The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-11-06

- "S 10 AShlLA al. LlLEu .SCIlOOl. I'M
term agricultural high schooI' is (
misnomer in educational terminolog,
In North Dakota. We have no ;nstitu.
ton which legally has that name
chapter 268. laws of 1913 describes
Grafton and the four other school!
cooperating under special provision
as schools having an agricultural
manual training, and domestic
economy department." The fact IL
that, SO far as the Grafton high schoo
Is concerned, it would be just as ap.
propriate to call it a commercial higr
school as an agricultural high
school," for we are offering four year;
OF work in both and lgri
culture. Chapter 265, laws of 1911 as
amended by chapter $50, avs of 1911:
names and schools established al
Park River and at Maddox as coun-
ty agricultural n training schools.
suppose the term agricultural high
schooP' has gained a place IN our
speech and appears in the programme
OF this meeting of the N. D. E. A. be-
aus the department is new, has re-
ce1ved a good deal of public attention,
n has met the favor of a majority
of our patrons. At Grafton we try to
make 1t plain that we have made no
change. in our high school curriculum
except by way of addition. We still
nave courses for those who wish to
prepare for college, for business, for
teaching, for the management of a
nome, and for ar increase of general
culture; and we have recently added
an opportunity to prepare to engage
intelligentlly in the typical industry
OF our community, namely, farming.
There is a general demand through
nI1f fhn" TIrifaI Gfnk4r &c. a.
llshment of schools wherein young
persons from IA to IS years Of age
may be taught agriculture in such a
way that they shall be able to com
b1ne practical efficiency with scientific
knowledge in that subject.
e. But all these functions must be
regarded as secondary to the primary
purposes of the school, which is, in a
businesslike fashion to prepare boys
to succeed in farming and to like that
as a career. .....-
Each state of the union now has
its agricultural college. These col
leges offer several types of instruction
in agriculture, but they concern them
selves chiefly with students of college
grade.
But the agricultural college cannot
meet, except in slight degree, the need
Of practical education for the pursuit
Of farming as a career, as that need
exists in every agricultural communi-
ty on the part of the thousands of
young people who cannot hope to have
a college education. For these it is
necessary that agricultural schools
should be located near at hand, that
their courses should be adapted to the
needs OF young persons below college
education, and that their work should
be so practical and scientific as to re-
suit in genuine ability to make farming
as q career not only commercially pro-
fltable, but attractive as we'll.
. Such schools must not be weak imi-
tations Of agricultural colleges, giving
large portions of their time to labora-
tory and textbook work which bear
only remotely on the pursuit of prac-
teal farming. Neither should they set
UP standards, either in admission re-
quirements or courses which will eX-
clude pupils. who, in spite, perhaps,
Of inadequate general education, are
nevertheless capable of being made
successful farmers. ''
Some experimental work the agri-.
cultural school should do in the way
Of finding the best, ways for the prac-
tice of the various phases of agricul-
ture in the community in which the.
school is located. But such expert
mental work should be incidental to
the primary purpose of teaching boys
practical agriculture according to &C.
cepted principles INC methods.
"These agricultural schools might
also, as an incidental part Of its re-
s~ponsibilities, give attention to the
so-called demonstration work-that
is, attempts to show what can be
done in q given neighborhood with
crops not before cultivated, with land
hitherto neglected, or with imple-
ments and methods of cultivation, the
practical worth of which have not yet
been apparent to the people Of the
locality. f .s .
But it is clear that profitable
household arts courses for the coun-
try girls can be maintained in agri-
cultural schools. Such courses should
be thoroughly practical and scientific
and should aim to produce efficiency
in the home no less than the agricul-
tural courses should aim to produce
efficiency on the farm.
After being well established; some
agricultural schools will become CEN
tiers for. short course instruction for
working farmers In seasons When
farm, work is slack.
Requirements of the state board of
education to agricultural schools
seeking state aid.
"(1) The instruction must, be
uCSl6ildlCu III 1Io Ally LUl boyC IL IL
to 1S years of age, living at home, and
consisting essentially of two classes.
viz. (a) those whose parents had
farms, and OBJ those whose parents,
living, in villages or cities had no
farms.
"(2) The instruction must be SO
organized that each boy could each
year do a definite amount of practical
work in some phase of agriculture,
executed on a commercial scale and
under the supervision of a properly
qualified instructor.
..(3). Each boy should have OPP
portunity to study in the school and
in direct relation to his practical work
those phases of agricultural science.
shopwork, ETC., which will
admit of a large degree of s~pecializa-
ton if that seems desirable.
I'D AS a general proposition, the
agricultural school must be open to
any boy owe IA years OF age,
and. it must give him (and his par
ents) a fair trial. But 1t is certain
the agricultural school cannot be
made a reform school nor a pleasant
place for idlers. Tt must keep only
boys who mean business who are
to work hard six to eight hours
a day. and who are no trif1ers.
Each pupil should have the op-l
portunity tt devote a portion of his
time to cultural studies in literature
and other subjects SO as to keep him
la touch with the spirit Of liberal
1T appears that two types Of
are practicable, CD a high
with a. department of agricul-
Eure. and (2) a central agricultural
school.
I'm the case OF the agricultural de-
partrnent, the following conditions
govern: q1 The agricultural training |