Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1903-03-21


entIsts are doing to improve his art |
and the farmer Is we'll aware of it. !
Farmer. S Institutes, which have /
been aptiy called the adult farmers
schools, are now held in all the
states and this attended by three
touyths of a million farmers, who
are no longer satisfied with diver
sion and entertainment, but require
instruction.
One result of this wide spread
activity in Agricultural lnvestiga
ton OF the dissemination of good
literature among our farmers, has
been q greatly Increased interest
IN the agricultural education of the
boys and girls On our farms
Our school are required to edu
cate the masses of our people and
we are Just beginning to leaan that
agriculture is no exception to the
rule. " hen the agricultural col
leges were esta blished MANY thou
ght they would meet all the require
ments of our farmers for agricuItu-
RI education. but now we see
that we must have agricultural
high schools and the teaching of
agricultural subjects in the com
mon public schools.
One SPECIAL object which these
schools has is to attract away
from the city TO country life such
boys and girls as have an aptitude
for out of door employment; there
should be very many more Of these
agricultural high schools, and |
hope the daV in not far distant
when there will be at least one
such school in every agricultural
county in the United states, and it
must be made part of the course
in orr Normal school for teachers.
Special efforts are now being
made to train teachers in these
subjects, for it is realized that
without trained teachers it is now
useless to expect much improve
ment. Nature study, and N some
cases elementary agriculture. is be
ing introduced into our Normal
schools, With the spread of this
movement we shOhld have 10 few
years much teaching On agrlcultu
raj subjects IN our rural schools.
If the millions of children in our
rural schools were once Imbued
with love Of nature and desire
to investigate its problems as rela
ted to the business of the farm,
no doubt there would be vast I'M
provement IN agriculture as well
as vast increase IN the content
ment aud happiness of our rural
population,
Those who are interested IN ag
rlcultural education see the necessi
tv of introducing the elements OF
the sciences into the common
schools that farmers children at
tend, so that their training NAV
lead them along from the begin
ming toward the agricultural col
lege
Making the farmers home bean
tiful to please the eye and delight
the heart is another object now
sought. The farm mansion & It's
conveniences and appointments, its
decorations and furnishings, are
undergoing changes for the better.
The immediate Surroundings of
the home are being made more at
tractive with grass, flowers, shrub
berry and trees. Innate love for the
beautiful If being developed thrO'
these Simple and inexpensive but
effective agencies,
The children who grow up with
pleasant homes and attractive OBJ
iects about them will have less de
sire to leave the farm for life, and
will retain happy memories, when
away from the playground, OF
their Younger DAYS Whoever
makes a spot OF earth attractive
gives something to everyone who
sees it, 1t may help the passing
observer only to a happy hour or
happy day, but that day or hour
may be potent tor good far beyond
the brief period of first acquain
lance.
The farmers life is exacting but
pleasant; he cannot afford TO own
fine paintings or statuary, but no
artist can hope to place on canvas
more than faint likeness of what
the farmer sees every day, OF as
pre- to chlseI from stone more than
a resem blance of natures group
ings such as he beholds at every
turn"
At the Normal meeting last FIJI
day Prot. Haney spoke of the anal
gimation of the two institutions on
the Reservation and said he propO
sed to give those Normal students
who desired 1t work on the ExpeT
lmept station to learn,
HauC laundry