The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-08-02
URGES EDUCATION TOWARD
THE FARM In NORTH DAKOTA

Harold J. Berlin, a graduate of the
high school at Wimbledon, was the
winner OF the third prize offered by the
executive committee of the North Da-
kota State Bankers association last
March for the best essay on What
Course of Study Will Give the Best
Practical Results for the IS Per Cent
of the Students In Our Public Schools
Who Never Pass the Eighth Grade.
His essay is as follows:
Education Is social efficiency and it's
chief aim is character and conduct. It
10 the development of the whole man
that he make his place in the home; in
the church, and in the state. II he is
deficient in any OF these his education
is incomplete. II man is to fill his
place in the home most completely he
must be acquainted with the best Am
erican literature, his character during
the formative period must have been
toned and beautified by associating
with the great minds of America, In
the church he must have a good. moral
character and to be a good citizen he
must have a knowledge Of history and
ciVics.
In the early centuries schools were
for the training of men for the priest
hood. The course of study was plan
ned for a certain class, the work which
they were required to take consisted
largely OF Latin and Greek. This idea
lasted for several centuries and as ed
ucation became more general other
people attended the same school. 1t
was held that If a man was trained to
think by the study of Latin and Greek
he could think along any line. 1t was
not until the nineteenth century that
he began to train for special vocations.
AS a result Industrial and agricultural
schools have sprung up all over this
land. The effects have been far reach
ing. and today we study more prac-
tical subjects. All the advanced
schools and colleges aim to fit the stu
dent for the most helpful and practical
citizenship. Each educational institu-
ton of today places in the course of
study instead of a certain number OF
years of Latin and Greek elective sub
5ects. One Of these is the subjects OF
agriculture. UP to the last thirty
years agriculture was rarely spoken of
in the schools. Now in every state an
agricultural school has been establish
ed. Not only in the agricultural coll
leges Is the subject taught, but in most
high schools and normal schools.
Rural Schools Neglected.
Our rural schools are still neglected.
Statistics show us that nearly one-half
a million of the children in the United
States attending the public schools are
enrolled in the rural schools and IS
per cent of these never go beyond the
grammar grade. These children are
taught to read or rather to pronounce
words with little or no attention given
to thought getting. They are taught to
write, and to solve problems according
to a certain rule on certain page OF
their text, but seldom to reason Never
are they led to see the beauties of this
old world or the wonder workings of
the laws Of nature.
Soil Is Robbed.
Year after year the soil is being
robbed by farmers who do not under
stand the relation between crop and
soil. Our own state has nearly reached
its margin of utility. Twenty five
years ago North Dakota was one of
the most productive states in the union.
The farmers raised from twenty i've
to forty bushels per acre; now we
raise from ten to twenty five. This
shows that something must be done. lie