The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1914-02-19
EDUCATIONAL,
tBY c. w. MEIsNEsT.)

The misdirection of the rural school
and the country church has resulted in
large measure not only in a failure
to meet the needs of the rural commun-
ity, but has bred discontentment with
country life and directed people city
ward. The problems and advantages
Of country life have been almost entire
ly neglected by the school, and the
church has failed to adapt itself to many
OF the needs to which it should minis
ter. In the school the cultural theory
Of education has been so tenaciously
clung to that vocational education has
been sadly neglected. Until recently
textbooks have given very little atten-
zion to country life, and even now ed
ucation is not receiving the attention it
deserves. The adolescent student with
an inquiring mind has little to suggest
TO him the possibilities of rural prob
lens and opportunities worthy of his
efforts. His goal has been fixed at
some distant point, which his training
has taught him to magnify. The rur-
al school teacher has been very largely
ignorant of the fact from environment,
or training, or both-that her duty to
the school has depended in no small
measure upon the needs of the particu-
lar community in which her school is
located. She has labored too much un-
der the impression that education is
merely matter of textbook work, in
stead of what it is-the teaching and
and training of boys and girls to live.
Farm life, apart from isolation, has
its problems from which an agricultur-
al population cannot escape. These
problems may be mentioned under the
following demands made of the farmer;
proper equipment, the production of
marketable produce, judicious buying
and selling and social organization fit
ted to meet the needs of farming pop
ulation. These widely different de-
mands require the exercise both OF a
broadly cultural education, and thoro
vocational training in several fields of
endeavor, provided the agriculturist is
to attain the same degree of success
possible in many fields with more mea-
ger preparation.
Proper equipment with which to
work is absolutely necessary to success
in field where the competition is so
great. While great fortunes have been
made through speculations in land and
agricultural products, such means are
not to be recommended to the great
mass of people. 1t is safe to say that
the equipment, of necessity meager
at first, must be such as to produce re-
latively large returns, or-and perhaps
generally the safer way.-ample means
should be secured before any attempt
is made to secure the equipment with
which to carry bn farming operations
independently. Many mistakes are
made either through depending too
much upon borrowed capital for the Sc
curing of equipment, or upon the at
tempt to carry on extensive operations
without proper equipment. In either
case the margin between profit and loss
is too narrow, or perhaps on the wrong
side, in the one case because of the at
tempt to meet the demands of borrow
ed capital, or in the olher, because an
adequate quantity OF farm work cannot
be properly done.
The production OF marketable pro-
duce which will bring the greatest pro-
fit without exploiting the productive
powers of the farm requires broad
knowledge Of the demands of the mar
ket, a knowledge Of the demands of the
comparative merits Of the different
products, and familiarity with the
processes by which these products are
| the best obtained. Soil adaptations,
crop needs, the care of animals, and
the preparation OF materials for mar
ket are some Of the important factors to
be considered, The great variety OF
products and the great variety of condi.
tions under which different individuals
work in securing these put great res
possibilities upon the producer With
out proper care soil becomes depleted,
while plants and animals "run out" SC
as to become less and less profitable.
| In this field alone the demands are very
great. The way these are met often
determines the success or failure of the
agricuturist.- BY Dean II. A. Farrar
|