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

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of growth in the College, and also realize how rapid this growth may continue to be, if all influences work together for the upbuilding and glory of our Alma Mater. President Houston entered upon his duties in July, 1902. Since that time there have been expended (in¬ cluding improvements contracted for and now in pro¬ gress) more than $70,000 in making improvements in physical conditions at the College. This amount in¬ cludes expenditures for the repair of cottages; the building of new cottages for both professors and laborers; the erection of the dairy barn and the textile building; renovation and repairing of the various dormitories; new furniture for dormitories; fences; re¬ modeling and moving barns; platting and surveying farm, and arranging for a systematic record of crops— costs and receipts. While these advances seem satisfactory for so short a period, even more important progress has been made in providing better facilities for instruction. All lines of work have been greatly benefited by the em¬ ployment of a librarian, who gives his entire time to the work; and by the purchase of many new books for the library. About $30,000 have been expended for laboratory supplies in the different departments: New instruments and apparatus have been bought for the Department of Botany; a laboratory for soil physics has been well equipped, and furnished with desks; $5,000 have been spent on Electrical Engineering ma¬ chinery and apparatus; the Department of Mechanical Engineering has been equipped with forges of the latest improved pattern, and the shops thoroughly over¬ hauled and repaired ; the Department of Civil Engineer¬ ing has been provided with funds to purchase valuable and needed equipment; assay furnaces, laboratory fur¬ niture, and supplies have been added to the Department of Chemistry; and the Departments of Physics, Veter¬ inary Medicine, Entomology, and Drawing, have all received liberal allowances. Another important step has been made in securing large shipments of cattle and hogs for experimental feeding purposes. The students will not only have the benefit of the experience in judging the fine stock owned by the College, but will also get helpful in¬ formation concerning stock-feeding. Still a third line of advance has had for its con¬ cern the work of instruction; that is, the teaching force. It is worthy of remar k here that the additions have nearly all been made in the Department of Agriculture and related departments. The institution is to be de¬ veloped along agricultural and technological lines, as contemplated by those who gave it being. The direct¬ ors of the College choose men for instructors on the principle that Texas needs for its teachers the best available talent in the country, without regard to the section from which they may chance to come. Men are employed not only as teachers; their qualities as scien¬ tific investigators are also considered. For the work of the College is not alone to instruct young men. Probably its most important function, through its farm

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p-esilumt luuuitmt. R. DAVID FRANKLIN HOUSTON, the fifth 1 president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College, to which position he was elected at Waco, Texas, April 7th, 1902, was born in North Carolina, February 16th, 1866. Soon after this time his parents moved to South Carolina, where he lived until his college education was completed. Upon grad¬ uating from South Carolina College in 1887, he was appointed to one of the two tutorships open to the graduates of that year. He taught in South Carolina College for one year, at the same time doing regular graduate work. The same position was tendered him the following session, but he declined it in order to ac¬ cept the Superintendency of the Spartansburg City schools. After holding this situation for three years, he went to Harvard University to pursue graduate work in political science ' and history. During his three years of residence there he held a $500 fellowship nearly all the time. Such positions are awarded for superior attainments and excellence in scholarship. He was president of the Harvard Graduate Club for one year—1893-1894. A call came to him from the University of Texas during the same year. He was elected to the newly created chair of Political Science, and entered on his duties at Austin in the autumn of 1894. Promoted in 1897, he was advanced to the rank of full professor in 1899; and a short time afterwards was made Dean of the Main University. The duties of this position are largely executive. In their discharge President Hous¬ ton demonstrated his fitness for administrative work; through the reputation he acquired here his name was brought before the directors of the Agricultural and Mechanical College. It is hardly necessary to add that neither President Houston nor any of his close friends attempted to influence the board in his behalf. The ofifer of the presidency was spontaneous, and the wis¬ dom of the directors is being daily verified. , Many important changes and improvements have been made since his connection with the College, which we shall recapitulate—not to prove that he is responsi¬ ble for them, for there are many progressive forces at work here, but as indicative of his policy. From this outline one may be able to forecast the future lines 7

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and experiment station work, is to disseminate useful information to the people of the State—to bring- aid •directly to the farmer, the stock-raiser, the fruit¬ grower, the bee-keeper, the truck-grower. Bulletins of information are frequently sent out free to a list num¬ bering 16,000 names; short courses in agriculture are •ofifered, to which one may be admitted without entrance examinations; one man is employed who gives his en¬ tire time to the work of lecturing to farmers, and •organizing Farmers’ Institutes, and often parties are sent out to aid in this work. The College must give help to the people or it fails in its high office. During the last eighteen months additions to the teaching force have been made as follows: One man in Experimental Chemistry; an instructor in Veterinary Science; an associate professor in Civil Engineering; an expert in Physics and Electrical Engineering; an associate professor of Animal Husbandry; and assist¬ ant in Entomology, and also instructors in other non- scientific departments. All these improvements and enlargements have been made possible through the largest appropriation ever received by the College at the hands of the Legis¬ lature. This amounts to $266,000 for the two fiscal years beginning September 1, 1903. The State thus shows its confidence in its industrial future, and also recognizes the important function of the Agricultural and Mechanical College in promoting the material prosperity of the people. One other advance made by the College may be mentioned: Secretary Wilson said in a recent news¬ paper interview that the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas was the most progressive institution of its character in the United States. He is proving the sincerity of his words by making valuable concessions to the College in the boll-weevil crusade, which call for large appropriations from the National Government to be spent under the immediate direction of the local authorities. The importance of this close and cordial relation with the National Department of Agriculture can not be overrated. It means, practically, that Uncle Sam and his treasury are behind us in whatever work we undertake for the relief or enlightenment of his favorite son, the farmer. President Houston has been no small factor in establishing these friendly relations. To the average student President Houston’s manner and bearing may seem to be lacking in cordi¬ ality and in ready sympathy. He has been called a well-balanced man; and this balance or poise, which is characteristic of his temperament, does not readily lend itself to emotion. Possessing a mind judicial in its bent, he meets all issues squarely on their merits, be the matter however unimportant. The students who have come to know him best uniformly testify to his straightforward candor and to his unfailing sense of fairness. Always easy of approach, ready with words of counsel or sympathy, he does not thrust himself forward, but seems to prefer for the student to seek him. In his public addresses—which are few—he speaks to the point, and quits when he is done. We do