GENERAL REPORT. 
77 
these constituting the professional courses of instruction shall 
daily intermingle and enjoy friendly intercourse as peers of the 
same realm. 
The liberalizing, refining and ennobling influence of such 
an association of all the departments of learning and of hun¬ 
dreds, perhaps thousands, of students and professors devoted 
to them, under the guidance, inspiration and harmonizing 
power of one common head, can hardly be over-estimated. 
The University of Wisconsin, as re-created by the act of 
1866, had its origin in thoughts and desires such as these. 
Universality, equality and fraternity were the central ideas— 
the soul of it—around which should be gathered the elements 
of visible form and substance as fast as the means afforded by 
the General Government, the State and the people would allow; 
adding college to college, as our national flag has added star 
after star, until, at length, completing the whole circle of hu¬ 
man knowledge, the noble cluster of schools thus formed 
should constitute one entire constellation, shedding its brilliant 
and beneficent light all over our land, and challenging the ad¬ 
miration of the world. 
That a College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, as a 
component part of such a University, would accomplish more 
for the advancement of the industrial classes than could be ac¬ 
complished by a separate, isolated school of even the best 
quality, it seems to us no unprejudiced, intelligent mind can 
seriously question for a moment. 
We may grant that more difiiculties, of necessity, lie in the 
way of the organization and successful management of so broad- 
based and comprehensive an institution as the one outlined 
above; but the difficulties are not insuperable, and the great 
end to be gained will be full compensation for any requisite 
amount of pains-taking and labor. 
To such as entertain like opinions and sentiments, it will be 
gratifying, and to all it will be advantageous, to know that the 
ablest educators and statesmen of Europe, even, are beginning 
to favor the policy of uniting the agricultural schools with ex¬ 
isting universities, although, as yet, the argument they urge is 
