Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-04-12

Rural school teachers are anxious to
teach agriculture In their schools.
From their standpoint there has been
a sufficient amount of mere agitation
They want to know the specific thing.
that they can DO and just how to 10
them. An ambitious teacher recently
confronted the writer somewhat as fol-
lows: Just what can do? have hal
4 course in agriculture from text
book a a summer school, but did not
like it. 1 have tried reading from it 10
my pupils. but they don't take very
kindly to it. Our time is overcrowdel
nov. don't see how can And a place
for It on my program, altho I realize
its Importance" In those remarks she
voiced the feelings Of practically all ru-
raj school teachers in localities where
the sentimen: is in favor of agricul
rural instruction.
The first suggestion made to that
teacher was trait she refrain so far
as possible from making agriculture
a separate course 1t can be correlat-
ed and worked into the other studies.
I.anguase geography, arithmetic. read
ing. and history are made more IN
teresting when favored with an agri-
cultural setting. The making % agri-
cultural hocklets is one thing that this
teacher or any other may take up with
profit and credit to herself and the
cause. The children may bring their
farm papers to school or they may
clip from them at home. The illustra-
tons from those papers are to be
used as the themes for language
lessons. The writer has seen the
whole story Of the growth, cultivation
and harvesting Of corn very nicely
pictured and described in this book
let form. This appeals directly to
things about which the boy or girl is
already familiar. 1t leads to deeper
thought and to clear natural express
sion, which is just the point wherein
the usual language work Is weak. The
pupil most often looks upon languag &c
work as something foreign and unin-
teresting. In this one course there Is
strength added by the correlatine
agriculture with it. The topics pic
tured and described may vary wide
| ly. In live stock work there is most
excellent opportunity to teach the diff
ferent breeds Of live stock in this
way. The illustrations in the papers
show first class animals. BY pastine
those cuts or illustrations in the book
lets and then by describing and noting
the differences the pupils will learn t.
recognize the different breeds. In adj
dition to the papers, catalogs OF pure
bred stock sales or seed catalogs vii
| be very useful. It will be the easiest
| task Imaginable to get the pupil:
to apply the knowledge they accumu
late to the herds and focks at home
and in the vicinity.
Those same booklets can be made
a source of utmost inspiration to the
pupils. It may seem that too much
space is being taken UP in discussing
them. Yet anything that will inspire
pupil with things that are worth,
and good is worth discussing a
length. One time the writer asked Z
successful and somewhat famOu.
breeder of Percherons and otte'
stock what led him to take up tina
calling for his life work. His answer
was, Il received my inspiration from
the splendid big illustrated catalog'
of Percherons that the late Mark Dun
ham used to send out. When wa,
a small lad l spent a great deal o
time in looking at OF studying tn
pictures in that book. think the pic
| ture of the mare standing in the cor
ner of the lot enclosed with Q hedg'
fence had the most influence wit