The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1908-07-11

Il believe that the teachers
motive at all times should be to
train the boys and girls toward the
farm and the workshop, not away
from them. Teach them to respect
labor and common agricultural
employments, as it is the best and
most independent life for them to
lead.
| Teachers of the rural schools
should encourage the work done and
keep the boys in school, not per-
hitting them to drop out between
the ages of 10 and IA years, because
they are not interested in the work
being done. Naturally boys of that
age must have something to do, an
object to attain or they will lose
! interest in the work.
In the graded, semi-graded and
high school manual training course
for boys and a sewing course for
girls may be successfully introduced.
This is step in the right direction
and will interest the boys and girls.
1t gives some Importance to the
training of the hand. We have time
to do this kind of work even in the
rural schools.
Il have talked with many
teachers who have introduced this
kind of work into their school and
it is the universal verdict that better
work is done in all lines of school
work than in the schools which have
not introduced these courses. tt
makes our education more practi-
| cal.
when girls leave school they
should know how to perform the
common duties connected with the
home. The girls may know how to
play the piano, be able to paint
and perform other fine arts, but if
she does not know how to cook or
sew, in after years she will greatly
miss this part of her education.
firmly believe that the teacher
must, in the near future, be able to
take up this class of work in order to
secure the up-to-date rural schools.
Teachers who can readily take up
this work are being sought for at
this time and the supply is not equal
to the demand.
Teachers, in working along this
line, make no mistake as the next
move in school work will be agri-
culture and manual training work.
To do this work successfully teach
ers must believe in their work, be
interested in new experiments;
learn as much as possible from
practical experiments on the farm.
Simple experiments on the farm
would lead up to the regular study
of agriculture and make this work
a pleasure for the child after he
leaves the country school.
Il believe that no class of people
have better chance of moulding
the education of the child in the
right direction than has the teacher
of the country school.
The farm furnishes an endless
supply of material for interesting.
work. Lucky is the boy or girl
who has the farm to draw from for
his material in the study of agricul-
ture.
In this line of study the teacher,
pupil, farmer or citizen who wish to
perfect the study of agriculture may
have any agriculture bulletin from
the department of agriculture, or any
of the experimental stations, free
upon written application therefor.
Teachers may get the govern
ment year book of agriculture each
year for their school library.
Apply to the congressman from your
district or to the secretary of agri-
culture for this splendid book.
They will be glad to have it sent to
you for your school library.
Teachers who desire to study
any particular branch of the agri-
cultural work may, secure special
helps by writing the experimental
schools or the secretary of agriculture
School officers, teachers, school
patrons and children should work
ss