consideration of this body: First. Is there a necessity for a better and higher education for the sons and daughters of the industrial classes than can be obtained in the common schools? Second. Is the education obtained in the common schools of Texas alone sufficient to enable these classes to have their influence in the social and political affairs of our country, which the importance of their vocation and citizenship justifies and demands? Admitting the fundamental importance of the common schools, yet, in the opinion of your committee, there can be but one answer to these questions. Then what shall the higher education be? Shall it be such as to lead the young men away from the farm and all industrial pursuits, or shall it not rather be such as to make them better farmers, as well as to inculcate in their hearts a love for industrial pursuits, while it will at the same time enable them to take their proper positions as citizens and sovereigns of our State? Your committee all will agree that industrial education should be fostered and encouraged, as that will tend more than anything else to the advancement of our whole people. Can such an education be had within our own State or shall our boys be sent without its borders to procure it. Your committee purpose showing the members of the Farmers' Alliance that every facility for obtaining a useful and high standard of education is practically within reach of a large majority of farmers' and mechanics' sons. In 1862, when the land was convulsed with war, when members of nearly every family were absent on the tented fields, when every breeze came laden with the rumors of conflict or sounds of sieges and battle, destruction, woe, and death, a far-seeing and brainy man in the Senate of the United States succeeded in passing a law making an appropriation of public lands for the endowment and maintenance of at least one college in each State where the leading objects shall be to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and mechanic arts, in order to promote the practical and liberal education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions of life. This man, Justin Morrill, by slow application and hard study, though surrounded by many difficulties, rose to his exalted position from the industrial classes, and, remembering this, all of his work was to smooth the way and lessen the cost to all desiring liberal and practical education to fit them for the duties of life. As the Agricultural and Mechanical College is the culmination of the above effort, your committee desire to present it to the favorable consideration of the people of the Alliance as it stands, its doors open, the directors and its able faculty inviting the parents and guardians of the industrial classes to send their boys, that they may receive the benefit of the high standard of industrial education there to be obtained.

COMPLAINT FROM THE FARMERS.

Continuing their report, the Alliance committee further stated:

The Agricultural and Mechanical College, as now presented to you, is carrying out the original purpose and design for which it was established. But to enable it to be still more useful a grievous want should be supplied. The board of directors are frequently unable to supply improvements to further the purposes of the institution for lack of funds. The interest alone of the endowment fund can be used and that only for the salaries of the faculty. The appropriations that have been made by the State have been for buildings, furniture, apparatus, machines, and tools in the mechanical department; implements, tools, animals, and fencing in the agricultural department, and for repairs in all the departments of the college. Until the last legislature met not one cent had ever been appropriated for the support of the college. While the college is still doing all that can be done with the means at its disposal, yet, to enable it to extend the sphere of its usefulness, it requires a regular annual income independent of the legislative appropriations to maintain its present status and provide additional facilities and instructors as the attendance increases. The framers of the

in the lecture room. The object is twofold: First, to impress on his mind more thoroughly the instruction therein imparted, and second, that he may acquire the most intimate knowledge of practice and skill in the use of tools and workshop appliances. He will be conducted through the shops exactly as though entering the lowest position in a manufacturing establishment, and will successively fill higher positions until graduating as superintendent. Beginning with woodworking by hand tools, he will be promoted from that to the use and care of woodworking machinery, such as circular and fret saws and the turning lathe. Then he will be made stock clerk and timekeeper. After that, take a course of instruction in working with metals with hand tools, such as filing, chipping, and other vise work, erecting of machinery; then be put in charge of a boiler, and from that duly promoted to engineer, to take charge of the engine and power, and from that goes to drilling, boring, turning, screw-cutting, and other machine tool work, when he is to begin work on his graduating piece, which is to be made entirely by himself and be a whole or a part of the subject treated of in his graduating thesis.

