Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-07-16
The New Highway Commissioner
Looks Over Work He Has 10 Do.
Giles Should Take Pride In Exier.
mination OF Browntails.
STATE HOUSE CALENDAR.
Regular Meeting of Governor and
Council Tuesday, July %, 1918, 10
A. M. Special Session, Saturday,
July 10.

Freedom Academy is perhaps the
first secondary school in America to
supply two agricultural experts, the
result of an establishment in the
school of Il course in agricultural
training, and through the results of
this course the boys are now employ
ed by the State Department of Agri-
culture as testers in dairy test asso-
Citations. While this is only pioneer
movement in the realizing of the
needs of boys who wish to become
agriculturists, it is movement that
gains strong footing with every day
to pass.
The growing interest in agriculture
at the present time is inducing a
number of the high schools through
out the country to adopt as a part
of their curriculum a course tending
to educate boys to the opportunities
afforded them on the farm, and in
agricultural pursuits. The rapid
growth Of the cities, has greatly in
creased the opportunities on the farm,
owlng for the most part to the mi
grafton of the population from the
densely populated districts out into
the open Of the country.
The agricultural colleges are faced
with the problem of dealing with the
suddenly shifting phase in the worlds
life, and at their best can only ac-
commodate and educate the leaders
and the primary schools can only lay
the foundation. 1t then develops upon
the secondary school. 10 form the CON
Meeting link. between these two. To
do this requires a four-years' course
in agricultural training in the high
schools and academies such as are
located in the sparseley settled rural
and semi-rural districts.
The course must of necessity be
regulated by the topography, climate
and the nature of the locality in
which the student lives. in connection
with a general universal knowledge.
The accomplishment of this end ne
cesstates the radical changing of the
ALREADY. crowded courses of secondary
schools. A reduction of the language
and cultural education must be had.
In the fall of 1912. the trustees of
Freedom Academy. realizing the in
creasng Importance, adopted the
course and became the pioneer school
in Maine. The success of the course
at the present time is very gratifying.
taught the teachers of this academy
many things. which they have given
to tile public in the endeavor to reat h
the end desired. They find that
A large part of the work III the
teaching of the subject OF agriculture
in the past seems more suited to pri-
mary than to secondary school stu
dents. That school gardens and test
i 4
MANY educators as necessary to the
success of the secondary agricultural
course while valuable in city or sub
urban shoots may we'll be discarded
in schools that are located in agri- |
cultural communities. The close |
in rural and semi-rural |
communities, of school and farm, |
makes it possible and practical to deal
more directly with the business of |
farming than could possibly be done
in the cities and large towns.
Beyond reasonable doubt. the l
practica bility of this has been proven. |
and that the farmer and the school
must cooperate, in solving of the |
problems that face the ag-
riculturist of today, is what will place
agriculture as "a study on a suhstan- |
tial basis. The S. A. Knapp demon
stration work in the south closely re-
sembles the demonstration teach |
ing" which would result therefrom.
With this idea, the officials of the
Freedom academy have endeavored to
become more closely in touch with
the farmers of Waldo county. The
success of this method is perhaps
more remarkably illustrated by the
citations of one or two examples in
this school during the course.
Students were asked to weigh the
rations fed their cows at home and