Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-06-15

try, whether agricultural, mechanical,
or commercial must, in the future,
rest upon the foundations of science.
In our high schools Greek and Latin
will have to give way to a more prac-
tical curriculum with applied science
as the groundwork.
While we had but ten agricultural
high schools in this country twelve
years ago, we now have more than
sixty agricultural schools or secondary
courses in colleges, over four hundred
high schools teaching agriculture, 120|
state or county normal schools, and 16
agricultural colleges training young
men and women to teach agriculture,
besides a large number Of correspond
ence courses. Not only agriculture
but domestic science must soon be
taught in all our high schools, and in
some of them the various industries.
Elementary agriculture, or nature
studies, should be taught in all our
rural schools. The first step necessary
is to prepare a large number of teach
ers. Our next legislature should make
a provision for this by establishing a
department in our State Normal
schools, and by giving a little state
aid, for a time at least, to such high
schools as will introduce such a course
to prepare teachers for the rural
schools. Space forbids our discussing
the benefits to be derived from such a
policy, but suffice it TO say that neces-
sity compels US to keep pace with the
other states in the march of progress.
For the past ten years We have
wanted to see an agricultural school
established in every county in our state,
with a farm connected where an ap-
plication could be made of the science
taught. Where our boys could learn to
judge stock of all kinds and balance
rations for the same, how to handle
and test milk and cream, and to make
the finished product, how to manage
soils and feed plants, the manipulation
and care of improved farm machinery,
and everything connected with a mod
ern up-to-date farm equipment. Such
a farm would be good investment
for the farmers of the county as an
object lesson.
The only school we now have of this
nature is our state institution at YER
gennes. This is an institution of which
state has reason to feel proud.
The superintendent and matron are
surely the right people for the place.
They are to be congratulated on the
splendid homelike atmosphere and
Christian spirit that prevails in and
about the place1and the love and devo-
tion the childen accord their foster
parents. 1t is the duty of the state to
encourage them by making the neces-
sary appropriations to carry out the
work they have undertaken. The
school is now ~overcrowded, but had
they the room, and were it not for two
things, the unavoidable contact with
some bad characters, and the stigma
of it's being a state institution, we
could wish nothing better for many of
our boys and girls, now in cherries and
Goddess homes than that they could go
to the most practical school in our
state; but to obtain permission to at
tend such a school we now compel
them to become criminals. While we
do not expect to see a practical agri-
cultural school established in every
county at once, we do believe the
coming Legislature should start, at
least, one such school. Others would
be sure to follow. Then again these
county farms will be just what the
state will need to carry out its provi-
sions when the Dolliver-Davis bill
becomes a law. This bill is now
pending in Congress with fair pros
poets of it's passage, when the legis.
lators get time to attend to other
things than political capital" The
bill carries an appropriation of clever
million dollars annually, to be divided
among the states in assisting in in
struction in agriculture, the trades anC
industries, home economics in secondary
schools, for branch agriculture expert
ment stations connected with these
secondary schools and for preparing
teachers in state normal schools
When Congress passes this bill, wha
will become a reality.
If the farmers are not adeQuatel,
represented in the legislature this yea
whose fault will it be? The last legis
lature appropriated, to be spent an
nually, $40, 900 to help make doctors
Sc, 900 for one college and SIS, 900 TO
manual training in our larger village
: and cities, and not one cent for agri
cultural education. If that is re
peated this year whose fault will it be
THE REFERENDUM.
Argument is not needed to shoy
that the liquor traffic peoples on
: almshouses, fills our prisons and beget
: insanity. That it imposes upon it
: victims mental ruin, spiritual bligh
and moral degeneration. That j
causes crimes to be committed, home
to be destroyed, and hearts to b
broken. That it is the greatest ours
we have. The question is, how sha.
we control it. No sane person woul
/ advocate going back to our old .'tow
agency system. We believe a larg
e majority of the people of our stat
t believe in temperance and the abol.
n is a misnomer. One town in a count
can nullify its effect. One bad featur
e of our present law is the struggle whic
n paralyzes business, in some towns, fc
several days. We would not try t
T lepalize an evil. We believe q bette