Provision was also made about this time to pay those students who wished to work a part of their way through college for work done on the farm and in the shops out of school hours. The time spent in practice in the shops and fields, being considered as so much instruction, was not paid for.

An appropriation of $15,000 having been made by the legislature in 1881 for maintaining State students, provision was made for their appointment and distribution of the appointments as has been stated. While this provision still remains on the statute book, it has remained inoperative since 1884, by reason of no appropriation having been made for their further support. It was well that this was so. The plan of sending students to this school at the expense of the State was adopted because the industrial courses seemed at first unpopular and some extraordinary inducements were deemed necessary to lead young men into what seemed an educational experiment. The truth of the matter is that the college had gained the reputation of a purely literary school; but when it was reorganized in 1879 much of its literary patronage fell away and the industrial classes, naturally skeptical as to its future intentions, did not at once render their support. This difficulty, however, has long since been obviated and the college has for several years past been full to overflowing with students. On more than one occasion notice had to be given through the press that no more could be received.

In 1884 a substantial brick shop for ironwork was added to the old wooden barracks, which were doing temporary duty as workshop; and again in 1891 the present commodious two-story structure was provided. In order to more fully identify the college with the farmers and others interested in industrial education, a series of experiments were conducted, and from time to time bulletins of results were issued, the first appearing in November, 1883. They continued to appear at intervals until the agricultural experiment station was

established in 1888, when the matter was turned over to the station. In 1889 the faculty issued a circular letter calling the attention of farmers to the importance of holding farmers' institutes, and offering to send those members of the faculty connected with the industrial departments to assist in conducting these meetings and to deliver addresses on suitable topics relating to agricultural pursuits.

SUCCESSION OF PRESIDENTS.

In June, 1883, Prof. James R. Cole, who had been acting president since the resignation of President James, was duly elected president of the college. During the following summer, however, the board of directors decided to discontinue the office of president and provided that the faculty should select one of their members as chairman. The choice fell upon Maj. H. H. Dinwiddie, professor of chemistry and physics, and he filled the position with credit until his death in 1887. During his administration many reforms were instituted looking to the development and perfection of the industrial department. During this time he delivered a number of able addresses before the State Grange farmers' institutes, and elsewhere. At his death Prof. L. L. McInnis, professor of mathematics, was elected by the board to succeed him. Professor McInnis had been connected with the college since November, 1877, and had served in the capacity of adjunct professor, as professor of mathematics, as secretary of the board of directors, as secretary and treasurer of the college, and was vicechairman during Professor Dinwiddie's administration. As chairman of the faculty he recommended the establishment of the chairs of horticulture, civil engineering and drawing, veterinary science, and later the department of drawing, the office of chaplain and librarian, and the establishment of branch agricultural experiment stations, the inauguration of the "student labor” fund, and an appropriation for water supply. All of these recommendations have been adopted, and appropriations were secured for a number of the most substantial buildings during his administration. He was dropped from the roll of the faculty in the summer of 1890, after thirteen years of service.

CHANGES IN THE MANAGEMENT.

At the time of discontinuing the presidency the position of resident director was provided for, and Capt. T. M. Scott was selected to fill the position; but having resigned the position, the office of agent of the board of directors was created, and Gen. William P. Hardeman was elected to that position. His duties were the management of the finances and outside working of the college, while the chairman of the faculty had charge of the academic work. This action of the board

of directors was earnestly protested against by the president of the board of directors as follows:

I ask leave of the board to spread on the minutes the following reasons for my votes against the resolutions to abolish the presidency of the college and to elect an agent of the board with the power provided for in the resolutions:

First. President Cole had been elected June 26, by a vote of 4 to 1. The members of the board favoring the resolution were challenged to point out a single dereliction of the president in the discharge of his duties, either while acting president or since his election, and they failed to do so. I regard the action as an indignity to President Cole, calculated to drive him from the faculty, as Professor Van Winkle had been driven by the previous action of the board in resolving to accept his resignation, which was not presented to them, and when there was no dereliction charged against him, but President James declared him the most valuable member of the faculty. Second. I was opposed to a divided authority in the management of the college such as I conceived to be the result of the power given to the agent. I think it relieves the faculty from the responsibility they ought to assume and gives undue authority to an outsider, and must greatly impair the efficient operation of the college.

