Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1903-12-30
a round table talk.

This was the part of the program
carried out this morning by the dele
gates to the New Mexico Educationa
Association, in convention assembled
in the hall of the House of Represent
atives in the capitol building. Ano
such a discussion. The pro and cor
with advice and recommendations fol
teaching the elementary branches in
the public schools of the Territory OF
New Mexico were thoroughly dis
cussed
Present Trend of Education.
After the delegates had been thrice
welcomed last evening, and the wei,
comes had been responded to, the an,
nual address of DR.. Luther Foster,
president of the New Mexico College
of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, at
Mesilla Park, who is president OF the
New Mexico Educational Association
was read His subject was THE Pres
ent Trend of Education" and his paper
was decidedly masterpiece, and was
thoroughly enjoyed by all. The paper
follows:
"The United States is fast becoming
a great college settlement Our nation
al government recognizes the vital ne
cessity for intelligent citizenship and
bestows a kindly welcome on all edl-
cational movements, but 1t especially
fosters the practical sort, that upon
which the success of the great indus
tries depend. There has been. in re-
cent wears, general increase in col
lege attendance and the tendency away
from the traditional college course mas
markedly Increased. BY traditlonal
course, | refer to that old, well estab-
lished one that prepared only for the
professions of law, medicine, the MIN
istry, and teaching the Big Four as
someone has recently denominated
them.
81 am not prepared to say that few
er students are pursuing the old, class
ical lines of study than formerly, for
there may be just as many, perhaps
more, but the number engaged in the
work of the courses more directly con
nected with commerce and the indus
tries has greatly increased.
Interesting Figures.
From a recent government report
the following figures were obtained
showing the attendance in colleges OF
agriculture and mechanic arts alone
For the year ending June 80, 1901, the
enrolment was $4,000, which was sew
en- per cent above the enrolment fol
the preceding year; for 1902, they had
a total enrolment of 46,699. The
prospects are that the aggregate en-
rollment for the present year VIII
reach 10000. The total number gradu
ated since the organization OF these
colleges is slightly more than $4,000
while of this number 4,443 belonged &c
1902 alone. When we consider tna'
these colleges are product OF the
latter quarter of the nineteenth cen
tury, we see how rapid has been theil
rate of increase. These figures do not
include the great institutions like Cor
nell and Columbia Universities, mol
the polytechnic Institutes, where the
whole effort is directed toward indus
trial pursuits. Neither do they include
the Platt. Drexel, Oriad and other sim
liar Institutes.
"The progress made in agriculture
education has been most marked OF al
the industrial lines and is much more
encouraging than ever before in the
history of the land grant colleges. The
advance movement is shown by the ex
tension of the instruction to the public
schools, by the organization of a ma
tional graduate school of agriculture
by the introduction of agricultural sub
jects in the normal schools to prepare
teachers for giving instruction in ma
ture study. and other subjects related
to agriculture, and by the greatly IN
creased resources, as we'll as the
larger attendance. The common
schools of the eastern half of the Uni
ted States have become greatly inter
ested in nature study and the schoo
garden, and these subjects have beer
introduced into many city, village, ant
country schools. Public sentiment IL
arousing and the people are learning
that this line of education is of vita
Importance to- the material interes
and highest welfare of large PEI
cent Of our population.
Agricultural Education.
Agricultural education is really on
ly in it's beginning or formative per
iod. The courses of instruction hav'
recently undergone revision and re
classification of the agricultural sub
jects that will place them on a sub
stantial, permanent basis. In the ear
lier history of these institutions, agri
cultural instruction was rather In
definite thing, depending upon tn
Nt