The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-06-21

Extracts From a Forcefui presenta-
Member of the A. & Nj. College
Faculty Presented at the Meeting
Week at Asheville-The Needs OF
Agricultural Communities in Higher
Schooling.
Especial to News and Observer
Asheviile, June 1S.-During the
Teachers Assembly here his week,
DR.. F. J.. Stevens of the A. & M. Cor
lege, read a forceful paper on no"
Can the High Schoo Course be Adapt
ed to Meet the Needs Of Pupils Living
in an Agricultural Community %
Among other things he said:
AS we are engaged in the rush OF
doing things in this world 1t often
us to pause and consider the
work that we are doing. To examine
the product. 70 look into conditions;
To determine whether or not we can
In any way better that which We do
or our method of doing.
Progress In Agriculture.
The farmer is generally accuse of
lack of readiness to accept new ways
He is ultra conservative. Many say
that he keeps in the rut. That he Is
welded to then ways Of his father, his
great grand father and SO on back to
q dim Dosterity. This is to a large
extent true Of the farmer. To a
large extent it is not true. There
has been much progress in agricul-
tural methods, even among the most
conservative. on the farm YOU see
machines today that your grandfather
would not have known how TO use.
ga -1-l~ ILL., UtnAlZ
new varieties of plants. Yet ad-
NIT withal that the farmer is very
slow to change his ways.
Why is this? 1 believe that it is
largely because he is fixed in posi-
ton and his radius of perception is
circumscribed. Few farmers ravel
They are thus cut off from new ideas,
Ideas must come to them. Not SO the
average man in any business or pro
fession.
Picture to yourself the selected
daily life Of the farmer shut off from
the outer world. Is not the wonder
that he has progressed as much as
he has rather than that he has not
progressed more rapidly?
Are the Teachers Keeping Step?
Would the teaching profession have
made any greater progress had the
teacher been similarly cut off from the
worlds great sources of inspiration =?
Indeed, l may ask, has the teaching
profession made any greater progress
in its field than the farmer has in
his?
Pine High school System Inaugu-
rated.
The State of North Caroline is now
putting into operation a rapidly
growing, a magnificent, high school
system. 1t has the advantage of hav-
ing seen other States develop THEN
high school systems and therefore OF
being able to a large extent to avoid
their mistakes. 1t is starting de move
withou any inherited evils OF ills tC
dwarf or misshape 1t.
The State is a~ppropriating literally
Tn county Is appropriating liber-
ally, $4,000
The citizens are rallying to the aid
s34,s51.
1T is an especially opportune time
to stop and look at these schools. 7
see what they are and what they are
doing.
From the last official report upor
tnase public high schools we finG
that 1851 pupils are studying ancien'
history AS against 146, who are study
ing North Carolina history. Tha1
3,741 study algebra, as against 4S1 il
chemistry, botany and agriculture
combined. That 3,772 study Latin
while 324 study physics.
Who Is the Critic?-The Facts.
Placing Latin, Greek and Algebra
opposite physics, chemistry, botany
agriculture and domestic science, W.
have 1887, against sos. | trust tina
no one will think that / am criticising
If there Is any criticism it is the fact:
themselves which criticise. | believe
make clear the point toward which
L would direct attention. The pre-
ponderance Of Latin and algebra owe
the sciences. This is a fact. TIL.
next question Is as to the wisdom 0
maintaining this condition.
&c determine the utility of eacl
SUBJECT In our high schools we mus
Fho" what use this education is t
strVe' fortunately in a very ad
"'rable paper, Supt. r.. H. Latham. O