The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-02-01

| proposed tnat 9Z,oOO De Ollereu by tne
federal government toward the support
of branch experiment station at each
congressional district agricultural high
+, school.
1T seems only proper to carry the
Suggestion one step further and suggest
that government aid he extended also to
Industrial education in mechanics arts
and home economics in the city and
town high schools. Under this plan a
congressional law has been suggested by
Representative Davis of Minnesota I'M
der which, say 10 cents per capita, or q
total of $S.OOO,OOO annually, might be
appropriated to agricultural high schools
and to city high schools. The pay
ment of this fund from the federal
treasury could be conditioned on the
state supplying the necessary lands,
buildings and equipment and on the APP
preparation by the respective states of
fsums equal to their allotment from the
general government The law could be
made to stipulate that the federal fund
be used only for actual work in classes
devoted to the industries and domestic
work
"While congress inaugurated indus
trial education; while Minnesota has
the credit of designing a successful
course of agricultural high school work;
while a number of our cities, as Phila-
delphia, Brooklyn, st. Paul, st. Louis,
Chicago and Menominee, have proven
mechanic arts high schools to be prac-
ticable; and while Ohio, Indiana and
other states have made practicable that
most difficult of changes, the consoli-
datiOn of the rural schools; and while
Alabama has the credit of being first to
locate an agricultural high school in
each congressional district, the great
southern state of Georgia has the proud
distinction of first proceeding to finance
system of agricultural high schools
throughout the state. Last July the
| legislature of Georgia passed an act all
thorizinp Governor Terrell to locate an
agricultural high school in each of the
eleven congressional districts of the
state, and turned over the funds re-
served as tag taxes on fertilizers and
oils for their use as an annual support
fund. The act required the people OF
the respective districts to furnish farms,
buildings and equipments. Governor
Terrell secured experts to aid in the
selection of farms suitable for school and
branch experiment station work. He
employed an architect to prepare
bird's-eve view of campus and buildings,
and he called upon educators who aided
! in devising course of study devoted
especially to agricultural and home eco
| Monies, and articulatinG with the rural
schools below, and with the farm, at
the same time leading toward the col
leeiate agricultural course in the Uni
versity of Georgia.
''The people of Georgia were thus so
fully aroused to the Importance of these
schools that the bids of different cities
and counties for them reached figures
which put our rich northern states in
the shade. All but one of the eleven
schools have been located, and what will
be the bid of the last one is pretty well
known. The total thus given almost
wholly by individual subscribers for the
200 or 3OO-acre farms, for buildings and
equipments, amounts to over 100000
more than $4,000 with which to equip
each school.
SIS it any wonder that this magnifi
cent response by the people of Georgia
to his appeal to thus use modern tech
meal education to bring still higher her
rising industries and home making led
Governor Terrell to suggest to his con-
gressmen to secure a federal grant for
more money with which to supply these
schools and for a branch experiment sta
ton at each school more nearly ade-
Iquate annual expense fund.-"
What has been done in Georgia no
doubt has had something to do with the
Davis bill. Under that bill, Georgia
would receive substantial aid in the
maintenance of her agricultural schools,
and the burden would thus be largely
lifted from the state 1t is the theory
of the Davis bill that if other states
will do what Georgia has done the gen.
eral government, with its per capita tax
of 10 cents, will step in and share with
the state the charge of maintaining the
schools at high state of efficiency.
There is no idea that the Davis bill
can be made into law at this session Of
congress. 1t has been introduced now
merely to bring it to the attention of
the country, thus paving the way to
an attempt at legislation next session.
AS was stated at the commencement of
this article the fact that the govern
ment itself is committed to the theory