The Utility of All Kinds of Higher Schooling; An Investigation

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1909. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER X. AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLING--DO ITS RESULTS JUSTIFY ITS EXPENSE? There are in the United States to-day some seventy agricultural colleges and schools--with their regular, short and special courses--enjoying the benefits of the general government acts of i862 and i890. They have an enrollment of more than 60,000 students. The value of the property of these institutions is nearly $86,000,000, of which enormous sum $50,500,000 represents material equipment. Their income from various sources is about $i4,000,000. They are supported through grants from the State, about fifty-five per cent; grants from the federal government, about fifteen per cent, and endowments, gifts, fees, etc., about thirty per cent. Add to this the expense to the students and their loss of time, and it will be seen readily what an immense expense is connected with this branch of public education. Reasonable To Ask Proof. In view of this great expense, it is neither unreasonable nor unfair to require of these institutions clear proof that they are of benefit to the public, at least commensurate with their cost. You can not expect the public to take this for granted. There is so much being written and said about the utility and great importance of these institutions that naturally it has occurred to me that they may be overestimated and the public deceived. Among the boastful claims made for them I cite the remark of the Hon. James Bryce, before a graduating class of the Agricultural College of Wisconsin, that here in Wisconsin, you have, by the judicious application of science to agriculture, practically doubled the output of your soil. This may be taken as an example. Almost as striking claims have been made by the colleges themselves. To a person who has worked on a farm, and h...