The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-08-05
Agricultural Education.

as hammering and welding iron or shoe
inc horses, there would still be some
reason why its principles should be
taught in technical schools, for even in
those manual arts there are some scien-
tiic principles existing upon which the
best and most effective practice Is
founded. But agriculture is the lead
inc art and industry of the country, and
it is one in which are involved more
absUruse and difficult questions than in
all the other industries. There is no
single practice in agriculture which
does not depend for its success upon
some occult and intricate principle.
The first operation performed upon the
farm, the toughest and rudest turning
of the soil by the pillow involves the
most delicate mechanical principles and
some of the most difficult problems of
chemistry. Besides, upon the best and
most effective practice of agriculture
depend the condition of all other indus
tries and the general comfort of the
people. 1t is the success or failure of
the harvests which fixes all valueS-the
value of food and the value of labor,
and with these the value of every prod
uct of labor. For it is in proportion to
the cost of food and clothing that the
scales of wages are fixed, and these af-
feet the values of all products. The
importance of agriculture cannot be
Overestimatedl The mention of this
trite fact may be excused here when it
is made the occasion for enforcing the
necessity for an effective system Of ag-
ricultural education. The average
product of labor in agriculture is less
than half the possible product-nOt a
maximum one by any means, but fairly,
ordinarily remunerative return for the
capital invested and the labor expended.
If a farmer realizes six per cent. yearly on
his investment and one dollar per day for
his labor he is doing as well as an aver
age American farmer can hope to do,
and yet in other industries the average
income from capital is ten to twenty
five per cent, and no business man is
satisfied with less than five or ten dol
lars day for his labor. And yet
farmer has need to exercise as great in
dustry and as much skill and FRAMEWORK
for full success as an average business
man or manufacturer of goods. The
trouble, however, is that he cannot do
this for the want of the required educa-
ton, and so he is forced to content him
self with the lowest scale of remunera-
tion-that of the mere handicraftsman
or labOrer 1t is, therefore, very de-
sirable that there shOuld be sufficient
opportunities to afford the children of
farmers a thorough education, first in
general knowledge and then in special
technical knowledge. II is a result of
our free social system in which the rule
is "every one for himself" that these
are almost entirely want
ing. In Europe, with their paternal''
Governments, which are charged with
the duty of providing for every public
want, the facilities for agricultural edu-
cation are large and effective, ranking
as they do, from the documentary
agricultural education given in the
Irish local schools, to the farm
schools and agricultural stations of
European countries, the latter be-
ing so complete and thorough as TO
attract students even from America,
where we have only our inefficient agri-
colleges. But the thin edge of
the wedge which may open broad way
has been entered in Tennessee. There
the Overseers of education have wisely
the science of agriculture
the studies to be pursued in the
public schools. This is a hopeful innO-
walton and may be more especially com
mended in its application to rural
schools, in which the large ma ority of the
scholars are from farmers families, or
from others in which farm labors and
farm matters are household words. For,
- as the twig is bent the tree is Inclined
so the children and youths, taught in
their schools much that will interest
them in daily and hourly observation,
aud that will explain many common
and familiar but mysterious oceurren-
ces. viii have their thoughts aud iRci
nations turned toward agricultural pur-
suits and will be less apt to abandon
these for the fancied attractions of
towns and cities. 1t is unfortunate that
the farmers themselves are not more
in this matter and do not ex-
hibit a great interest, both in the con-
duct of the common rural schools, which
they chiefly control if they would exer-
else their privileges and rights and in
the agricultural colleges which have
been literally endowed for their benefit.
For the neglect of the former they have
themselves only TO blame and for the
latter it may be that the conductors Of I
those institutions are at fault. For it
does not seem to be considered by these
colleges that the farmers have any part
u lot in them further than to have their