Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-06
NEW COUNTRY SCHOOL.
Improved Educational Facilities I'm
Rural Sections.

Improved Educational Facilities I'm
Rural Sections.
The Department of Agriculture has just
issued as a bulletin a paper By Prof. Willet
M. Hays which deals with the question OF
education for country life. In It he touches
upon educational matters and tendencies In
a general way. II Is the Idea Of Prof.
Hays that the schools must turn their at
%tention to, the practical training Of children
for the vocations they are to follow. His
ideas on this are summarized as follows;
The schools must bend their energies
more clearly to training for all the spe-
clfic vocations. A few will perceive the adj
vantage and meet the requirements of this
new development unaided; all must have
the opportunity to do so. Our industries
have reached the time Of close specializa-
ton and our schools must follow. 1ney
should lead. In our great manufacturing
industries the need Of trained artisans and
the wisdom of giving TO our American
youth the opportunities Of the higher paid
teohnical trades, instead of reserving this
work for foreigners trained In schools
abroad, are leading to the establishment
of trade schools, often with funds supplied
by employers"
Prof. Hays is working to extend the OPP
p~ortunities for the education of the boys
and girls in the country so as the better to
fit them for farm life. At the same time,
he feels that the high schools in the cities
and towns should recognize the fact that
this Is an age demanding more technical
knowledge and should train the boys and
young men in fields in which they will have
to earn a livelihood and shauld train the
girls and young women in the arts apper-
tanning to the management of the home.
Prof. Hays thinks that part Of the Amer
lean educational system which is Of col
legiate grade is sufficiently we'll organized
to warrant the belief that it's development
by easy evolutionary steps is assured.
What he is giving attention to is secon-
dairy education, in the grades below the
college, and education in the rural schools
He says: THE plan Of establishing a sys.
tenn of large agricultural high schools il
gaining popular favor. There is good rea.
son to expect that we shall have a class
Of high-grade secondary schools providing
vocational finishing courses for those who
expecting to live on farms, will close theil
school life with from two to four years OF
vocational high school work. The wonder
full success of the Minnesota, Nebraska
Wisconsin and other agricultural high
Schools In receiving, In preparing for coun'
try life and In returning to the farms rura
youth of both sexes, and the success Of
their graduates In becoming better farmers
home-makers and citizens, gives assurance
that such schools will receive extensive
, practical trial and use. That these schools
!, are adapted to fit into our system between
the rural school and the agricultural col.
: lege is an established achievement In
) states where the effort has been made.
"In short, a movement is well begun &c
3 organize better, as a part Of our greai
4 American school system, the secondary
schools so as 20 meet especially the needi
: OF country life. This movement contem
! plates that, below and leading to our more
( than sixty state colleges OF agriculture al
Y ready established. we shall have 800 to 10
] agricultural finishing schools-practically
one in each country congressional distric
OF ten or more counties either separate Of
e as a strong department of an existing in
Il stttutfon-"