August 31, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



331 



was to be done ? If the farmers would not 

 send their sons to the colleges nor encour- 

 age their support, it was only a question of 

 a few years when all such enterprises must 

 be abandoned. Congress had made liberal 

 endowments. If the farmers will not go to 

 the colleges, then the colleges must go to 

 the farmers. It was a matter of necessity. 

 University extension is the taking of the 

 university or college to the people, when 

 the people cannot or will not go to the col- 

 lege or university. 



According to H. B. Adams in the Forum 

 for 1891, page 510, " The movement origi- 

 nated in the year 1867 in academic lectures 

 to the school teachers and working men of 

 the JSTorth England by Professor James 

 Stuart of Cambridge, now member of Par- 

 liament." 



A course was given in Great Britain by 

 some of the professors in Cambridge Uni- 

 versity in 1873. 



So far as I know the following account 

 explains the origin of extension work in 

 this country, at least its connection with 

 agricultural colleges. On August 30, 1871, 

 the trustees of the Illinois Industrial Uni- 

 versity, now known as the University of 

 Illinois, passed a resolution that the regent 

 and corresponding secretary be authorized 

 to make such arrangements for holding, 

 during the coming winter. Farmers' Insti- 

 tutes, at the University and in other parts 

 of the State, as they might find advisable. 

 Several institutes were held that year and 

 others in succeeding years. The circular 

 said, " We want to bring the live practical 

 men and the live scientific men together 

 that all may be benefited." 



The regent of the University, Dr. J. M. 

 Gregory, was the leading spirit in starting 

 institutes in Illinois. Early in 1876, Mich- 

 igan Agricultural College held her first in- 

 stitutes. Note that Illinois University 

 began University extension two years be- 

 fore Cambridge in England. The rapid 



increase in the number and efficiency of 

 institutes in most of the northern states is 

 a subject familiar to all of you. A genera- 

 tion of objectors to good Agricultural Col- 

 leges has passed away and their places are 

 occupied by those who are attentive and 

 enthusiastic. Praise and support of the 

 agricultural college has taken the place of 

 apathy and criticism, and extension work 

 has done it. More recently, beginning in 

 1888 to 1890, a considerable number of 

 universities and colleges in this country 

 have undertaken extension work in variety. 

 Perhaps some of them saw the benefit that 

 followed such efforts, made by the agricul- 

 tural colleges. Itinerant instructors have 

 been employed to work among manufac- 

 turers of butter and cheese in Canada and 

 Wisconsin. In New York, special schools, 

 enduring for a week, for giving instructions 

 in horticulture, were held in many country 

 school districts. 



Extension reading courses are accom- 

 plishing something. Almost every plan 

 conceivable has apparently been tried to 

 arouse and attract men toward better meth- 

 ods in agriculture as aided by a scientific 

 education. One of the most recent of these 

 movements in agricultural education is the 

 introduction of what is known as ' Nature 

 Study ' or ' Elementary Science ' in the 

 rural schools. We are most fortunate at 

 this meeting in having with us an honored 

 member who is brim full with experience 

 and enthusiasm concerning this important 

 subject. We are eager to listen to what he 

 shall say. I am sure that I voice the opin- 

 ion of every member of this Society when 

 I say that we all favor a liberal education. 

 None of us could dispense with mathemat- 

 ics, one or more languages and other sub- 

 stantial knowledge to be acquired in com- 

 pleting a course of study in any college in 

 the land. Mathematics, Latin, rhetoric, his- 

 tory, physiology, English literature, polit- 

 ical economy, ethics, chemistry, zoology, 



