Texas A and M University - Aggieland Yearbook (College Station, TX)

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agricultural department was embodied or made promi¬ nent. The introduction of the present system of shop instruction and practice, primarily for the benefit of students in the department of Mechanical ICng-ineering-, owes its origin to the Centennial Exposition, held at Phila¬ delphia, in 1876, at which the Russian Government made an exhibit of the Russian system of shop-work and instruction. The great features of simplicity and comparative inexpensiveness characteristic of this system, so com¬ mended it to practical educators for its wonderful adapta¬ tion to the ends desired, that in the autumn of the same year, (1876), the Boston School of Technolog-y adopted and put it into practice at once, and it soon found favor in all the Land-grant Colleges. By joint resolution, approved November 1st, 1871, the Legislature of Texas formally accepted the pro¬ visions of the Congressional acts, and the State received from the general government script for 180,000 acres of land, the proceeds of which constituted the frst perma¬ nent endowment fund of the College. This fund is now invested in Texas 7 per cent, gold frontier defense bonds to the amount of $174,000. By an act of August 21st, 1876, it was made the duty of the State Board of Education to collect the interest due up to the end of the fiscal year, and invest all of it except $12,000 in 6 per cent. State bonds. An investment has been made to the amount of $35,000, so that the endowment fund now stands as follows: Seven per cent gold bonds.......................... $174,000 Six per cent, gold bonds........................... 35,000 Total principal........................... 209,000 Total annual interest............................... $14,280 With respect to the $174,000 seven per cent, bonds, these constitute a permanent fund, but as to the $35,000

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a In compliance with a general demand and in response to numerous petitions, in the year 1859, a bill to “ promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes,” drawn with great care by the able and practical statesman, Hon. Justin S. Murrell, of Vermont, was passed by both houses of Congress. It proposed to give to the several States and Territories 20,000 acres of land for each of their Senators and Representatives in Congress for the purpose above indicated. The bill was vetoed by President Buchanan. In 1862 a similar bill was passed which increased the number to 30,000 acres of land to the States and Terri¬ tories for each of their members in both houses of Congress. This bill was approved by Abraham Lincoln, July 2d, 1862, establishing upon a national basis this new system of education, constituting by its methods, an innovation upon the scholasticism of existing colleges and universities. Among the sciences to be taught it was declared that the leading object was to teach those relating to Agriculture and Mechanical Arts. The language of the act making the grant declares specifically that it was not the purpose to exclude other sciences, but the design was to establish institutions of learning of the highest order, making the scope of the act as comprehen¬ sive as its design was liberal. Seldom has a subject of greater magnitude called for legislative deliberation. Upon the result depended not only the extent and degree to which agricultural knowl¬ edge was to be disseminated among the farmers, but likewise the degree of proficiency to be made in all the arts of life. It was a new problem, upon which the friends of existing colleges looked with suspicion, a problem which law-makers approached cautiously. In the organization and establishment of the first of these Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges, only the 25

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invested in 6 per cent, bonds, the Leg-islature, by changfe in the law, could authorize its use for any purpose con¬ nected with the support and maintenance of the College, “but not to the purchase, erection, preservation or repairing of any building or buildings.” In addition to the bonded fund above mentioned, the Agricultural and Mechanical College is interested in the million acres of land granted by Section 15, Article 7, of the Constitution to the University of Texas and its branches, for by Section 13 of the same article, said College is made and constituted a branch of said Univer¬ sity. The Legislature fulfilled its obligation by providing for its location in an act approved April 17th, 1871, and by making appropriations aggregating $187,000, for buildings and equipments necessary for putting the insti¬ tution into operation. The county of Brazos secured its location within its limits by donating to the State the present College tract of land of 2,410 acres. Article 3685, Chapter 2, of the revised statutes, embodies the personnel of the first Board of Directors, composed of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House of Representatives and one Director from each Congressional district. Governor Richard Coke, Lieutenant Governor R. B. Hubbard, Speaker Guy M. Bryan, B. H. Davis and C. S. West, met at Bryan, June 1st, 1875, to organize and put the College into operation. But after full investigation it was deemed impracticable to effect a full and com¬ plete organization of the College at this meeting, and a committee of Governor Coke and C. S. West was appointed to prepare and present to the next Legislature an address recommending more specific legislation upon the powers and duties of the Directors, and in regard to number, character and methods of appointing beneficiary