SEMI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 229 



real necessity, and even in the case of a clergyman who was ex- 

 pected in some denominations to be an educated man, it was 

 not felt that any study of divinity was necessary beyond the 

 possible acquisition of an elementary knowledge of the New 

 Testament in Greek. How much less could the public be ex- 

 pected to insist upon a higher standard of special education for 

 other classes. It is almost inconceivable to us so see how slow 

 was the progress even in such a department as that of engineering 

 education ; remarkable to see how long it took before the general 

 public was converted to the view that if a boy was looking for- 

 ward to the practice of the engineering profession there were 

 certain schools the completion of whose curriculum was a valu- 

 able element in the preparation for this work. Even such a 

 distinguished and enlightened educator as President Eliot has 

 yielded to this idea of professional and special education in vari- 

 ous lines only with great reluctance and only as he has been 

 compelled by the actual drift of circumstances. Twenty-five 

 years ago I heard him say in a public address in regard to the 

 preparation of teachers that the theory of Harvard College was 

 that if a man had the requisite knowledge that was all that was 

 necessary. He might then acquire the actual experience as a 

 teacher and he would succeed or fail according to his natural 

 bent ; that there was nothing further than assistance in acquiring 

 the knowledge which the university could do for the candidate 

 for the teaching profession. 



We do not realize until we stop to think about it, how com- 

 pletely that idea has passed away and how today the public is 

 ready to accept the idea that school training is good as an ele- 

 ment in the preparation for almost any calling which you can 

 name. We see every day some new kind of school springing 

 into existence which is intended to satisfy this demand for spe- 

 cific and special preparation. 



Now this great movement for agricultural education, which 

 found an expression in the organization of this institution and 



