26 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



much to do in teaching and organizing the educational depart- 

 ments as they ought to have had to do, irrespective of this 

 other work. If anybody is disposed to be captious, and find 

 fault because we have not done more, I hope he will endeavor 

 to be cliaritable, and remember that, if we have not done 

 everything, we have done what we could. 



And now I come to the important topic of my discourse, and 

 that is, What are the immediate, absolute wants of this college? 

 That is the important question. " Forgetting the things that 

 are behind, we press forward to the things " that remain to be 

 done. 



First, as to the military department. I wish to call your 

 attention one moment to the fact that the United States gov- 

 ernment, in making its grants to the States for the purpose of 

 establishing agricultural colleges, imposed the obligation to 

 teach military tactics, and the Act incorporating the college also 

 requires that military tactics shall be taught. I want you to 

 consider, further, that the State of Massachusetts has provided 

 all the rifles and equipments necessary for the furnishing of 

 these students with the means for military drill and instruction. 

 Now, we have here some soldiers. You have seen tlie sopho- 

 more class handle their muskets. I am not afraid to put them 

 on any field, and if fighting were necessary, (which I hope it 

 will never be again,) I believe they would prove themselves 

 efficient soldiers. Now, I believe that we are not only bound 

 to teach military tactics, but we are bound to teach them well, 

 for there is nothing that ought to be taught poorly. "Whatever 

 is taught at all should be taught well. I believe it is a wise 

 provision that these young men shall be instructed in military 

 tactics. They can be made expert soldiers, fit at least to serve 

 in the infantry, without the sacrifice of any time or strength 

 that could be profitably employed otherwise, provided we have 

 the necessary accommodations. We must have, next spring, 

 for a drill-hall and armory, a cheap wooden building, costing 

 but a few thousand dollars — one hundred by fifty feet. Con- 

 sider what it would enable us to do. The State has given us 

 the arms ; it does not want them stacked out of doors. We 

 should have room for our guns, equipments and uniforms, and 

 a place where the young men could be drilled when the weather 

 is unsuited to out-of-door work. When the weather is good, 



