, imperialism and anti-imperialism, yet 

 the irresistible fact remains that the world belongs to civili- 

 zation ; and I predict that before the end of the first quarter 

 of the twentieth century the dark portions of the earth will 

 be under the governing power of civilized people, and that 

 the United States, with her millions of school-trained men 

 and women, will be the principal factor in blazing the way 

 for the mighty " manifest destiny." 



Three years ago when I was accorded the junior place on 

 the committee of education and Massachusetts Agricultural 

 College of this Board, I entered the service with a prejudice 

 against the institution. That prejudice has changed to 

 admiration. I see now that it was the needful link in our 

 system of education. It touches thousands of people at vital 

 points in a practical way. It reaches out a helping hand to 

 the farmers and to the farmers' boys, and to others who 

 could not reap the benefits of the older colleges. It invites 

 those strong natural parts, that with culture and training can 

 attain commanding positions in life. I believe its influence 

 is being strongly felt all through the State, not only upon 

 the farms, but in the marts of business, in the halls of legisla- 

 tion, at this Board, and in a thousand ways which we hardly 

 sense or realize. Yet it ought to have a larger influence. I 

 am told it has a capacity for about three hundred students. 

 It has a little above a hundred. The demand for trained 

 men in agricultural matters is larger than the supply. 



