Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1920-08-14
1000 WAR MEN
STUDY FARMING
Disabled Ex-service Men Placed
in Agricultural Training in
Various Institutions.
1900 READY FOR COURSE
Many Of the Men Are llIlterate and
Must Be Given Course In Ele-
mentary Work to Fit Them
for the Farm Course.

Neutrality-suspicious. than 1900 dis
nbled ex-service men have been d.
rectly placed in agricultural training
and in addition there are probably 500
engaged In prevocational work pre-
paratory to course in agricultural
training. Perhaps 1900 more have
been approved for the course.
Special placement has been suggest
ed and is being sought for tuberculous
men In hospitals and sanatoria.
The men approved for agricultural
training may be classed into three
general groups:
(a) Men who went into the war
from college or high school, and, re-
turning, have entered the agricultural
colleges.
90 Men with an eighth grade
preparation who are admitted into
subco)lege two-year courses, Smith
Hughes or other schools Of agricul-
ture.
(c) Men of elementary grade, rang
ing from illiterate to the seventh or
eighth grade, who of necessity must
have prevocational instruction In order
that they may receive scientific train
ing intelligently and benefit to the
greatest degree.
The first and second groups have
given the federal board and the insti-
tutlons to which they have been rec
commended very little trouble, as they
h., III fn hn {y1c
ton at the beginning of the school
year or a term, and If not they fire.
quently can be brought up to class
work by coaching.
Third Class Troublesome.
The third group has given the fed
eral farm board and all the institu-
lions great trouble. Insurmountable
difficulties seem to have arisen. In
varying numbers they form the prob
lem at every state agricultural col
lege and school, and they constitute
from 25 to as high as so per cent of
the men approved for agricultural
training.
This large percentage is due to the
fact that these men for the most part
are from isolated country districts
where the opportunities have not been
80 great for early education.
Farmer parents have been unwilling
to allow the boys more than very
ordinary education, for fear Of losing
them from the farm. Many have had
no opportunity. Such are usually old
er men, Is or 20 years past country
school age. Many Of the men are
therefore practically illiterate. and
to this number must be added
the foreign illiterates; that Is, for
eigners who are illiterate from the
English standpoint. lta
These difficulties constitute real
problem to the federal board and the
institutions to which these men are
sent. State institutions are not al
ways prepared to do the elementary
work necessary to advance the men to
a knowledge Of English and mathe-
MATES where they can receive and be
benefited by the agricultural training.
However, without exception, the
state institutions are convinced 1t Is
eral board in making preparation to
extend the necessary prevocational
training, and have changed wonder
fully in favor Of training disabled men
In spite Of their educational handicaps.
As students the Institutions are be-
ginning to appreciate them.
Forms "Guidance School,
DR.. Walter ]. Quick, training off,
Ger, worked out an elementary school,
which he termed guidance school,"
where such men were collected and In
structed in the elementary COM
mon branches and In elementary agri-
culture. The school has been made
prerequisite to certain courses that
DR.. Quick has designed as agricul-
tural unit courses. They are divided
into units Of one month each. cover
one year continuously from month to
month and may be entered any month.
A man may take one or several
unit courses, one as a major and
others as minors related to the ma
jor, while at the same time he contin-
ues in the common branches Of the
guidance school.
Nearly all the state institutions will
allow the men credits for the work
done In the unit agricultural courses.
which now include q twO-year course.
as we'll as the one-year.
These plans Of the guidance school
and agricultural unit courses were
.oduood 20 daHpito form opd yninoO-
graphed for the benefit Of all institu-
lions offering agricultural training to
the disabled class.