The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-27
TO EXTEND INFLUENCE OF
AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS
BY HERvEY w. LAIRD.

basic principles of agriculture, along
with other disciplinary and cultural sub
jects. l honestly believe that every child
who can read intelligibly should have
one recitation daily in some phase of ag-
ricultural or horticultural subjects, and
that he should enjoy the services of
good teacher, and of one who is we'll
versed In the subject he is teaching.
"Of course he should have his. regular
recitatons in the common branches of a
common school education. He is enti-
tied to the benefits of a liberal education
as much as anyone else is but the SUBJ
ject that will lead him along lines that
he is most likely to follow as a bread
winner should be emphasized the most.
Prepared Teachers.
every teacher in rural school should
be required to pass a representative ex-
animation in agriculture and other nature
studies, and should be required to see
to it that all the children in his school
study these branches. There should be
at least a seven months school within
the easy reach of every child. Every
child should have access to a good libra
ry. This can be provided for the rural
school. and 1t should be done. Reading
circles might be established among the
older people, and this would certainly be
a greater stimulus to the children than
almost anything else that could possibly
be done.
And lastly, when people will not send
their children to school they should be
compelled to do so. There are some peo-
pie in the country as well as in the
village, town or city who are not edu.
Gated themselves and cannot see that
they are under moral obligation to ed
ucate their children. For such cases as
these we need compulsory educational
laws, and when a man does not send his
child to school force him to do so.
"Of course there are methods by which
with the present means the home life of
the future generation can be made much
better, but they cannot be discussed in a
paper of this length"
MIR. Halls Idea.
'Since beginning my work here Ever
green | have been doing some thinking
on this line, and 1 shall give you the
outline of a plan which l expect to be
ready to begin to put into operation
August of this year. There are in the
Second district, the following, and r/--
haps other, agencies that may be used to
promote rural progress; The agricultural
school, the rural schools, the country
churches, the press, the Farmers union,
the United States department work,
school improvement associations, libra
res, farmers institutes, rural mail de-
livery, the telephone, and the good roads
movement.
Beginning with Conecuh, 1 shall call
meeting of representatives from as
many of the above mentioned agencies
as is possible, and organize a County
Federation for Rural Progress" You will
have to imagine the results of such CO.
operation, for the limits of this article
will not permit me to name them.
my plans have not been fully matured,
but the county federation will probably
meet monthly or bi-monthly, and dele
gates from the county declarations will
meet together as a district federation
annually at the District Agricultural
school,
1.-THE agricultural school as 1 see It is
only one of the agencies that should be
expected to bring about rural progress.
To think that any one of these agencies
to the exclusion of others can bring SUBJ
stantial progress is a mistake, and is
the main cause of the failure of the Sec
ond district school to accomplish the ends
for which 1t was established