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

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Texas A. and M.===Contiiined first meterologists ever trained by any government were given instruction in the Civil Engineer¬ ing Building. Numbers of mechanics and technicians were trained also. The epidemic of in¬ fluenza made the situation an ordeal for the College officials and the men who were stationed here. The fundamental mission of the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College has been to give to its students a generous education fitting them to perform justly and skillfully all the offices of peace and war. The A. and M. men in the World War proved conclusively that our College had adequately fulfilled the latter part of this mission. A nation-wide investigation by the New York Times disclosed the fact that forty-nine per cent of all the men that A. and M. had ever graduated were engaged in the active defense of their country, a larger percentage than that of any other university or college in the land, with the sole exceptions of West Point and the Naval Academy. The Service Flag in Guion Hall, the trees around the parade ground, and the monu¬ ment dedicated to our war dead last year tell their significant story to all those willing to pause and think. If we have reason to be proud of what A. and M. does for the nation in time of peace, we have much more reason to be proud of what she did in time of war. Since the war there has been a very rapid development. The student body has increased from 1,758 in 1918 to 2,240 at the present time. The military organization, which before the war consisted of infantry only, was carried through the war in the form of the S. A. T. C. and now is known as the R. O. T. C., which includes infantry, field artillery, signal corps, cavalry, and air service units. All of these branches are thoroughly equipped. There wafe some confusion immediately after the war, but with the co-operation of the War Department the College was placed on the old plane of efficiency. The principal evidence of the growth of the College in the years since the war lies in the present good it does for the State. The measure of its worth is the opportunity it offers the farm¬ ers to better their position economically, socially, and educationally. The Extension Service parcels out useful information to the agriculturalist and his family. The many short courses given during the summer make it possible for men of small means to get valuable training in mechanical and agricultural subjects and take only a small part of their time in this training- The Texas Engineering Experiment Station which has been in existence since 1914 and which is composed of the entire teaching force of all the engineering departments and the department of architecture, physics and economics has contributed considerably to the engineering knowledge in the State. Because of the policy of advancing money to needy students the College offers a wonderful opportunity to ambitious men, many of whom are now getting their College education and paying for it by summer work and student labor. A striking feature of the College is the absence of the caste feeling which President John G. James so much feared. The future holds for this College a prospect of real success: the success of making a technical education a cultural education, and giving to the technical student enough of the recreation and sports due a college man to counterbalance the monotony of equations with which he is so in¬ timately associated. This purpose is accomplished in part by the new School of Arts and Sciences. Many students mourn the passing of the good old days and are utterly horrified by the thought of A. and M. being a co-educational College; custom has that powerful hold. However, advance¬ ment never comes through this conservative type of man; we will look to the men with ideas of originality for our expansion. The extension of athletic training proposed and put into effect this year is another great forward step. Certainly the prospect of actually building what the college has had the name of building, namely, men, is considerably better. It is our hope that this history will awaken in its readers a sense of respect and admiration for A. and M. We have presented here a record free from blemishes and marked by a singularly consistent progress toward an ideal. We must not falter because that ideal is far in the future. Each graduating class adds to the success of the College as does each generation in the world add to civilization. We desire our class and all succeeding classes to contribute their share. The past is secure, but the present and the more important future are in our hands. Page 20

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ur Texas A. and M.===Contiiiiied The report of the President and the changes in the college restored the confidence of many who had begun to doubt the practicability of a school of applied science. This was the actual beginning of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas as we know it, and its success dates from this reorganization to the present day. There was a change of heart among the people of Texas from the opening of the college to 1895. An interesting notation in the first annual of the College gives us an understanding of the new attitude of the people. The fear is expressed that the College will get only a new mess hall, a student labor fund and a new laboratory; then the to us absurd statement is made that the future is indefinite. Today we would be elated over such prospects as those. The friendly spirit of the contemporary legislature was fostered by the report of a legislative committee sent to examine the college. In 1888 the Experiment Station was established. It was first mentioned in connection with the benefits that the school of Agriculture received from it, but this was no actual measure of the good it did as we now know. A $30,000 endowment was made by the Federal Government under provision for two equal appropriations, the Hatch and Adams Funds, the former of which was to be used for any type of experiment while the latter was intended for only original experiments. The State has supplemented these funds since the establishment of the Experiment Station until now Texas is paying for the major portion of the experimental work. This State assistance has made possible a great growth beginning with the founding of the first substation in 1898. The number of substations is now fourteen, making this the largest system of its kind in the world. It was at this time that the Federal Government contributed another aid to the land grant colleges. On July 30, 1890, an act was approved granting to each of these colleges $15,000 and providing that this sum with an additional $1,000 should be paid each year until 1900, after which time the final sum of $25,000 should be paid annually. This Federal and State Government as¬ sistance and the newly acquired popularity with the people were of prime importance in the subse¬ quent growth of the college. Again in 1907 the Federal Government appropriated $5,000, which sum was to be paid with an increase of $5,000 each year for five years. At the end of that time the Government was paying the sum of $50,000, which it continues to pay at the present time. In 1914 Dr. W. B. Bizzell came to A. and M. from C. I. A. and immediately began his efforts to better the facilities and genera] conditions at the College. This progress was interrupted, however, by the World War. The events leading up to this conflict are familiar to everyone; we will therefore consider only the direct results of the war on A. and M. The instruction in Military Science had grown apace with the other divisions of the College and at the opening of the war there were twelve companies on the campus. But there was much besides men that the College had to offer, so the Faculty, on March 21, 1917, drew up a declara¬ tion to the following effect. The College facilities including personnel were to be turned over to the United States Government and the Governor and the Legislature requested to assure un¬ diminished appropriations even though educational activities had to be suspended. The Board of Directors approved the resolution. On the day following our entry into the war the military instruction was increased to ten hours each week. All seniors whose class standing was satisfactory and who were intending to enter the army or navy were graduated on the Faculty’s recommendation. Dr. W. B. Bizzell appointed a committee on organization for national defense which was to act also as a committee on research. The Government accepted the offer made by the College and before October, 1918, had trained two thousand men in signal work and air service. Many of the instructors had re¬ signed to join the army but were simply sent back to train the soldiers, while those who had not resigned offered their services free, some of the latter men entering experimental work in the labora¬ tories. These men were among the true heroes of the war. Instructing the soldier was not the same problem as teaching a college man in peace times. The soldier had to be taught thoroughly; there was no grading or rating to be made—every man had to be trained. Four hundred of the Page iq

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Administration