The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-04

Montgomery. October S.-(Special.)-Tne fact that other southern states are no" branching out in scientific agricultural education makes the series of letters printed in this correspondence from the heads of the Alabama agricultural schools of special interest. Particularly Is ths so of Georgia, whose institutions of this char acter are just now beginning to get down to steady work.
 It is notable that all the heads Of the Alabama schools agree that there should be more general instruction on the prln- ciples of farming in the common schools, that the school term should be longer, ana that where parents will not seho .heit children to school they should be made to do so by law.
 Ii is generally agreed not only among the heads of these schools, but all or tho educational movements that compulsory educational law is necessary in order 10 make the best use of the liberal appro- priations which the state is now apply ing to all classes of instruction. It IS also a matter of uniform opinion that the best and most conservative work must be done in the common school, for 1t IS in these that the farmers, comprising SO per cent of the school population, must education their children, and it is out Of this population that must naturally come a very large per cent of the citizen ship of the state.
 MT. MiIler's Opinion.
 E. A. Miller, president of the Ninth Dis trict Agricultural school, located at Blountsville, deplores the lack of appre- ciation of the necessity for education, and suggests that enthusiasm be aroused by a system of campaign and propaganda. He says:
 Tt is a sad fact that the great part of the people of the country districts do not as yet realize the necessity of educa- tion. We all must admit that the statc is doing her part for all the schools. Then if the rural district is to have as eff cient schools as the town the people of the rural districts must do what the peo- pie of the towns are doing, that is supple ment the state appropriation.
 "But that carries us back to the orig inal question: If the people of the rural districts do not feel sufficient interest in education to take advantage of the oppor- tunities that they now have how can they be induced to make provision for greater advantages?
 To Peach People.
 'I shall attempt to answer the above question by applying the truth, that when
  their personal interests. l take it that if you can cause the people of the rural districts, the farmers, to see that they are reaping a direct benefit from their schools then you can get them interested in pro- viding for them and seeing to it that their children get the benefit of the advan- tages that they are personally providing.
 How can this interest be aroused? My answer is: To make a district to district campaign, appealing to the people to make of their common schools agricul- tural schools. In other words, instead of attempting to teach manual training, etc, as is done in the town and city schools, teach theoretical and practical agricul- ture in limited way. Have on every school yard a small experiment station that will make practical demonstrations for the benefit of both parents and pupils.
 Farmer Will Aid.
 Let it be seen that both the farmer and his child are to reap some practical benefits from his local school and I feel assured that you will so arouse his inter- est that he will go to any reasonable ex- pense to provide the necessary equipment and teachers to make the rural school