Third. I think it multiplies officers and increases expenditures to no good purpose.

J. D. THOMAS.

At this meeting Prof. Rudolph Wipprecht was elected professor of languages to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Professor Gartner. By appointment of the president Prof. W. L. Bringhurst had been acting professor of languages since the previous February, and he was placed in charge of a new department of physics.

THE AGRICULTURAL STUDIES.

The department of agriculture not being very well patronized by the students, the following resolution was adopted by the board of directors:

Resolved, That, for the encouragement of students in the agricultural department, the professor in that department shall be required to keep an accurate grade of the proficiency and deportment of each student in the department, and at the end of each session the student having the highest grade shall be entitled to a scholarship for the succeeding year free of charge; and the student having the next highest grade shall be entitled to one-half scholarship for the succeeding year, and the student having the next highest grade shall be entitled to one-fourth scholarship for the same time, but none of these scholarships shall be transferable.

These scholarships were won as follows: First prize, full scholarship, Duncan Adriance, Brazoria, Tex.; second prize, half scholarship, T. D. Rowell, Jefferson, Tex.; third prize, one-quarter scholarship, Herman Richter, De Witt County.

These scholarships were discontinued after one year.

In the summer of 1883 the professors of the college were for the second time offered their traveling expenses to solicit patronage for the college. Professors Curtis, Dinwiddie, Cole, Wipprecht, Dr. J. D. Read, and Assistant Professor Smith accepted this offer. As a result

of their efforts there was a considerable increase in the attendance the following fall. Provision was also made by the board for postgraduate courses leading to the degree of B. S. A. Mr. Walter Wipprecht was the first to avail himself of this provision.

In October, 1885, the college made an exhibit at the Dallas State Fair of machinery and agricultural appliances and sent a detail of students there to show by actual practice the work done by them as students at the college. The exhibit was much admired and as an advertisement for the college was of great importance and value. A similar exhibit in August, 1890, was also made of students in actual practice in creamery, etc., at the annual meeting of the State Grange at McGregor. Exhibits of students' work were also made at the State Teachers' Association at Galveston and Austin, where they attracted much attention and favorable comment.

In 1886 Prof. L. L. McInnis, in his annual report, made the following recommendations which were adopted at a subsequent meeting of the board of directors: That the course of study be changed from three to four years for the reason that, since the students were largely from the rural districts, they were not prepared to finish the college course in three years. He further recommended that in the fouryears' course the object should not be so much to raise the proficiency of graduates in theoretical studies, as to give more time each year to the practical part of their education, and suggested that the first year be made the same for all courses, the advantages of this being that students remaining one year all in the same course would be enabled to better select intelligently a more suitable course, and that students subsequently choosing the mechanical course would have the advantage of having learned something of the principles of agriculture-that vocation which enlists the energy of so great a majority of the citizens of our State. He also recommended that as soon as practicable a student labor fund be set apart to act as an inducement to the students to engage in the practice work in the agricultural department.

About this time, in response from a request of Director Scott to U. S. Senator S. B. Maxey, this college was designated as the depository for public documents from the Department of the Interior at Washington. This has added many volumes of public matter to our library.

In June, 1887, an attempt was made in the legislature to abolish the board of directors and place the college under the management of the regents of the State University, but failed to be enacted into law. Similar attempts have also been made subsequently, but friends of the college desiring its continued usefulness and progress have always succeeded in foiling these attempts. Attempts were also made in 1891 and 1893 to establish an agricultural and mechanical college in north Texas, but were likewise unsuccessful.

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