1848. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
145 
A6BICVLTIJBAL SCHOOLS. 
Thse subject ©f est-afelrshkag institutions for giving 
Mistractioa in sciences especially connected with agri¬ 
culture, is attracting much attention. It has been a 
mooted question ^in legal phraseology) whether new 
(institutions should he formed for this purpose, or 
whether the instruction should fee given in our present 
colleges. Prof. C„ U. Shepherd, of Amherst College, 
an his excellent agricultural address, delivered last fall 
at Springfield and Northampton, made some observa¬ 
tions in reference to this point. He thinks it the duty 
and interest of the landowners of this country to lay a 
broad basis for the scientific training of the rising gen¬ 
eral ion—-that the elements of the physical sciences 
should be taught in our common schools—and that 
there should also be established a 11 class of higher in¬ 
stitutions for the preparation of teachers, as well as 
for the thorough education in practical farming of those 
who have before them the prospect of managing large 
estates.” He proceeds to speak more in detail in re¬ 
ference to such a school as is required, and his obser¬ 
vations, which we quote, are worthy of careful consid¬ 
eration; 
u Many persons appear to think, that our college 
course can be so modified, as to fulfil at the same time, 
the literary and the agricultural requisition. It does 
not appear to me that such a plan is likely to succeed. 
Heretofore most certainly, whatever else the college 
■has afforded, it has turned out few practical farmers. 
Even those, who enter as well drilled and expert in 
farming operations, by the time they reach the terminus 
of their course, if they do justice to the college studies, 
and become thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the 
place, become rather awkward on the farm; and it 
soon begins to appear, that to be college-learnt, is to 
be farm-unlearnt. And l hardly know of men more to 
fee pitied, than those who from feeble health or any 
other cause, have failed in a professional or literary 
career (to prepare for which the college course is 
chiefly intended) and who are obliged t© fall back upon 
the farm for a livelihood. In all the practical labors 
of husbandry, they seem to have lost the art of taking 
hold of things by the smooth handle; and their blun¬ 
ders in live-stock, are almost sure to .make them the 
laughing-stock of their neighbors. Now there is noth¬ 
ing surprising in this, if we consider the object of col¬ 
lege education. The college is not intended for persons 
who are to occupy themselves much with physical mat¬ 
ters. Even the boys understand this perfectly well; and 
at is to be feared that not a few importune their parents 
to gain admission there from no higher motive than to 
get clear of muscular effort; though it is generally ob¬ 
served that such are equally shy of intellectual exer¬ 
tion. No; the college is the place for the training of 
persons, who, if they are ever to work at all, must do 
so through the medium of mind, as scholars, as states¬ 
men, as elergy'tiien, or in the medical or legal profes¬ 
sion. Nothing can be more unreasonable than to sup¬ 
pose, that we see the practical use of the sciences to 
mankind in the lives of our college graduates. Why, 
the college course is chiefly made up of the study of the 
literature and philosophy of the ancients, to whom our 
sciences were a dead letter, and of the elements of 
mathematics and geometry, to which is added a sprink¬ 
ling of metaphysics and logic, and considerable drilling 
an English composition and elocution. On these studies 
and good morals, the discipline and the honors of the 
college turn. Lectures are given indeed on some of 
fthe m.odeni aciene.es, but less with a view to their bear- | 
lag enthe arts of life, than to the purpose of intellec¬ 
tual discipline and general accomplishment. No teacher 
would be tolerated, who should more than incidentally 
allude to any common use, like that of economical 
profit, that could be made of them. Thecollege is not 
the place for learning rules of thrift. It pre-supposes 
a degree of independence; and in cases where this is 
not enjoyed, it takes it for granted, that money-making 
is to be held as a secondary consideration with all who 
partake of its benefits. The college graduate is never 
to seek glory in wealth, hut in knowledge, and in use¬ 
fulness of a lofty kind to his fellow men. This I take 
to be the true theory of the college, and of literary life 
in general. Both hold themselves at the most respect¬ 
ful remove possible from all contact with matter, and 
the every day labors of men engaged in the arts. I 
might perhaps afford you an illustration of the truth of 
this representation. A president of one of these insti¬ 
tutions on being shown through the physical depart¬ 
ment of another, the best endowed in natural sciences 
of any is the country, on taking leave of the distin¬ 
guished professor who had been his conductor, begged 
to know of what conceivable use to mankind were all 
such provisions! Here was a distinguished scholar, at 
the head of an American college, who had got so com¬ 
pletely away from matter, as not to be conscious that 
a knowledge of its properties was of the least utility 
to mankind 3” * * * * * 
u The time has fairly arrived, when society should 
understand what it has a right to expect from the col¬ 
lege; when it should know this at least, that it is not 
the most likely place to look for amelioration in the 
practical arts, especially in that of agriculture. The 
college has enough to do to qualify for head-work. 
There must be some other institution in which young 
men can be taught to work on matter as well as upon 
mind. To send a lad t© college whom you intend to 
make a farmer, is putting him on the wrong track. 
The four years spent there would be an episode, a. pa¬ 
renthesis in the preparation for active life on a farm. I 
say not that it would disqualify him from leading the 
life of a gentlemen, provided his means were suffi¬ 
ciently ample; hut it would assuredly be a bad thing 
for him, ever to take off" his gloves on a farm, after he 
had touched his diploma.* 
11 1 should shrink from the attempt even, to draw out 
the plan of such an institution as is required to meet 
the wants of this greatest of all the branches of prac¬ 
tical industry. To frame such a scheme will demand 
no .small share of deliberation and forecast. No insti¬ 
tutions are now in existence upon which they can be 
directly modeled.” 
We are happy to see that a bill has been introduced 
into the Senate of Massachusetts by Hon. I. T. Buck¬ 
ingham, for the establishment of the u Massachusetts 
* In these remarks upon the inadequacy of the college proper, 
for preparing persons for the practice of the arts, I trust that I shall 
not <be thought wanting in a proj>er regard for these institutions. 
Having, either as pupil or teacher, passed the greatest part of my 
life in connection with the*eol!ege, lean but accord to it the highest 
respect, and even filial affection; tat this veneration is solely on 
account of the important and truly noble end it accomplishes, in 
laying the foundation of professional or literary eminence; and not 
on account of its direct service to the manual arts. These it never 
has embraced within its plan; nor is it easy to see how any change 
can ever be made in this respect, which shall fully answer the 
wants of practical men: although there is nothing to prevent the 
existence of an agricultural school in immediate connection with 
a college, whose scientific faculty might even assist in a school of 
arts, and in this way, materially abridge the expensiveness of such 
aa insti ©ho®. 
