The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1919-09-17
Teachers Take to New Course in
Agriculture; Instructor Makes II
Simple But interesting
to Children.
GIVES NEW MEANING
OF WORD-AGRICULTURE
Says Means Anything that Pertains
to Rural Life; Shows how Boys
and Girls Benefit; Music
Course on Tap Too.

Interest nthe Holden course in
"How to teach vitalized agriculture
IN the rural schools" is accruing
daily and, according to those in
charge, at the end Of the week, one
of the most successful courses OF
this nature ever given in the state
will have been completed hero.
Teachers are Busy
The fifty teachers who are taking
the course have found the first 'wo
and one-halt days Of the course busc
periods The course opened Monday
morning and will continue until Sat.
urday.
Thus far, time has been spent in
lectures by Dr. Holden, saving,
hammering, planning, tying rope knots
learning to make storm hoods, all
Of which, DR. Holden says, is neces.
sary in qualifying for yitalized agri.
culture teachers.
Vitalized agriculture, DR.. Holden
says, begins with the things with
which the boys and girls are ac-
quainted and proceeds to learn
arithmetic grammar, spelling, etc,
by studying and working with tho
silo, the wheat yield, the nail box,
and the household tasks.
Meaning Of Word agriculture"
The word agriculture, he declares,
Is used not to express what is COM
monty meant by agriculture
stock, and feeding. 1t means also
all the interest of house and com
munity sanitation, house conven.
fences, social conditions and anything
which means teaching in terms OF
the lives of the people and the needs
of the community.
"The days would not be long
enough for such q program, if it
should all be undertaken at once"
said Mr. Holden yesterday.
ITO make a place for each sub
ject and avoid tho tiresome repeti.
tion which has been characteristic
Of the rural schools, the subjects
are rotated, under our vltalized agri.
culture plan" he added
The first year Of the course under
the Holden plan deals with crops or
growing things, such as corn, wheat.
alfalfa, hay and grain. Gardening,
canning, preserving, pickllng and
storing Of the fruits and vegetables
are the household studies given dur.
ing the first year Both boys and
girls take this work; that is, the
boys learn to can and preserve and
the girls to test corn, measure tho
hay in the NOV, and the corn in
tho wagon box.
"All these activities are part of
the daily life in the rural communi-
ties and are elemental, not special.
lied, work
The second year deals with tho
making Of thlngs-carpentry, rope
knots. concrete machines, sewing.
removing stains and laundering. Tho
third year takes up living things,
animals, cows, horses, pigs, sheep.
chickens, birds, insects. helpful and
harmful getting rid OF flies, the hot
dish for school lunch and simple
cooking.
In the fourth year. the soil, the
home and the community furnish a
strong climax to the four year rota-
tion. BY this plan, according to Dr.
Holden, the lower grades as they
advance find something new waiting
for them They do not have to
study the same lesson they have
heard recited year after year, but
find new subjects each year, it is
pointed out.
Streeter Music Course
Miss Margaret streeter, of tho
educational department Of a large
mechanical music machine concern.
is giving a course in community ser.
vice in connection with the Holden
course in vitalized agriculture.
Music, Miss Streeter says, is OF
great Importance and helps in vital.
izing rural life. Miss Streeter pre-.
(Continued on mage az