Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1912-07-19

this subject is presented in second
airy schools it should be closely corre-
lated with other subjects such as
field crops and horticulture. In
other words, only so much of the
study of soils should be introduced
as will prepare for a better under
standing of the principles of crop
production When thus presented
the subject becomes of vital interest
to the pupil.
There are at least two reasons why
agriculture may be introduced with
profit into the public schools. In the
first place it is a subject of general
human interest When we consider
the question it seems somewha at
strange that a subject of such uni
versal interest should have been so
long neglected. One-third of our
population is engaged in agricultural
pursuits. The other two-thirds are
looking to the farmer for daily bread.
If properly presented, the study of
agriculture may be pursued with
profit by every boy and girl beyond
the Sixth grade. Relative to this
the following pertinent comment:
Though the high school girl be des-
tined to live her life in a city home,
perhaps never to work with her own
hands, saneness of educational ideals
requires that she should at least
know the source-materials of her
daily bread and means of shelter"
To those accustomed to country
life the lack of information relative
to agriculture manifested by city
bred young people is often amusing.
The writer was one day conducting
an outdoor laboratory exercise in
field crops. city girl, intensely in
terested in the new sights, inquired:
What is that peculiar looking crop
on the other side of the fence?" The
reply was given in one word,
Potatoes. Is not just as i'm
portant that the city high school
student know how potatoes grow as
to know whether Hamlet was mad
or sane? We will venture the sug-
gestion that we are as able to an
swer the first question as we are to
answer the latter.
The second reason why agriculture
is fit subject for the public school
lies in the fact that it has a direct
bearing upon the future occupation
of such a large number of pupils 1t
has ever been the ideal of the public
school to train boys and girls for ac-
| tive life. In far too many cases they
have escaped from the school as soon
| as the law permits in order to engage
| in the activities of the shop, office
factory or street. The experience of
the hundreds of high schools and
academies where agriculture forms a
| part of the course goes to prove that
this new subject is extrem ely valu-
| able as means of keeping young
people in the school until more thor
oughly trained for life's activities.
There seems to be no definite
agreement as to what should be in
cluded in the high school course in
agriculture. When taught in rural
communities it is generally agreed
| that the course should have a close
relationship to the chief lines of ac-
tivity of the farming community.
Thus, if the chief interests of the
farmers Is dairying, this branch
should receive due emphasis if hor-
ticulture is a prominent feature, this
should receive much attention. But
it would be exceedingly unwise to
teach either of these subjects to the
! exclusion of all others.
Without doubt the first years
work agriculture must be general
and very elementary. We may not
assume any very definite previous
preparation on the part of the pupil,
so much of botany, physical geog-
raphy, geology, or chemistry as the
class needs must be presented along
with agriculture. In fact, these sub
jects must become, in many cases, part
of the course in agriculture. The
class may not even realize that they
are studying anything but agri-
culture. When these other subjects
are afterward taken up in the high
school they will be found to be cloth
ed with more vital interest to the
pupil than is usually the case. They
are found to have some connection
with actual life.
1t is not possible in this paper to
mn