Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-05-30

At a recent meeting Of the Cumberland
county (Me.) Pomona grange, the PROPOSE
ton to teach agriculture in the public
schools was opposed by w. j. Corthell, the
lecturer Of Gorham grange and principal
Of the Gorham normal school Some of
his suggestions we're the following Agri
culture is practical art. There is no sci
ence of agriculture. Practical art can be
taught only in schools especially organized
for teaching such art. The so called agri-
cultural colleges do not, have not, and
probably never will teach agriculture. The
public schools are for the whole people,
therefore nothing should be taught in them
save what all the people need to know.
The art of agriculture is a special art, all
the people do not need to know it, there
fore it should not be taught in the public
schools All the people need to know how
TO experiment carefully to observe accu-
rately, patiently, exactly, to judge cor
rectly the people not only need TO know
how to do these things, but they must have
such power and habit of experiment, OBJ
servation and reasoning to prepare them
for successful life No studies in the
schools as now taught give such training
the elements of natural sciences, rightly
taught, would give such power and habit
|
sciences should be taught in the public
schools of all grades, because all the peo
pie need the training which they give and
which can be obtained from no Other
studies. Such subjects, properly taught
while not the art of farming, give the
knowledge of nature which is specially
needed by the farmer. The elementary
study of chemistry, physics, botany, zoolo
| gy, etc, is all the public schools can do fol
| the farmer.
These studies, to be of any value, mus
be taught oblectively by experiment sci
ence can in fact be taught in no other way
A book between nature and the student il
the study of nature is a dead wall ovei
which the student can not get to see nature
al all. 1t is not enough that the teacher
make the experiments and the pupils look
on, the aim of such studies can be reached
only when the pupils do the work.
As this work must be done by the pupil,
under the direction of the teacher and car
ried ON by the pupil, without book, but by
investigating nature herself directly, it i.
obvious that the teachers must know what
TO teach and how to teach. This the ma
| iority of the teachers in elementary schools
do not know there must be therefore ia
the schools, before this kind of work can
| De well uOne, OeJJef Trained teachers.
Time enough can be obtained for such
teaching. All study of technical English
grammar should be excluded from all pub
lie schools below the grade of High school
Geography should be reduced one half. AL
the minute details of natural forms and po
litical divisions, as the 10 rivers of South
America, the various supposed states Of
Africa and Asia with their supposed capital,
and chief cities, and vast amount of such
stuff which the poor children are compel
led to memorize only to forget, and which
no intelligent man or woman pretends t.
know or wants to know, should be rigidly
excluded. With the exclusion of suct
worse than useless stuff, plenty of tim,
can be had for thoroughly teaching the ell
ements of botany, chemistry and physics
and thus securing the habit and power o
careful experiment, close, patient, accurat,
observation and correct Judgment re
suit absolutely essential in the training o
every child.