Gloucester County Democrat., 1909-04-22

and field crops, and school garden
work, and domestic science Alabama
has nine agricultural schools, one in
each congressional district. These
schools are connected with the public
schools and are turning out teachers
for the rural schools. California has
two schools for the fitting of teachers
in agricultural branches, Connecticut,
Indiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Wiscon-
sin, Missouri and others provide for
the teaching of agriculture to teachers
If not in their normal schools through
other means. Sixty-one state normal
schools in the United States are Civ
ing courses in agriculture, fourteen
more are about to install such courses.
New Hampshire is introducing agri-
culture in the common and secondary
schools. Kansas, Pennsylvania, Flori-
da and New Mexico are lecturing to
produce a sentiment for it. Massa-
chusetts and Iowa have just elected
men for organizing, directing and in
spring superintendent, principals
and teachers. Colorado is passing
bill requiring elementary agriculture
for public schools. Five county schools
already have it. Maryland is trying
to secure an appropriation for this
purpose. Maine has man employed
to help teachers in their schools. In
Ohio one-half of the townships are
teaching agriculture in elementary
grades. New York, Ohio, Illinois,
Maine and Maryland have provided
for lectures on agriculture at teachers
institutes. The following States are
offering summer courses for teachers:
Utah, North Carolina, Connecticut,
California, New Jersey, Mississippi,
New York and Missouri. Illinois offers
two courses. In Illinois. Colorado,
Washington, Maryland, Utah, Missouri,
Maine, Ohio, and New York bulletins
are sent out for the use of teachers
and pupils. The teacher who studies
agriculture and the various phases of
nature as applied to the farm will be
far happier in her surroundings and
far more able to interest her pupils
and hold their interest than the teach
er bred on the rule of three. The boy
who carefully cultivates and studies
the growth of a patch of corn, sugar
beets or other plants, noting each
branch of science as related to this
particular plant and plot of ground,
will gain a new interest, a better ap-
probation of the value of careful
thought to apply to the study of seed
selection, soil fertility and the intelli-
gence of plants, and far more abid
ing knowledge of science and physics
than through the ordinary cut and
dried method of teaching logic, applf-
cation and science. The girl who
learns to cultivate intelligently one
flower or vegetable, to bake a loaf of
bread, to prepare an edible dish for
the table, to can jar of fruit, to make
an apron, and studies all of the re-
lated sciences in this connection will
be far better educated and more ca
pable of intelligent and careful
thought than by any amount of theor
etical education. The objection is
made we have not the equipment, we
have not the schools. In other States
the one room rural school even is do
ing. great work in this direction.
Teachers with mere summer school
education and great application them
selves are making great successes.
Why not in New Jersey?
The last paper of the morning ses-
sion was read by Miss Evaline A.
Neff, of the Glassboro High School,
in which she discussed
English in the High School.
Not few already agree with me and
I am sure many more will feel in
clined to signal their affirmation when
/ say "Of all studies to be taught in
tn High School, English, in its true
and wide scope, is, by far, the most
difficult and arduous for the teacher.
That it is more difficult than Latin,
for instance, can be shown from the
fact that the latter involves merely a
mastery of the rules and principles
governing constructions together with
the application of the same. Prof.
cheney in this study requires only
scientific knowledge, in the acquire
ment of which, the teachers aid to
the pupil is easily and most effect
ually rendered.
English, as a subject, is an art, as
we'll as a science. It is true, one phase
of its study consists of the mastery of
rules. That this, however, is only a
minor part of the work should most
clearly be understood. So much only
of the work is an easy proposition for
the teacher. But, if 1t is true, as some
one has said, who has given this
thought: The main object of an Eng
lish course should be to inspire ideals
of life in the youth,-the duty, re-
spo visibility and labor of the teacher
becomes more and more magnified.
1t is thru the classics that the stu
dent is first introduced to the Ethical
problems; he gets his first ideas of
philosophy and above all, his aesthe-
tic nature is developed. He forms new
ideals of beauty. That the pupil may
learn, not only to appreciate fully the
beauty of literature which he is re-.
quired to study, but to desire more
and more TO read the standard works,
becomes the greatest concern of the
teacher. 1t becomes his duty to di-
rect and encourage, but in this case.
how much more Intellectual and un-
satisfactory to degree than in the
former case of Latin! How much
more effort and skill is required to
present in an attractive manner some
beautiful thought of literature than