244 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



income from all sources was then less than $100,000; now it is nearly 

 half a million dollars, the climax oeing capped by the largest appropria- 

 tion ever made by the legislature at one time for an educational institu- 

 tion. 



I beg your pardon, ladies and gentlemen, for having allowed my per- 

 sonal feelings towards the old stu dent home to lead me thus from the 

 subject. The farmer's need of education is not, however, to be the 

 theme this afternoon. 



A passing thought cannot be resisted concerning that ancient argu- 

 ment in favor of the farm, viz., that the farm has been the source of 

 presidents, statesmen, diplomats, eminent lawyers, doctors, ministers, ad 

 infinitum ad nauseum. The logic of this is that the farm is a good place 

 to be born if you only get away soon enough. This argument says in 

 effect that the farm is a valuable breeding ground to furnish strong, 

 healthy, vigorous stock for the nation, the most able and most intellec- 

 tual of which are to be selected to supply the professions and manage 

 the business interests of our cities, while the rest may go to the devil 

 or become farmers. Apparently, in the minds of many, th^ twc^ destinies 

 are identical. I have no quarrel with this argument when it is stated 

 frankly, but I submit it is not calculated to convince a young man that 

 agriculture offers him an opportunity for a worthy career. 



The thesis of this address is, does agriculture (using the term in its 

 broadest and proper sense) offer and opportunity worthy of an able, in- 

 tellectual, amibitious young man. Can there be found there in a career 

 worthy of an educated, broad minded man? 



Last year a young man graduated from the course in Agriculture. 

 He happened to be unusually young. He was but twenty. Almost im- 

 mediately upon graduation he was appointed to a cadetship at West Point 

 through the courtesy of Senators Hanna and Poraker. He was an able, 

 intellectual, cultured student of excellent spirit, manner, and address. 

 He has had, as I believe, a thorough, sound education He was such a 

 young man as any home or college might be proud to send into the 

 world. As it happened, he had during his college course been very much 



