The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-01-12
LITTLE RED SCHO0[HOUSFE
s-Tse usp5s
AS BARRIER TO PROGR[S
Dir. Samuel G. Smith Assails Cherished Emblem of
American Equality in Lecture "Education' Be-
fore State Agricultural Society-WiII Elect Off
Today

The failure of American educational
methods, SO far as they attempt to re-
duce all their pupils to the same level,
and the probable success of a system
that would instruct each pupil for his
prospective career in life-the farmers
boy for farming, the apprentice for his
trade, the clerk for commerce-were
noteworthy assertions in a striking
s speech delivered yesterday afternoon
by DIR. Samuel G. Smith, of st. Paul,
before the annual meeting of the state
agricultural society. DR.. Smith was
speaking in the hall of representatives
at the old capitol, upon Farm I'M
provement and Social Improvement"
AS the Greeks of the ancient day
used to bring forward, at their enter
tainments barbarian whose ignorant
performance might divert spectators in
its contrast to the skill and knowledge
previously displayed by the genuine
: Hellenes, so DIR. Smith felt, as he said,
like the barbarian when called upon
to speak to farmers about things agri-
cultural.
Yet he had had some experience of a
farmers life. He had known it from
the practical standpoint before it had
become, as he understood, a sedentary
occupation. He had followed the reap
er, he had done the work of the farm
ers boy before the time of labor saving
devices on the farm. 1t was not the
custom then, as he believed it was now,
for the farmer to go down to the barn
after his days work and exercise on
apparatus in order to get up his appe-
tite for supper.
Contrasting the former day with the
present, DR.. Smith said there was no
possible dispute as to the reality of
material progress. Fifty years ago all
the United States had raised in one
year no more than 156,000,000 bushels
of wheat, a crop not larger than that
grown nowadays in Minnesota and the
Dakotas.
Social Progress of Farmer
But how about social progress on the
farm? OF course the farmer, as a
mere man, had not improved. For it
was fact well proved that physically
ana mentally man had not improved
at all within the entire range of his
toric times. But man had profited by
better opportunities, better social en-
vlronment, better education.
In this progress, moreover, the men
of the farm stood at the head. The
farm, indeed, was the foundation of all
progress. The basis of civilization was
nothing more than a surplus of bread
stuffs. The first civilization started in
the fertile valleys, where some men
could be spared from the labor of food
getting and could devote themselves to
other occupations. Cities had sprung
up to. monopolize civilization during
many centuries, in the fertile valleys
such as those of the Nile and the Eu-
pirates.
In proportion, then, as men were re-
leased for the farm and permitted to
do other work, civilization advanced
So in America, by the use of labor
saving machinery, one man on a farm
had grown to be the industrial equal
of ten farm laborers in Europe And
1t was this that had built up Ameri
can cities.
Why, exclaimed the speaker. ssdid
you ever stop. to think that in the year
1870 there were but five large cities in
the United States-New York, Phila-
delphia, Boston, Baltimore and Charles
s ton, s. z. and that the biggest of these
was about the size of st. Paul at the
present day?''
Your cheap breadstuffs, let me add.
have ruined the agriculture of England