The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1907-05-15

lUGO u " . \
house teaching can efface. Neverthe-
less some gain can be made by teach
ing agriculture. 1t will aid some In
determining the choice OF a life. IL
will show the way to acquire facts
bearing on rural life and open some
doors of knowledge that otherwise
might not stand ajar. 1t all depends
upon the way it is taught. | am try
ing 10 make this point clear because
I fear that this Weakening of the pub
lie conscience to sOciety's obligations
to the farmer will end in simply vot-
ing a book into the hands of the chill
dren to memorize chapters for recita-
ton to teachers unprepared to In
| struct. No blame is to be attached to
the teachers. They must be given
time and opportunity. Let it be
understood that 1 heartily indorse the
teaching of agriculture in the right
way in the schools of the land, and
am confident the project can be made
a success under wise management, to
the extent that it can be made a part
of the common branches. | am in
perfect accord with the plan of filling
the arithmetic with farm problems. the
readers with rural stories, the gram
mars with agricultural syntax and the
unloading upon the spelling books
and dictionaries all the vocabulary of
bucOlic lore. / have had a grndge
against the dictionaries for some time
and | am glad to learn that the work
of getting even with them is to be un-
dertaken Or is this a beautiful
dream? If real, is not the process a
little indirect and slow, to fill the
text books with agricultural atmos-
phere, to influence the children to per-
suade their parents to do better farm
ing. In the education of young men
have tried this atmosphere plan many
times, and have been defeated by the
stronger home influence. Many farm
ers do not want their IONS and daugh-
tiers to remain on the farm. l prefer
a direct educational appeal to the
farmers for immediate results. How
ever let US not discuss the relative
merits of good work, but all join
hands and each work in his wi way.
While some are placing problems in
the arithmetic for the children to de-
termine how large a crib will be re-
quired to hold a thousand bushels of
corn, we will cooperate by teaching
how to raise the corn to fill that crib:
while some are filling the spelling
books with big words, our part will
be to fill the farmers with big horses
and mules, better implements and
purer seed, and while they are Great
ing an agricultural atmosphere in the
books and the schools, let us create
an atmosphere of plenty, thrift, COM
fort, beauty and happiness around
the homes.
"The children of the common people
are hard sense, practical little men
and women, and their. life purposes
are shaped mainly by home condi-
tions. generally cold and hard, and
they long for a life of more sunshine,
love and pleasure. Let us get right
at the difficulty and make home condi-
tions easier and more profitable. 1t
can be done and I am the more i'm
pressed with this view. because all
similar reforms in other states and
nations have been brought, about by
/, direct appeal to the farmers. This
, plan in no wise detracts from the great
value of school education and its in
p luenCe upon civilization.
: ssThe State and United States should
have an important part in this work.
For instance when a community has
improved its schools up to a certain
grade this should be recognized by
= the State and a special appropriation
, made for such schools as a matter of
encouragement. Just SO when a town.
, ship or a county has improved its
highways to a certain excellence, they
!. should receive State aid ana when they
have reached a still higher excellence
they should become national highways
and be maintained at the nations ex-
!, pense. Under modern conditions ex-
!, ~cellent highways r just as important
: as good railroads and there should be
a great national system of highways
|, just as we'll as q national system Of
4 waterways.
!. Generating upon such broad plans
we can build up q country where rural