Repository: UIHistories Project: Book - History of the University (Powell) [PAGE 256]

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History University of Illinois

between one connecting this fund with a college or colleges already built, and connecting it with a new college after it shall be built. *"Now your committee are not in favor of connecting this vast fund with one college in one locality, for many reasons. " 1 . Such single college and its model farm can only represent the soil, crops, season, atmospheric changes, etc., of one spot in a state running thru five and a half degrees of latitude on our globe. "2. Such single colleges will teach only some three or four farmers' sons to each of our counties, if it teaches even one to a county. " 3 . Such single colleges must either exclude Christianity entirely, and so be either atheist or pagan, or if it admits Christianity at all, it must support that form of Christianity, which it admits with our State fund, and so be a cause of jealousy and wrangling among sects, and political parties. i I Your committee therefore think that our State Legislature should by this fund, and a small additional appropriation if needed, boldly attempt to teach agriculture and mechanics in every considerable college in this state, instead of teaching all the various branches of a college education in one college^ "Some of our reasons are: " 1 . The fund is adequate, or nearly so. Two thousand dollars a year, fifteen hundred for the Professor, and five hundred for his books and tools, would respectably support an Agricultural department in a college. "2. By establishing a central board, or college, with branches, the Legislature, without meddling with the religion of the existing colleges, could forever retain control of the agricultural fund, and drop at will any branch, in any institution, which should be found unworthy or incompetent. " 3 . And then such a diffused college, with branches set in the different colleges throughout the State would teach Agriculture or mechanics, one or both, to all our youth, male or female, who in coming generations shall frequent these colleges, and thus