The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-10-01

trial education, not only to the privileged per
cent but also to the 95 per cent who are doing
the worlds work."
Mr. Davis then considers the states which have
already adopted these ideas to some extent and
shows from their experience how the movement
could be made successful on the part of every
state in the Union. He says:
minnesota Nebraska Alabama, Georgia and
other states have demonstrated that the indus
trial education started in state colleges should
be extended into a system OF agricultural high
schools and into city high schools The trend
has been to organize an agricultural high school
for each group OF about ten counties, as mas Deen
done in Alabama and Georgia, and to develop
mechanic arts education, both in separate city
high schools and courses of study in general
city high schools. Minnesota and Nebraska led
in devising and developing schools of agriculture
of high school grade articulatng with the college
above and with both the rural schools and the
farms below Alabama and Georgia have recent
ly taken the lead in establishing one of these
schools in each congressional district. Mime
sofa and Nebraska have agricultural high schools
with 600 and 800 students, respectively The
graduates of these schools nearly all go back to
the farm A very small number go into other
vocations, and probably 10 per cent go forward
into collegiate courses in agriculture, most OF
them to become agricultural technicians. These
schools have demonstrated effectively that
farm boys and girls can be educated for country
life and returned to country life that everyone
who looks into the work of these institutions is
entire country.
"To Georgia belongs the credit and honor of
first taking the step thoroughly to establish
sufficient number of wellequipped agricultural
high schools to meet the needs of the farm boys
and farm girls of the state. Last July the Georgia
legislature authorized Governor Terrell to estab-
fish an agricultural high school in each of Geor-
gia's eleven congressional districts. A state ap-
preparation of $4,000 provided annually
current expense fund with which to begin each
school. The districts securing these schools were
To- cDflo
to erect buildings and equip the schools. The
different localities sought to secure the location
of these schools The result such that it is
inspiring the entire country with interest and
faith in high school education in agriculture and
home economics. By private subscription Georgia
has raised 100000 with which to establish and
equip these eleven schools. Never before have
the American people so emphatically expressed
their faith in agricultural education. In way
has the south better expressed the fact that she
is rising from the difficulties and depression which
resulted from the civil war.
''The passage of this bill will precipitate SINH
lar movement in every state in the Union. If
all of the states will follow Georgia's example,
shall have 300 agricultural high schools for
our 5000 agricultural counties. With each of
these schools averaging 500 students would
have a total of 100000 students in agricultural
high schools, an average of 5000 in each state
This number of students would provide large
number of men technically trained in agriculture
to become leading farmers, and a large number
of young women trained in home economics to
develop exemplary farm homes. 1t would also
provide body of young people who could rapidly
be developed into teachers who could carry in
struction and inspiration in agriculture and home
building into all the rural schools of the land and
thus carry this education to all farm youth. There
may be difference of opinion as to whether we
shall make rural schools more efficient by
retaining the present unt-the isolated rural
school-or whether should consolidate these
into large units Which ever plan is pursued, all
must agree that this class of schools must be
improved by providing teachers trained both in
general studies and in the subjects relating to
the future life work of that IS per cent of rural
youth which will remain in country life. 1t may
be presumed that the expense will not be very
greatly different whether we develop the rural
schools under plan of consolidation by ade-
quately improving the little rural schools. At
present we have no body of people in rural
communities who have either knowledge or faith