Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-14
NORMAL SCHOOL AGRICULTURE.


The problem of preparing young men
and women to teach elementary agri-
culture in connection with the other
branches taught in the primary and
secondary schools now commands wide
spread attention among the leading
educators, while the sympathetic In
terest OF the public is being attracted to
various phases of the problem.
A circular issued last fall by the
Department of Agriculture has just
come from the government printing Of
flee at Washington. written by NJ. ].
Abbey. then professor OF biology at
the State Normal school at Marysyille.
North Dakota, and now supervisor OF
nature study IN the Utah State Normal.
The manuscript WAS prepared under
the direction of D. ]. Crosby Of the Of
flee OF experiment stations, and deals
with the purpose and methods OF teach
Ing agriculture as developed at the for
mer school during the past four years
by Prof. Abbey in connection with his
work In other sciences and In co-opera-
llOU Will D VI llidlubuk1llCS, BtO-
graphy. and other subjects.
In the course of the essay Prof Alb
hey sets forth that II any one is to
teach geography. literature. or nature
study with the highest success. he
should be somewhat familiar with the
principles of agriculture. He maintains
that an understanding of plants and
animal life helps one TO understand and
appreciate the interests of child life. No
other study brings one into more inti-.
mate touch with all the natural actiy-
tiles of life than does agriculture. City
schools are fast recognizing the i'm
portance of subjects which are practical
and not simply boeklsh. The tendency.
In all lines OF education is toward the
practical. City boys and girls have
talents and instincts which lead them
as well as the country boy and girl to
become Interested In rural occupations.
Open air work, In which the muscles
and mental faculties may both be cx-
ercised. is OF moro value TO the child
who has grown UP within the restrlc-
tions of the city than 1t is to the
country child. For this reason. he con-
cludes. that the normal school should
prepare its students to teach agricuI-
ture in the city schools.
1t occurs to us also, as to the author
of this circular, that the particular work
OF tho normal school is to propare
young people to teach school, and that
II 1t fails to give its students instruc-
tion In those branches which later they
ara Expected to teach. 1t Is falling to
perform the proper functions of a nor
NAL school. 1t follows that the State
Normal should be authorized and re-
quired by law to give instruction in
elementary agriculture. or some ar
rangement. With tho Agriculture Col
lcge should be made whereby such in
sruction can be adequately provided
for
One other important statement made
oyi MI, Abbey. with which we entirely
agree is that no subject requires more
sound knowledge OF the principles of
pedagogy than does the subject OF agri-
culture. Results are not Immediate,
put the child mind likes to see re-
suits at once. Hence the child's inter-
est must be maintained until results
can be accomplished naturally A con-
tinuity In subJcct-mattcr must be
worked out. and new devices are al
ways necessary To maintain interest.
Who, but tho person thoroughly trained
III pedagogical principles and methods
can meet these reuuirementsT
AS planned by the. state department
of public instruction. the course of
rudy In agriculture must necessarily
DO an outline-merely suggestive. Until
tho State Board or some othor agency