The Monitor-register., 1897-05-28

FA0SshVhh0pf Il " EcEio
what of a thinker. Theory is the gate.
way to practice; no practice can be puI
lnto operation without the preconceiyel
ideas, known as theory. When a farm
boasts that he is an absolute praetiont
and disdains theory or thi mixing, he a.
mits in the same breath that be ism
enemy to progress; in the same Breathe
admits heis an enemy to agricult ural bl
leges or farmers institutes. That CAS-,
OF farmers disdain any eduoationalbr ,-
Jects that will help the farmer, an lie
also believes that the son should MT
know more than the father.
The class of farmers that are Thinkers
and somewhattheoretical are the farmrs
FEsnat believe agricultural colleges and tat
oee United States Department Of Agi-
csdture exists only for the benefit of be
farmer. That thinking farmer can ee
"nat benefit the teaching of natural
science WOULD be to his son or daughter
when accompanied by agriculture ind
horticulture. The farmer who believes
III She advance Of education to hep his
calling, n WIN compels his sou and
daughter to partake of it. ia the hrmer
tnat Will be generally known ovNsr the
united states forty years from nof, for
then every farmer will rediie an
education equal to that which a
lawyer or statesman now receives, and it
will all come about through the inter
vention OF agricultural colleges through
out the United States.
Some farmers Of that class exist now.
and those farmers dsmand the respect Of
the legislators, the statesmen. the bank
ers, and the lawyers. All the farmers
must swing around on ths great wheel of
progress, and those that 70 not grab the
wheel, will be surely lefG beaind. There
fore, 1T is not right to make the childr5r
think that this world is all practice an
DO thOught-sometimes known as their,
1t is not right to make the farmer SO
or daughter think that there is nobri.
liant future before them, for as sire -
they get that thought ntheir be AIS they
will think that they are aot winning tB
admiration of the town person if thes
stay upon the farm. Pour ent the truths
of agriculture and horticulture in che
public schools, class it as a scieucs and
not as a nothing, and give the boy or Girl
the fundamental principles of natural,
science, and that sa me boy or girl gil
lift their heads with the highest w1en'
assembled in the society hall.
Why is it hat the son will leavithe
farm for the city ? The ans wer is evep
above 10 the sentences that have been
written. What sort of farmers son
would stay upon the farm if The scientific
side of farm life had been drilled into
him, if he had beer shown the beau ties
of the natural surroundings. the poetica
side of it, the whole grand ''think" sid
OF it The answer is: The very man
who now adorns a counting room, or wht
may stand before the bar pleading hi
case, or who may stand in the Legislative
halls expounding his convictions; thes
are the men who were taught in theI
early childhood that farm life va
ignoble and who were absolutely driva
from the farms because of the su rroupk
ings. These are the men, who to.da,
yes, to-day, should be adjoining tie
farmers circle by their superior influence
and elevating the farmer to the equalot
the Prince or President. But, INSTEAD o.
that, they have in long years ago for
gotten their boyhood days upon the farm
Who is the person who's will not say,
that if the farmers son or daughter haG
the proper recognition in the public
schools that t hey would be mSse likely tc
remain upon the farm than I'd leave it ?
AS with the boy, so with the msn, and
this can be applied here as well as any.
where else. The coming farmerwill have
his early agricultural thoughts framed in
the elementary school house, aud the
shadows that fall from those school
houses will herald the, looming farm
ers."
Let not the readers think thas natural
science cannot be taught proitably %
other pupils than farmers sha-
dren. l have shown in the first pan how
the business man may profit therebs, or
the lawyer or the statesman. To he
florist, n%urseryman, seedman, or farmer,
it is of course more practically aEd il
their ~sustenance. To the persons moi
included, il is known and classed will
other intellectual amusements, as mtsi,
art, poetry, literature, sculpture and othr
elevating studies. To them, as well 8
to the farmer, it is olassed witt ne
| grand forms of thought that existDlly
! to drag the people from the slougisof
business. The student of sci ce,
whether the science be natural or Naer
wise, can look forward to it whena sre-
turns from a weary days work, ai{no
where can this everlasting amussent
and form of study be given to betbfad-
vantage, so that it will benefit ma.iind,
than in the public schools. 1t is Dtex-
clusively for the Woodstown scpols
that the above has been written. At is
intended for any school, whetR.ele-
mentary, grammar or high, thayhis
paper may reach.
Before proceeding to the next Int 1
would like to state that all form of
science, such as physics. chemistrand
physiology are extremely e~levatig to
the pupil and should be studied b the
pupil with a zeal, but not to theltter
neglect of the more important sciepes-
botany, entomology, zoology aat ge-
ology. If this article has been toOlong,
l am sorry, for it is only with tn, nten-
ton of awakening the farmers to ID fact
that their sohs and daughters nut re-
ceive their elementary or public ,hool
education through the mediun of
natural science that l write this, al also
and just as important to show thtown
and city folks that their true iaause-
ment and thought is found in this never
changing" Natural Science. Tim is no
darkness but ignorance.
WARREN SMN.
Cornell University.
How to Find Out,