Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-10-04

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system is acknowledged superior to
sours. Such instruction cannot well be
given III the district (rtraD schools, as
the teachers are incompetent. The
proper place would be in the township
high schools, but of these there are
only four In the state Zone in Dane
county. Windsorl. IL is such schools
il is hoped to build up by inducing
country schools to combine their eneF-
gies. Instead of supporting feeble
groups of perhaps n dozen pupils, the
pupils Of the eight or ten schools in
a town viii be massed in one fine
building, with a high school course at
taehed, and to this centrally located
building the children are to be trans
ported from their farm homes at pub
lie expense. In such schools, under
teachers who have studied farming
at the normals, children might with
profit use II text book. Farming Is at
tie basis OF orr industries and wealth.
Some argue that if farming is taught.
why not shoe-making and watch-re-
pairing? But the analogy of agricul-
turc Is allied to manual training, and
whatever occupation q boy elects. he
E study plant culture, crop statistics
and the marvellous doings Of nature on
tile soil to great advantage.
How Some Farmers Were Convinced.
There are d number OF textbooks.
the best Of them being Practical Ag-
riculture," by Prof. Ghas. q. James.
deputy minister of agriculture for on
tario, Cornell university has also
issued one. prof. Golf of Madison.
has written a textbook. more adapted
10 agricultural schools proper ana. OF
course. there are Libraries OF books
dealing with branches of the subject.
Prof. Heury's big work on Feed and
Feeding" was alireitly used by the ed
ucational authorities II properly en-
thuse a Grant county township, which
did not take kindly to the compulsory
library law. The town said it didn't
want no library" The story Is that
the county superintendent issued an
order fer all his teachers in that town
to get Henry'S book and then he wrote
individually to the teachers telling
what farmer in his or her particular
district to send the book to. The
county superintendent knew all the
farmers and o he had them all dis
putting and quoting and practicing the
book on their cows. The book tells
how to get the most milk or beef for
the least outlay of feed. 1t is crammed
with fascinating experiments of lock
ing mp a bunch of sheep or hogs for
sc many days. feeding them just 50,
and selling them for so much. Nat
urally the farmers wanted to know
how the marvel book happened to get
into town, and when they learned it
was a part Of the despised and re-
jected school library for which Il GER
tain part of their taxes were set aside,
they changed their tune. The town
ship $50 the story runs became one of
the hottest library towns in the state.
An Anti-Pass Poem.
There have been some good things
written of the death of the free-pass,
but the blue ribbon rests easily on the
following poem. 1t is from the pen
of a district attorney down Lafayette
way and has never before seen print.
That jolly good fellow. President
S%tuyvesant Fish, of the Illinois Cen
trail, Is said to have laughed the bali
bearings off his revolving chair when
he received it. The pass was returned,
with the obituary written on mourn
ing paper:
DIED-In Wisconsin. Nav II, 1890,
of acute Spasmodic reform (of its step
lllOtucI, the ltSiSiattFH Oh w St'OIlSlili.
Annual pass No. Aged ) months, 10
days.
You are gone but not forgotten,
And my heart is lilled with woe.
You have gone back to Your maker,
And no doubt tits better 50.
10 be pure and interrupted,
/ must see YOU never more.
l am now Il hot feformer
Though, of course, a little sore.
/ will miss your kindly presence,
] have loved you long and well,
But to monkey with you longer,
Might get me in Il prison cell.
The men who took your sweet young
life.
Have lored yous brothers long and
dear.
But cruelty put you to the knife,
To hold their jobs another year.
We cannot hope to meet again
And | alone must bear the load,
Until the pesky law is changed
Or I'm attorney for the road.
ORLANDO BARNETT.
The Duchess of Bedford is said to be
the best hunter of any woman in Eng
land. She is also a good angler.