to be determined by lot) to select the candidates as far as may be from the several towns in the ratio of their representation in the House of Representatives, and from that class of persons who otherwise would not have the means of providing themselves with the like benefits; and that the Governor and Secretary of State be and they hereby are instructed to select candidates from the names presented in such manner as that whenever for any reason any town shall not have received its just quota of those admitted to said University, such town shall have in the nomination of subsequent candidates priority over those towns which have received their full quota." REPORT OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. The Board of Education in 1869, in a report to the General Assembly in relation to the agricultural department of Brown University, "Are of the opinion that the intentions of Congress have not been carried out in good faith by either Rhode Island or Brown University." In order that the evident intentions of Congress may be faithfully carried out the committee offered a resolution, the chief feature of which was the appropriation by the State of $10,000, " for the purpose and maintenance in connection with the agricultural department of Brown University of an experimental garden or small farm, together with such buildings and apparatus as may be necessary," provided a like sum shall be raised by private subscription before October 1, 1869. This resolution never became a law. COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE. In January, 1872, in the report of the committee appointed in 1871 to investigate the matter of the employment and use by Brown University of the land-scrip given by the United States, the committee state that in 1870 it was brought to the notice of several members of the General Assembly that the income of the land grant fund was likely to be applied to mere classical college education. Upon investigation the committee find that the University has what it calls in its catalogue an agricultural and scientific department; that it is evident that this is in accordance with the agreement, but equally evident that no college has been practically established, and that omission is contrary to the spirit and letter of the Act of Congress. The committee recommend that the University be requested to organize the college in question by appointing some capable and able individual who shall be its chief, etc., and "Finally, your committee are convinced that no classical or other instruction may lawfully be imparted at the cost of this foundation, unless the same be conditioned upon the faithful pursuit of the Agricultural and Mechanical Course, etc." METHODS OF APPOINTING BENEFICIARIES CHANGED. The law governing the appointment of the beneficiaries was found to be too strict in detail, there being a large number of applicants from the cities and larger towns, so in June, 1873, a more liberal method of appointment was substituted and the old law repealed. The new law provides that the candidates shall be selected in such manner that the people of the several counties shall participate in the benefits of the national donation as nearly as may be practicable in proportion to their respective population. Also that the young men "shall not have means of procuring an education for themselves.' In January, 1884, a resolution was passed appropriating $75 instead of $100 per annum for the education of each beneficiary under the Land Grant Act. All this legislation shows a continual feeling on the part of citizens of the State that the spirit of the law, if not the letter, was being broken in the use of the income of this fund, designed especially to foster agricultural and mechanical education. That instead of those branches being the leading object without excluding other scientific and classical studies, as required in the Act, classical and scientific studies have been the leading object and agriculture as nearly excluded as possible. This conclusion is but confirmed by an examination of THE ANNUAL CATALOGUE OF THE UNIVERSITY, where the only mention of required studies under the State scholarships is one hour per week, in the first half of Senior year, devoted to Agri cultural Zoology. Under the departments of Practical Science we find Agriculture placed as the sixth, and the course of instruction includes , the courses in the preparatory branches-Chemistry and Physics, Physiology, Botany, Zoology and Comparative Anatomy-and the one hour per week mentioned above. The last three branches named are elective, according to the catalogue, and therefore may or may not be taken by the State beneficiary. NUMBER OF STATE BENEFICIARIES. According to the records of the proceedings of the Grand Committee of the General Assembly, there have been 240 persons named as beneficiaries, of which number 115 are from Providence, just a trifle less than 48 per cent. of the entire number, Newport 14, Pawtucket 13, and Woonsocket 5, a total for the cities of 147, leaving 93 for the 32 towns in the State. Bristol has sent the largest number, 11, and South Kingstown the next largest, 8, while Jamestown, Charlestown, West Greenwich and Coventry have not been represented at all. The largest number appointed in any one year was 31, in 1887. Seventeen of these were from Providence. All the young men nominated by the General Assembly have not been appointed by the committee, consisting of the Governor, Secretary of State and President of Brown University. Just how many of the 240 have practically received the aid of the fund we are unable to say; we have obtained authentic records only for the past four years. A young man once appointed usually has the benefit of the scholarship through the course of four years. 3 |