The Mankato free press., 1913-03-07
Boys and Girls More
Important Than Hogs
From Fridays Daily.

Last nights meeting at the con
vention, like the others was opened
with music, as high in quality as
any of the other musical programs
and enjoyed by the large gathering
equally as much. The music was
furnished by ID. NJ. Jones, a Man
kato business man. He sang sew
eral catchy songs in his clear roll
ing baritone and also gave few
stories were OF character that
could be most appreciated and en-
joyed by the kind of an audience
present.
Mr.. Jones was introduced by G.
p. Bull, who also introduced the
speaker of the evening, George F.
Howard, OF the extension division
of the Agricultural College of the
University of Minnesota. III intro.
ducing Mr. Howard. Mr.. Bull said
that he had never had the pleasure
of introducing a speaker who was
to speak on the topic of the Future
Citizen" but that he was certain
that the address to be given would
he presented in a way which would
be greatly appreciated. as Mr.. How
ard was a specialist in this line
and that his first experience in
the making of citizens was had dur
ing the first twenty-one years of
his life when his own splendid char
acter was nodded
More important Than Hogs.
Mr.. Howard said that his subject
was more important than the rails
ing of hog, sheep or cattle. He
stated that the greatest question be-
fore the American people today is
the question of the boy. "It de.
pends,' said Mr.. Howard. upon
these boys, what this nation is to
be. l am spending my time in be-
half of the boys and girls because
! think the most important peo.
pie in the world are the boys
and girls. We are accused of liv.
ing for the day only and in the
other countries the people build for
all time.
IF we could come back here a
hundred years from now l think
we should find a country much pro-
gressed, but We should so train
Sui IVY duu SlllS W make tue
country improve as it has been i'm
proving.
The world now asks only one ques.
ton OF man: what can you do?'
Thus We should train our boys and
girls to do someone thing better
than anything else. We must give
our sons and daughters better train
ing than we had because men have
progressed and our sons and daugb-
tcrS have more and better trained
competition than We had. The re-
Guirements for graduation i'm trades
and professions are much more
stringent now than they were years
ago. The law course in the Uni
versity Of Minnesota was formerly
three years, but it is now five years.
Perhaps it is not fair to raise these
requirements, but that is just the
kind of competition that your boys
and my girls will have to meet
Educating the Hands.
Minnesota is doing as much or
more than any other state in the
Union. We are now educating the
hands as well as the head. some
thing which was not done in our
time. The value of Industrial train
ing is incalculable. Eighty per cent
OF our people make their living
with their hands. At first every
thing was done by hand and our
present high state of civilization
is due to the progress in the train
ing OF the haud. This industrial
training must be begun when the
child is young. In our graded
schools the Industrial training be.
gins in the fourth or fifth grade.
In the Mankato school the manual
training department is teaching boys
and girls to make things with their
hands and make them right
Il believe that manual training
should be given in the country as
Wel as in the city, and the only
way to do this is to consolidate
our country schools. Tho old schools
are beginning 10 go, and now tho
question of the consolidation of
rural schools is attracting great in
terest all through the country. Some
schools of this kind have already
been built and, the students who
attend them have the same adyan-
tages that the city boys and girls
have.
Agriculture Gaining Ground.
Agriculture is also gaining ground
in public schools. 1t has been prov.
en- tha: it is just as practical to
study agriculture as 10 study law
or medicine. Wisconsin has had for
number of years the county agri.
cultural schools. but the location of
these county schools is always a
great question In this state the
high schools are beginning to re.
ccive state aid and to put in agri
cultural instruction. Requirements
for instruction in these schools are
quite as high as in the. regular state
school. These men have been very
hard to get but they have given us
results.
High school graduates in agri
cultural schools are going right to
the university and taking agricul
ture, and we are now making teach
ers. Some university graduates, in
agriculture are turning down, $1,000
salaries to go back to the farm
The work we are doing in our schoo
in this line, the work we are dojna
here and the work of the farmers
institutes, is making great stepf
in the production of intelligent far
merS.
Demand For Better Aorjculture