The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-30
ENTERTAINED BY GREGG.
County Superintendents Enjoy Some
thing of a Treat.

The county superintendent section,
which began its deliberations the night
before, assembled promptly at 2:30 yes
teTday in the senate chamber and for
an hour listened to a most interesting
discourse from Supt o. G. Gregg, Of
the State Farmers institute. Mr.
Gregg, who has made agricultural mat
ters a life study, spoke extemporan-
eously and his remarks proved to be
of the most interesting character. He
took for his subject How can the
Home and Social Life on the Farm
Better Prepare the Rising Generation
for Agricultural Life?" At the con-
clusion Of his address he was asked a.
number of questions and a vote Of
: thanks was unanimously voted him
for his contribution to the general fund
of information. His address in part
was as follows:
Wherever you find a dull boy, there
you will find one who will tamely submit
to the monot6ny of daily drudgery. On the
other hand, where there is bright intellect,
there will be- unrest, as the monotony Of toll
gives the mind no employment, and so seeks
to find place where It can be suitably en-
gagged. Restlessness in the mind is one Of
the means by which we attain unto better
things. The intelligent educator will always
seek to find means by which such minds be-
come awakened, and indeed would endeavOr
to awaken them by making the labor Of the
hand to ever find proper employment for the
mind.
One great difficulty in the average farm life
is the monotony of toll. Provisions must be
made in the home for times of relaxation and
change of thought and interest The speaker
was not in sympathy with the thought that
all boys who are born upon the farm should
taught us that all departments of life have
received very substantial aid from men whose
boyhood and youth were spent upon the farm.
Such ones had an aptitude for other voca-
tons. The aptitude was what might be called
a divine call for him to do other things.
Among those boys born upon the farm. how
ever, are those who have taste for farm life.
Their ability to succeed in agriculture will
be largely measured by their mental ability.
Such ones, if not properly directed, will
become restless for the reason that we have
explained, and if they lack recreation will
endeavor to break the monotony of their
lives by seeking change IN other employ
ment.
Books and papers should become a part
of every farm home equipment Let some of
those papers be the large weeklies published
in our cities. They bring news of the world
in a condensed and interesting manner to the
reader. Let maps, and a globe if need be-
form part of the literary outfit. Let tho
habit be formed of daily reading, and let
there be stint of the proper amount of
time for this which is to become recreation
One superintendent in conversation
with this speaker, had referred to the
chart used by the institute forces IN
their work over the state, Illustrating
the methods of barn building and
stable erection. These are never con-
sidered complete unless provision is
carefully made for ventilating tubes
in these homes for cattle and horses.
but, he added, the ventilation Of many
school houses is no better than it was
in the days of our grandfathers.
superintendent Gregg at this point re-
ferred to his own experience with a
young man who had been employed by
L.. So. I.
a school. He was a sturdy, strong
and robust man, but complained short
ly after he commenced attending the
district school, that he became dTowsy
between the hours of and r. and 1
and in the afternoon. The reason
was soon made plain. A new floor
had been placed on top Of the old one.
and storm windows had been added
to the building, carefully battened
down, and with all Of this extra care
to prevent draughts, not one single
provision had been made for the re-
ceiving Of pure air into that little
crowded school room.
Mr.. Gregg at this point described a
very cheap but efficient means by
which school rooms could be ventilated
by means of a central f1ue made of
sewer pipe, that should be inclosed by
a large brick chimney, so creating a
strong upward draft that could be
utilized in drawing the impure air
from the floor of the room by means
Of a wooden air duct and a simple
register. Speaking Of school houses, he
said:
Many school houses in Minnesota are built
upon a bleak knoll, wind-swept from every
quarter. The majority of school teachers will
keep the inside of the building tidy and in
order, but without 1t is cherries and for
bidding. No tree for shrub may be found
about the place. and if any trees have been
planted upon Arbor day, is frequently done,
they soon seem to give up in despair under
the rough treatment they receive What
would it do about the special care of growing
nursery for forestry? Will the trees be
selected with reference to the place so that
they will be shapely and well-grown when
they have come to maturity? Will the chill
dren receive that instruction which they will
need to preserve them, and even to cultivate
them so far as found necessary for their good
growth? This would be another means BY
which interest in agriculture is excited and
maintained.
superintendent Gregg referred to his
experience as a little boy in manu-
featuring village in Southern New
York, where most of the scholars of
the publien schools were children OF
operatives lathe cotton mills. Many of
them, in tlfes nature of the case, were
rude and rough. At this place, how
ever, there was teacher who bordered