36 



the 19th of June, 1<S62, 25 years ago last Sunday; and Abraham 

 Lincoln attached his name on the second of July following. 



Thus did Mr. Morrill by his industry and persistency, like Elkauah 

 Watson and Marshall P. Wilder, succeed in his great project. Dur- 

 ing peace under Washington, agriculture could not obtain even rec- 

 ognition by the government, but the arts of war were encouraged, I 

 do not say improperly encouraged. In 1862 under Lincoln, in the 

 midst of a civil war in which more forces were engaged, more blood 

 shed, at a greater waste of treasure than were ever before known, 

 Mr. Morrill's mind still turned from the work of destruction to the 

 work of production which sustains men and nations, without which 

 there would be no society, no commerce, no manufactures, no trades, 

 and populous life of man could not exist. Taking the lead in draw- 

 ing laws for raising revenue by internal taxes and by tariffs, he 

 found time in the midst of war, to encourage the arts of peace. 

 He believed that "Ceres should be counted among the Gods of 

 Olympus." 



And now, my friends, should you ask me to epitomize the progress 

 of agricultural education in this country, I should name Watson, 

 Wilder and Morrill ! * 



*General United States Act in Relation to Agricultural Colleges. (United States Statutes, 



Vol. 12, Chap. 130, P. 503). 

 An Act donating Public Lands to the several States and Territories, which may provide 



Colleges for the benefit of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts. 



Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America 

 in congress assembled: That there be granted to the several States, for the purpose herein- 

 after mentioned, an amount of public land, to be apportioned to each State a quantity 

 equal to thirty thousand acres for each Senator and Representative in congress to which 

 the States are respectively entitled by the apportionment under the census of eighteen 

 hundred and sixty : provided, that no mineral lands shall be selected or purchased under 

 the provisions of this act. 



SEC. 2. And be it further enacted: That the land aforesaid, after being surveyed, shall 

 be apportioned to the several States in sections or subdivisions (if sections, not less than 

 one quarter of a section ; * * * said scrip to be sold by said States and the proceeds 

 thereof applied to the uses and purposes prescribed in this act, and for no other use or 

 purpose whatsoever: * * * 



SEC. 4. And be it further enacted: That all moneys derived from the sale of the lands 

 aforesaid, by the States to which the lands are apportioned, and from the sales of land 

 scrip hereinbefore provided for, shall be invested in stocks of the United States, or of the 

 States, or some other safe stocks, yielding not less than Jive per centum upon the par value 

 of said stocks; and that the moneys so invested shall constitute a perpetual fund, the 

 capital of which shall remain forever undiminished (except so far as may be provided in 

 section fifth of this, act), and the interest of which shall be inviolably appropriated by each 

 State ichich may take and claim the benefit to this act, to the endowment, support and mainte- 

 nance of at least one college where the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific 

 and classical studies, and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are 

 related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in such manner as the legislatures of the States 



