Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1906-03-30

Especial Correspondence
There is now "A decided movement
! looking toward the introduction of agr-
I culture and related subjects into the
public schools. More than thirty of the
states and territories have taken some
| kind of official action in this regard.
/ Just how these subjects are to be in
/ troduccd is not yet determined, and it
may be several years before any eff
/ cicnt body Of agricultural thought is
| introduced into the greater part of the
| public schools. There is no question,
however, that this Introduction is
| sure to come. The whole tendency of
our civilization is to put the educated
man into the work of the world and to
give every person training for eff
! cheney in the life in which he is to
engage.
All this does not mean that we
are to neglect the fundamental prin-
ciples of education Rather we are
to work out the fundamental princi-
pies of education in a new way
We are to work them out in terms
of other subjects from those that
we customarily have used. l doubt
whether distinct separate courses in
agriculture will be found to be prac-
ticable in most of the elementary
schools. In the primary grades the
nature study idea will be the leavening
influence. putting the child directly in
to touch with the things with which
he lives. The nature study movement
endeavorS to use common affairs and
objects and phenomena as means of
training the mind.
In the intermediate grades the proba-
bility is that agriculture will be taught
by giving agricultural applications to
the general fundamental subjects that
already are in the course of study. We
have introduced too many subjects into
the schools We need to simplify rath-
er than to cOmplcate the school course,
but we can Introduce local applications
in the studies that are now Il part of
the school work. For example. after
the fundamental work in number is ac-
quired the problems can be very large
ly local. There are sufficient agricul-
tural arithmeticul problems to afford
all the drill and practice that are now
afforded by the cOpartnership and mid
dleman problems that are in use in the
schools. The geography teaching now
attempts to begin with the local en-
vironment A good part of this local
environment is the farms, and good
deal of the farming can be taught in
the geography class. Manual training
can be given an agricultural trend
when necessary. The same can be said
of drawing and other subjects.
When the high school is reached, sep
arate optional courses in agriculture
may well be given as soon as teachers
and facilities are provided. This work
should be of a scientific character, of
equal training value with physics or
chemistry or botany, and it should lead
directly to entrance credits in the ag-
ricultural colleges and universities.
believe in every effort that tends to
arouse the public to the necessity of
introducing these subjects into the
schools, and | shall use all my efforts
to extend the sentiment However, |
app 1"b ehC Ia mug VIII
not be too impatient in demanding con-
crete results or in forcing formal agri-
cultural subjects into the schools. We
must make haste slowly and in doing
so make it fundamentally and perma-
nently. We must not forget that
schools are schools and that their gen
eral tone must be elevated and their
general efficiency increased before we
can hope for any successful results in
the teaching of common life subjects.
Merely to introduce agriculture into the
rural schools as they exist at the pres
ent day will be Of no particular conse-
quence. The whole tone of the school
must be raised. This elevation must
come from the elevation of the senti-
ment in the community. More money
must be had for the schools in order
that better facilities and better teach
ers may be employed and the whole at
mosphere of the school be made attrac-
tive LII RAII,EY
Circulation 100000.