The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1909-01-07

Il
hundred ever attend high school,,
and only about five reach up to the
coveted college course. 1t is not a
question whether the boy shall have
a full college course or three
months Short Course'-were that
the issue it. would require little hes
itation to decide in favor OF the
most thoro training possible ther
il is a question OF whether the BOY |
shall have the Short Course train
ing or nothing at all.
You know how it is with an axe,
grind it down nearly to an edge and
it will not cut we'll 1t takes the
few remaining finishing turns OF the
stone, the few deft strokes OF the
oil-stone TO give it the cutting edge.
The country Us full of that kind
OF men-men lacking the finishing
stroke that produces a cutting
edge. The ,fanms Of our country
have ON them tens OF thousands OF
men who can almost succeed. They
have brains, and ability, and they
work hard, and as matter OF fact
they do fairly we'll, judged by the
standards of their neighbors. But
they lack the definite knowledge
about their business that would
take 1t out of the rut OF work,
ami would make it a profession.
They know, it may be good horse
when they see it, but they could
not tell you why it is a good horse.
They can tell q good crop OF grain
at a glance, but they do not quite
understand why one wheat is NO I
Northern and another is No. 8. In
shcrt what is lacking in their edu'
cation is just that kind OF exact,
quickly gained knowledge that 1t is
the effort of every Short Course in
every college of the land to give.
We have so long looked upon the
farmer as uneducated that 1t is
perhaps hard for the ordinary school
man to look at him in any other
light. But if we are going to
solve the question OF agricultural
education in practical way we
must get the right view point. As
matter of fact, when the boy
comes from the farm to college he
is, already well posted On the prac-
teal side of his business. If the
end is to make out of him prac-
teal working farmer it is sheer
folly to insist that he must either
take full college course or nothing,
The sharp incisive lessons on plant
and animal judging fit directly into
his experience and round out an
education begun when as little
toddler he followed dad" down to-
the barn eighteen years ago. This
lis TO him the finish, rather than the
beginning of an education that is
every where, on every side, practical
| I do not believe in education sole
lily, or even very largely, because of
the dollars it can bring its possessor.
That, is to look at the wrong end OF
| life I never have yet talked with
man whose idea did not seem to
get enough together to properly en-
10y living. Education, by WIDEN
ing ones sympathies and outlook,
Ipermits one ito enjoy life as he goes
along. And I. take it that keen,
lively interest in the things OF the
farm, springing out OF knowledge
of what the plant and animal hde
about him holds by way OF POSSIBLE
itv of development through cultl-
vaticn and breeding, will bring more
of solid enjoyment to the possessor
of even a very small amount OF
such knowledge, than all the dol
lars he could pile together between
now and Kingdom Come.
We are facing a new day IN agrl-
cuiture-in the whole outlook OF
our labcring classes toward lie
The acres remaining to be develop
ed are comparatively few. The
larger part CT our agricultural prog
ress depends upon better, more
scientific cultivation of the already
ara, f.rne Whenever, by refus-
ing the boy that outlook, that in
1 sight into things that shall keep his
Interest centred on the farm, we
turn him toward THE city, out OF
the consumers, we have lost one
more skilled workman to the farm,
and we have added one more IN
skilled laborer to- the millions jost-
limo and e1hOwinp for place to-