University of Maryland College Park - Terrapin / Reveille Yearbook (College Park, MD)

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And when the fact is considered that the Federal Government has provided funds sufficiently large to provide for a Faculty capable of teaching many times the number of students for which the State has provided buildings, it must be evident to every thinking per- son that the State should cooperate to the extent of putting the College in position to receive the full benefit of the federal grants. Other States, and especially those of the great West, have shown a keener appreciation of the liberality of the nation. The agricultural colleges of the West, by the fostering care and patronage of the legislatures, have become, in almost every case, the key- stone of the educational system of the State. When we see the Legislature of Wisconsin appropriating $316,000 in one year for the proper equipment of her State Col- lege, we cannot but feel that Maryland has not treated her State institution fairly. But now, at length, it seems that a brighter light is breaking over the horizon. The Legislature of 1902 has provided for a suitable dormitory building and for an extension of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. This means more students and more effective instruction. The aid given to the Experiment Station, the State Horti- cultural Department, and to the Department of Farmers Institutes will extend the scope of their influence, and every circumstance points to a long stride forward in the near future. Tho.se who have followed the College through the many vicissitudes that have marked her career must feel a thrill of deep pleasure in the prospect of success thus spread before her. That much of the trouble of the pa.st has been caused by a failure to appreciate the true worth of the institution, bj ' those whose welfare is greatly dependent upon its success, is undoubtedl}- true ; that the cloud of misunderstanding and doubt is gradually dissolving in the light of its real merits, must be to the friends of education, and especially to those sturdy friends of the College, who have .stood by her through adversity and defeat, a source of unfailing gratification. These have ever believed in the success of the College. Their faith in the triumphant destiny of the school has never wavered. And now that the light is breaking, we may hope that the dream will be realized. May the forward movement never be checked. May the old Maryland Agricultural College stride onward and upward until .she becomes what her friends have always wished to .see her — the crowning point in the system of Public Instruction in the State !

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It might be well, if space permitted, to show here that a course of instruction, such as that intended by the author of the Morrill Act, is the ideal course, viewed as an aid to the agricultural development of a nation. The comparativelj- recent introduction to this country of the idea, following the German method, of training the hand while educating the brain, working upward from the kindergarten to the Manual Training School, is yet a most important advance over old methods of instruction. He who, while acquiring a principle, is taught the prac- tical application of that principal, whether it be of mathematics, or of agriculture, or of mechanics, is better equipped for his life work than is he whose mind is .stored with facts, the true relation and value of which are lost to him. The hand occupies such an important place in giving expression to ideas of the mind, that in an age of specialization as is this, the manual training becomes a prime necessity. The College is, therefore, not only acting in conformity with the ideas of its founders, but it has also caught the inspiration of the modern idea in education. But while provision was being made for the establish- ment of the Mechanical Engineering Department, the number of students had gone on increasing from year to year, until the old main building, used as well for dormi- tory as for lecture rooms, proved inadequate to the needs of the institution. The Legislature of 1898, therefore, provided a sum of money to improve the sanitar} ' condi- tion of the old building and to provide an additional building to be the home of the various scientific depart- ments. Morrill Hall it was named in honor of the ven- erable .senator from Vermont, who.se name is indelibly written in connection with the development of agricul- tural education in the United States. In 1896 the Chemical Department had erected a new building ade- quate for its purpo.ses, the funds therefor being provided from the income of the State Fertilizer Inspection. This relief of the crowded quarters of the College was, how- ever, only temporary, for increasing attendance of stu- dents made the demand for a new dormitory building imperative. The College, therefore, went before the Legislature of 1902, a.sking for an appropriation to enable it to receive the full measure of the liberal support which the Federal Government has always granted. It is .scarcely necessary to argue the justice of the demand made by the College. It is preeminently the State College. The need for such a school in the State of Mary- land, which has always been and will ever be an agricul- tural State, is obvious. The important agricultural and horticultural interests of the State demand careful atten- tion, and require the application of .scientific principles to their development. The College, with this fact in view, aims to provide for the practical training of the youth of Maryland. It aims to 1)e the logical climax to the Public School system of the State in so far as that sy.stem leads to scientific ends. The College does not offer a high course in belles-lettres. Other schools there are in the State which .seem better adapted to that work ; but for training in the sciences, in agriculture, and in the mechanic arts, it aims to be second to none in the Union. 17

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? AN EXPLANATION THE EDITOR of Reveille, in outlining his plans therefor, thought that it would be an excellent idea to allow each class, ( except the much imposed upon Preps., who need- less to say, did not furnish theirs, ) to furnish its own class heading. But, alas! Human frality did not forsee the terrifying effects of such a course, as evinced by the class headings following. The Seniors and Juniors, as usual, acted with great discretion, and succeeded in securing friends who kindly did the work for them, and did it excellently. The Sophs ' ' and Freshmen, however, decided to allow members of their respective classes to do their headings. Of course, such an opportunity for kindly offices ' ' so often rendered be- tween the two distinguished classes could not be lost, and they proceeded to do each other most beautifully. Rumors of each other ' s doings filled the air, and finally, when the sketches were handed in, the unoffending editor was forced to push his bed against the door, and figuratively speaking, sleep under arms, to prevent some irrepressible classman of nineteen hundred and four or of nineteen hundred and five from seizing the drawing of the other class. They were preserved intact, however, and appear, in toto, an exhibit of the ' ' there is a friend dearer than a brother, ' ' spirit existing between the two learned classes. 9 9 9 jo 9 9 19