Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-12-08
avs has often kappenea in medicine

says has often happened in medicine
and surgery.
"Their conclusion Of the whole mat
ter Is this. as they say:
"'By the principle Of major and
service lines. each state educational
institution has assigned TO 1t certain
major fields which It may develop To
the fullest extent. Service lines are
such subordinate subjects as are essen
tial to the proper cultivation OF n
major line. For example, agriculture
at the Iowa State College of Agricul-
ture and Mechanic Arts is u major
line. and English service line. On
the other hand, English is described
as major line, at the state uni
versity and service line at the
state college. On this principle no state
would attempt to maintain two or more
extensive and elaborate educational;
plants doing the same type OF special
work In the same field, and no institu-
ton would duplicate the work of an
other except to the extent that such
work Is necessary to the main task of
the college,
"This is merely IA skillful restate-
ment of the contention of every survey
Of higher Institutions of learning by
university men under the foundations.
The only new thing is the artistic
expression: Major and service activi-
ties.
1T il liable to be as futile as every
other attempt to debase agricultural
colleges and state normal schools. No
where else, by no one else. has there
been such bold attempt to label
agricultural colleges and normal
schools and colleges as uncultural, even
in English.
Pedagogy is the major at the
teachers college and English Is only
to be taught SO far as it Is necessary
for the promotion of pedagogy. Tell us.
pray, who need English as a major
more than teachers?
Farmers to- be and farmers wives
to-be are to have no more English
than is necessary to be farmers and
farmers wives Any English for cul-
ture, for enjoyment, for the uplift of
their children in the home Is to be
rigidy excluded because it is not SER
viceable in the study of agriculture.
"Will any one find in all American
education an equally vicious attempt
to educate for class qualification, for
class degradation?
English the major nowhere in
higher education except in the univer-
sity for culture is gigantic effort I'd
train university students alone to write
effective English.
ultimately all pedagogy will have to
be written by university students and
ali good agricultural writing will OF
necel SHY haveNto be written I'm univer-
>ity men. who alone can have had Eng
lish as their major.
IF America has any mission that Is
its major 1t is to give agriculture =
flavor Of culture. The culture in agri-
culture in the United states will never
mean merely the culture of land but
also culture in the home.
The farmer rides in his own auto
mobile and uses his telephone, enjoy :
the luxury Of rural free delivery and
parcel post and the universities have
started in too late in American his
tory to tell him that he must not let
his children major in English If he
wants them to run his farm scientlh-
cally. "..
But how about the duplication
nightmare? Who started it? Farmers ::
No. Teachers? No. Agricultural col
leges No. Normal schools? No. If yop
do not know give a guess"