The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-01-12

ain. Relying upon your American
FARMS those English cities have been
able to feed their factory operatives.
So when you are working in your field
you may well consider how many in
distant lands are dependent upon your
labors. 1t will be a lesson in the kim
ship of the world.
But wheat, corn, lives stockHthese
are not the chief products of the Amer
lean farm. 1t is the leadership, the
character, the manhood produced upon
your farms that have made, and that
still make, the greatness of America.
Nearly all the leaders of American life
We're country bred. 1t is unnecessary
to refer to the more distinguished ex-
amples, to Webster, Clay, Lincoln and
the rest. Go into Wall street. go into
the business, the professional centers
of all our cities, and you will find the
country boy become the city chieftain.
Some Exceptions
There are apparent exceptions, it is
true, such as President Roosevelt a
city boy, graduate of Harvard. Yet
he would not have been what he is.
dare say, had he not shaken off the in
! fuence of effete Harvard as a 'broncho
buster on our Western prairies.
AS to their money value, the farms
of America represent no less than $780,
| 600 100000 sum that none of us can
adequately conceive, a sum four times
the value of our manufacturing indus
tries, although we are the greatest
manufacturing nation in the world.
But has the farmer had his fair
share of dividends from this enormous
investments in farms2 / shall not speak
of oppressive freight rates or of SINH.
lar burdens. / mean the broader divi-
dends of life's advantages. ~ sfs'
If he has not received his full share,
l. II.
believe in agricultural education. /.
agree that the Minnesota school of ag-
riculture is one of the finest institu-
tons of the kind. But the great vice
of our American schools in general is
the vice of democracy-the dead level
of education-the theory that every
boy should have the same adyanta ges,
the same opportunity. AS if all boys
were really alike. ~ sa5fe'
This is the vice of the city schools
which supply in the same education for
the commercial as for the mechanic
class; and the country school is but a
| poor,-weak imitation of the city school,
THE first lesson we need to learn
from Europe is to diversity our educa-
ton. We shall never have a sound
educational system until we base it
upon the United States census. This
| census shows us that there will be one
third or our population, approximately,
engaged in agriculture; that there will
be a certain proportion of our people
in mechanical trades; a certain pro-
portion in stores; a certain proportion
in the professions. The proportions may
vary somewhat, but they will remain
practically the same or they will
change slowly. And on this basis chill
dren should be fitted at school for
what they are going to do in future
life.
VI
proper, un-American. They will ask,
How about the farmers boy that wants
to be statesman, a physician, a poet9
How about the farmers boys that have
succeeded so splendidly in many walks
of life? But / answer, Don't worry
about these exceptional boys. The boy
that wants to be something in partic-s
ular will succeed; he will take care of
himself. But we must base our gen.
eral system on the actual average boy
and man.
Uniting of School Districts 1850
DR.. Smith approved the movement
for consolidating the country schools in
this state But it was mistake, he
thought, to unite only the schools of
two districts. At least four districts
should have the same school. Then it
would be possible for one out Of four
teachers to make speciality of agri-
culture, and to teach it well; another
to make a speciality Of some, other.
branch. But there would be no prog
resS- in country education SO long as
there was a "1ittle red school house
at every cross roadS-so long as the
single teacher in that little school was
expected to set himself or herself up
| as trveling library, a walking ency :,
clopedia, a universal profeSsorl'
The institution at ST. Anthony Park,
| he suggested, should not continue as an
agricultural high school. 1t should be
made an agricultural college. . Mime
sofa should follow the example of Den
| mark, and should establish agricultural
high schools in various parts of the
| state.
I Although Denmark was neither so large
nor so rich as Minnesota, it was Den
marks fifty agricultural high schools, her
systematic devotion to agricultural train
| ing for the agricultural class, that had
brought that country, within twenty five
years, from bankruptcy to the foremost
| rank in agricultural Europe.
On the subject of Agricultural Educa-
tom Prof. S. B. Green. of the state agri-
/ cultural school, said that, in his opin-
| ion. agricultural science was a Culture
study, and that the time was coming when
every educated man would have an ac-
quaintance with the general principles of
| agriculture. He sketched the history and
| achievements of agricultural education in
! Europe and America.
Speaking, at the morning, session, of
THE Mutual Relations Between Farmers
| and the Agricultural Colleges and Expert
| ment Stations" Dean Eugene Davenport.
of the agricultural experiment station at
Urbana, H., said that the scientific in :
vestigations which could be carried out
only at experiment stations were Of i'm
mense value to the nation. In Illinois four
years of experiment, at cost of $50 600.
had enabled certain districts which had
formerly raised but thirty bushels of
corn on an acre to raise no less than 120
/ bushels on the same acre.
And, . added Dean Davenport the study
which Prof. w. M. Hays. formerly of the
! Minnesota experiment station and now as
sistant secretary of agriculture, has de-
voted to the wheat plant win result in
| gain. to Minnesota that will more thar pay
the cost of maintaining the state univer-
| sity and all the expenses of the state gov
ernment'
o. E. Bradfute, of Cedarville. Ohio, in
1 a paper upon THE Care OF Live Stock
declared that most farmers lost many
months of time and much money by not
preparing their stock for ultimate dis
| position in the market from the first week
of the calfss life. Each day thereafter
should be made to add to the market
/ value of the stock.
Novel Picture illustration
Tho 49,.