The Dickinson press., 1913-04-05
NATURE STUDY TALK
BEFORE the TEACHERS

Following is the first section of Supt.
l.. X. Waldron's address on Monday at
the teachers institute held in Dickin-
son thia week:
with our present system of educa-
ton, the new thought has not yet much
modified 1t. he education of the rural
child is something largely apart from
his daily life and activities. The OBJ
ject of nature study,is to bridge this gap
to a certain extent. The schoolmasters
have followed the inherited methods
with much uniformity in an
effort to turn out a standard product.
In doing this they ignore " very inn
portant things; % the individuality
Of the child and (2) the need of the
country that produces the child. AS a
result of this rather blind and careless
method, both the child and the rural
conditions have suffered.
Certainly in many cases, the child
has come to dislike school life and has
quit school. %unprepared to meet the
duties and hardships of life and unfit
ted to give to society his share of
work. In other cases, the child has
been educated away from country life
and has drifted to the city. The coun-
try does not need such a large proper
ton OF the whole population as former
ly but unfortunately it has been too
often the case that the brighter and
more capable children have been edu-
Gated away from country life.
THE country does not stand in need
OF a comparatively large number of
people but it is essential (1) that the
rural inhabitants have average natural
ability and (2) that such inhabitants
be properly educated. If the smartest
and best children are educated off to the
universities and to the cities. then the
clodhoppers will remain upon the land
to transmit their low average intelli-
gence to their offspring.
By properly educating and directing
the minds of the rural young, it is be-
lieved by competent authorities that
the present exodus to the cities many
be largely prevented. or prevented to a
sufficient degree. 1t is further held
that when the children of the farms are
properly educated. there will be a much
deeper interest in rural life than FORM
erly and that their work upon the farm
will be more interesting and of a high
er character.
We do not have much evidence of
what properly directed school education
may do in changing the current of
thought of young people but l have a
few figures and you will note they are
strongly biased. In Wright county,
Iowa, a census vas taken a few years
ago of what the rural school children
of that county preferred to do in after
life. Of the 800 girls and boys, a total
of only 18 or 5 per cent Of them though,
they preferred to remain on the farm.
At that time agriculture and allied sub
jects were introduced into the schools,
Contests of different kinds were helt
and the interest of the parents in thu
work were secured. as we'll as that o.
the teachers and pupils. Three year.
later the same question was asked o.
the pupils of the same school. Of tn,
352 pupils, only % pupils. or about
per cent, answered that they wished t,
leave the farm. This almost complet,
change was brought about apparent!
entirely by the change in education
The teaching of agriculture in tn,
rural schools. in an academic way, az.
sumes at once that the child is interes
ted in the subject or assumes at leas
that the child will follow the occupa'
tion Of agriculture. in after life. If tn
work upon the farm. and rural life gen
orally. is distasteful to the child. the,
the mere teaching of methodist hov
to grow potatoes, for instance, will. no
bring about a stronger love of rural life
In addition to teaching the child fact
in agriculture. we must endeavor to in
terest him in the work and in rural lif,
generally.
THE rural child must be educate,
then to have a proper outlook upon ma
ture and upon his surroundings and i
such a condition is not present, tn
teaching of agriculture may have n,
more than a purely pedagogic and dis
ciplinary value, similar to the valu'
of Latin or Greek, used as a teachin,
subject. 1t has, to be sure, a erea
deal of the value of the regular sub
jects, as a teaching subject and whel
properly handled, it has vastly MOI
value to the student and to the com
munity than many of the subjects no,
taught.
"Some of our present day thinker
hold that if the child be brought int
touch with his environment that tha
of itself will be sufficient, in consider
able measure. to make him wish tn de