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

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The State of Maryland and its Agricultural College. Thos. Humphreys Spence, ' ice-Presidait. WKRI ' l an - citizen of Maryland asked today what institution is doing most to foster the general pro- gress and prosperity of our coinnion- wealth, he would probably, if a man of intelligence, and without bias, reply, our public school. If asked further what institution was next most essential to the wel- fare of our people as a whole, he would, if well informed, reply, The Agricul- tural College . Unfortunately, however, the average citizen of Mary- land is not familiar with the aims and achievements of his State College; is ignorant of its resources for good, and knows not the benefits it is actually conferring, and. inasmuch as those involved in its management are loth to parade the success of their own efforts, and moreover because some individuals, prompted manifestly by malice, or laljoring under a misguided patriotism born of ignor- ance, have with more zeal than wisdom, given vent to their criticism through the medium of the public press, - many of our most intelligent citizens have been misled as to the value of the work the Agricultural College is suc- cessfully accomplishing today. A century ago the average man of property would have laughed to scorn a proposition to tax his property to raise funds wherewith to educate the offspring of his neighbor, who might be too poor to employ a private in- structor, but in the March of Progress, it has been made manifest that the best plan to reduce taxes is to pay taxes for the support of general education, for in this way, — by universal education-the whole community is elevated and made self-sustaining, and that tax which was once the burden of a few, is now a.ssessed upon the many, and the Commonwealth is promoted. This, as I understand it, is tlie underlying motive of our system of public education. This system may be outlined as follows: The State levies a direct tax upon all its taxpayers, and distributes the proceeds pro rata, according to population among the Counties; the County, in turn, is expected to erect and keep in repair suitable school hou.ses, and supplement this State educational fund as its exigencies require. Thanks to the fact that so many of lier citizens have been placed in a way to become men of affairs, b} ' virtue of a common .school education, the State of Maryland has had a vast amount of property

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cSt c cSg C i C C t C C C C C C C C C [ [ ( Preface §3 §3 N making our first and possibly final bow to, we hope, an appreciative public, and submitting our humble work to the inevitable criticism which it will receive, we fain would saj ' that it is the best our feeble faculties could prepare. We were not so fortunate as previous Editors in having among us such poetic and humorous ability, but we dare say that if you take into account the fact that we are not autliors or poets, yon will say that we have a book that is, at least, worthy of criticism. We wish to thank our friends for the sketches and help that they have contributed, and we hope that while reading our Reveille they may see something which will make them feel proud that their names are in such a book. We wish it understood that this book goes forth to its friends with good-will towards all and malice toward none. We have endeavored to treat all alike — to spare none. If we have offended any one, in an - manner, we are truly sorry, and can only humbly beg pardon in advance for the offence. Hoping that a perusal of the following pages will be of .some interest to those for whom they are prepared, our friends, and that their contents may add something to the laurels won by the six preceding volumes, we sub.scribe ourselves. The Bo. rd of Editors. §) §3 §) §3 §3 .9

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added to her taxable basis, and every cent expended in the cause of education has proven a most profitable in- vestment. Now the Federal Government has, in consequence of the wisdom and patriotic foresight of one of her Senators, assumed a position towards the States, precisely analogous to that of the State towards the Counties, — apparently arguing down this line. Any system of instruction whereby a man can learn to make two blades of grass grow where one grew before, must needs cause our National Wealth to increase, and increase largely beyond the original cost of instruction. — The soil is the source of our National prosperity, hence we must develop its fer- tility to the maximum . In accordance with this idea, the United States Government appropriates $25,000 per annum to the Agri- cultural College in every State for the specific purpose of instruction in Agriculture, and the Mechanic Arts. It pre-supposes that the State is willing to help itself, (just as our State assumes that the County will build its own .school houses), and so the appropriation is restricted to the Facilities for Instruction, along these certain lines. It is indeed a .state very much behind the times which will not provide suitable quarters to accommodate its students, educated otherwise at Government expense. And be it said to their credit, that the law-makers of most of our states have evinced their appreciation of the opportunities offered by the general goverment, by providing commodious quarters for their Agricultural Colleges. It is to be regretted that our own State, with all her thrift in commerce, with cargoes bound for every port; with all her pre-eminence in Manufactures, with her products in demand in every quarter of the globe, has rested supinely on her oars, and allowed herself to be out- stripped by her sister States in Agricultural progress; and her neglect of her Agricultural College is a part of the unwisdom of this policy. Our state though, relatively speaking, limited in area, is unique in the variety of her natural resources. There is scarcely a State East of the Missis.sippi, and North of the Carolinas which may not find its counter- part in soil, climate and productions in some sections of Maryland; yet in Maryland the opportunities offered to compete with these states, are for the most part over- looked. Where intelligent and scientific methods have been practiced, we have seen that Maryland can vie with Minnesota in wheat, with Illinois in corn, with Virginia in tobacco, with New York in apples, with Delaware in peaches and with Ohio in stock, and with New Jersey in vegetables. Those who are succeeding in these respective specialties are working along modern scientific lines, and it is in this Modern Scientific Agriculture that instruction is being offered at our Agricultural College today! With the power that knowledge gives, the hundreds of abandoned farms in our State can be reclaimed and made to blossom like the rose; millions of dollars could therebv be added to our taxable basis, and Maryland