The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-09-13

exception tor q district to nave the
same teacher more than two years.
The school under such an influence
can not develop character Of is own.
Some plan must be developed to give
greater stability to the teaching force
Of such a school. The German school
master in the rural district has his
home at the school building. He has
his flowers and his vegetable garden
and the stock necessary at the farm
home. I believe that we should grad
ually develop in South Carolina in
connection with our community
schools the parsonage idea. be-
lieve that at the Dacusville school the
board might very proftably build a
home for the principal, and should
furnish him with few acres Of land,
which he could cultivate. TO furnish
such a home would enable a district
to get a better principal, to keep him
for a longer period Of service.
The Teaching of Agriculture.
The possession of the few acres of
ground would make possible the
teaching of some elementary agricul-
ture in the school, The teachers gar
den would be the natural experiment
ground, and would furnish the model
which each boy would be encouraged
to emulate on an acre of his fathers
farm. I am satisfied that if agricul-
ture is to be taught in the schools OF
South Carolina it must be approached
from the practical side. To study the
subject from an adopted text book
only would merely mean that the chill
dren had another heavy and uninter-
esting book, which they were compell-
ed to carry to and from school. The
Boys Corn club and the farm demon
stration work in this State have shown
US the possibility of agricultural edu-
cation when approached from the
practical side A general interest in
agriculture will be developed by the
spreading Of the boys special inter-
est in some definite agricultural ex-
pertinent which he has undertaken.
The boy who is working an acre of
corn for a prize will read everything
which he can get his hands upon
which will help him produce better
result. The member of the Boys Pig
club will develop a general interest in
animal husbandry. The girl who is
raising chrysanthemums, or tomatoes.
or chickens, will read the bulletins on
these subjects without compulsion and
with thorough enjoyment. In fact, the
child as we'll as the man will acquire
general interest in the subject only by
reason of some special application
which he is trying to make. With the
teachers model farm and garden at
hand it would be easy in the commu-
nifty school described above to form
the Boys Corn club, or the Girls
Poultry club, and through some judi
cious form of recognition to stimulate
a healthy agricultural emulation in
the district. About the practical ex-
pertinent the teacher will centre his
general agricultural instruction. Ag-
riculture, however, will not be the only
subject stressed id the community
school. Not every boy who lives on
the farm will be a farmer, but every
student will need the subjects which
educational experience has decided ne
cessary to general intelligence and et-
fciency. In putting new subjects lnto
the curriculum we will not displace
those which the experience of the CEN
turies has firmly intrenched in our
educational system.
W. K. Tate.
State Supervisor Elementary Rural
Schools