The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-09-18


equal on its own groud; to say moth
ing of broad sympathies an1 intellect
ual resources these scientists had on
account of their early liberal educa-
ton.
To teach the finer things is the great
task. the fundamental duty the most
delicate and far reaching business
connected with the educational svs-
TEN. Nothing is SO pressing and the
teacher should consider these alone
as worthy of his supreme concern.
The material side of the world is 60
ing to go on all right, if the other
things are right. The great majority
of boys will engage in occupations
where. if intelligence and other desir-
able qualities are brought to the work.
the technical side can be mastered in
remarkable short time The idea
that long technical training is neces-
sary to do most of the things of life
with the greatest efficiency has been
exploded.
What was on my mind when / be-
gan to write this letter was to say
something about the effort that is
being made to introduce agriculture
into the country schools. Perhaps
have not wandered to far ahead in
speaking in general terms, and now
we shall come more directly to the
point.
If to Introduce agriculture into the
country school means that all boys
are to spend time in it's study CD, the
suggestion is most remarkable to
come from practical men," Ia the
boy going to remain on the farm be-
cause he was born there? Can ne be
made to stay by giving him agricul-
ture in the schools? I'm an old coun-
try like France where a child is all
but born into the occupation of the
parents and imbibes it with the moth
er's milk. such an education has not
prevented large proportion Of the
poys from leaving the farm. Can we
hope it will do so in America, where
lines between different occupations are
not SO tightly drawn as they are in
Europe? A writer in a recent num-
Der Of q French magazine, in discus
sing this fact, advocates teaching the
country youth scarcely anything but
what relates directly to farming, and
expresses the opinion that such, am
education WILT put an end to the
trouble. We want men on the farm,
but when we try to accomplish the re-
suit by catching, the youth Of tender
age in trap We encounter moral
phase Of the affair. Perhaps the NOR
al enters more largely into the ques-
tton than most of us are aware, for
evidently boy should have some
thing 90 say about his flies vocation.
Ordinarily the lad in the high school
~ not ready to elect his life's work.
Nor is agriculture going to be taught
efficiently by the high school teacher.
Ths country boy, though he attends
school, spends half his time in actual
with things on the farm. and
in great many cases in company
with father who knows more about
agriculture than the teacher can be
expected to know. His practical edu-
cation is being taken care Of.
The need of the country school is
not in that direction. 1t is rather in
the direction Of thorough work in
the so-called cultural subjects. Super
fcially, Europeans say. is our beset-
ting sin. and nowhere is this truer
than in our schools. To add another
milk-and water subject would be to
make the situation worse.
What is surprising to some of us in
rhe ranks is that more of the leaders
in educational thought do not en-
phasize this side. The schools should
ne bent on securing teachers who
have good education, who know life
in its fullest measure, who can inter-
pret 1T as found in history literature
art, science, and who will give the stu
dents training eve should not be
afraid of the word) which counts for
so much in later life, regardless of the
occupation to be followed. Much in
pedagogy that, just at present, is be-
ing hawked about, is the verest rub
bish. The get-rich-quick idea has
invaded the domain Of education and
Is rs mischevous there as elsewhere.
Courses of study are going TO
change from time to time. but there
= one thing that is certain among the