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Caption: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1870
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ROCKFORD COURSE. The third course of Industrial University Lectures was held at the Anchor Mission Hall, in the city of Rockford, commencing February 21st, 1870, in the evening. Judge 0 . I. HORSMAN was chosen President of the Convention, and E. EL GRIGGS, of the Rockford Register, its Secretary. The Hon. ANSON S. MILLER delivered the following introductory address : Assembled as we are this evening for opening the Agricultural discussions instituted by the Illinois Industrial University at Rockford, for Northern Illinois, we may well congratulate ourselves on the presence of the Regent and officers of the institution, and other distinguished advocates of scientific husbandry from various parts of the State. We have the great pleasure of welcoming them, one and all, to this young city, known for its horticultural adornments and its extensive manufactures of industrial implements, amount ing to millions of dollars annually. Illinois has the honor of originating the first movement in Congress for a law donating to all the States of the Union public lands for the endowment of Industrial Universities. Our Legislature, in 1853, unanimously requested this through the Senators and Representatives of Illinois, and in 1862 the desired law was passed by Congress, and duly approved by President Lincoln. Under this law providing for Agricultural Colleges the State of Illinois received land scrip for 480,000 acres of the National domain. The Illinois Industrial University was incorporated by an act of the Legislature approved Feb. 28th, 1867, and was subsequently located at Champaign, and in addition to the grant of United States lands was further enriched by the donation of Champaign county, in real estate and bonds, valued at over $406,000. Such is the endowment. The main purpose of the University, as expressed in the law of Congress, is " THE LIBERAL AND PRACTICAL EDUCATION OF THE INDUSTRIAL CLASSES, i n the several pursuits and professions in life." In order to do this effectually, the statute of incorporation requires the University " to teach in the most thorough manner such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, and military tactics, without excluding other scientific and classical studies." These words, recited from the laws, are happily and forcibly expressive of the purpose for which the University was founded; and to accomplish this,
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