SOCIAL PHASE OF AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. 359 



eral decades the educational camp has been sharply divided over the an- 

 cient but recurring controversy between the Greek cultural ideal and the 

 Eoman utilitarian ideal. I venture the opinion that these two forces of 

 educational idealism will soon reach a compromise which for all practical 

 purposes will take this question out of the pale of serious debate. The 

 classicist will concede that the scope of the term culture may be greatly 

 enlarged, and he may even allow a quite new definition of the cultivated 

 man. It will be generally admitted, to use Professor Bailey's phrase, 

 that ' every subject in which men are interested can be put into peda- 

 gogic form and be a means of training the mind.' On the other hand, 

 the technical educator will concede that a college graduate, in whatever 

 course, should be a cultivated man and that there are certain studies 

 with which all cultivated men should have some familiarity. The 

 technical college will, moreover, be compelled to employ instructors who 

 can so teach the technical subject that it shall not only give the knowl- 

 edge and training desired, but shall also yield sound culture, become 

 truly liberalizing and vision-giving. But a greater question remains. 

 As society becomes more fully self-directive, the demand for social 

 leadership increases. Almost instinctively we look to the college- 

 trained man for such leadership. We expect him to understand and 

 to help. answer the questions that society has to meet. It is not enough 

 that he do his particular work well; he has a public duty. Only thus 

 can he pay all his debt to society for the training he has had. Yet 

 to-day our technical courses are largely engaged in training individuals 

 who, barring some general culture, are highly specialized experts. 

 What preparation, for instance, does the future engineer get in college 

 for facing such a matter as the labor question? He is likely to be 

 brought into close touch with this question. But as a rule he is not 

 especially qualified to handle it. The point of view of the course he 

 has pursued is technique, ever technique. He secures in college little 

 incentive and less training for intelligent performance of his duty as 

 citizen and as member of society. The problems of mathematics are 

 not the problems of industry, and profound study of chemistry gives 

 neither the premises nor the data for sound judgment upon social ques- 

 tions. These public questions can not be left to social experts. A 

 democratic society must insist that all its educated men shall be leaders 

 in solving society's problems. But even the educated men can not lead 

 unless they have first been taught. I believe society has more to fear 

 from technical experts who either neglect their social duty or are 

 ignorant of the social problem than it has from highly trained special- 

 ists who have never studied Greek nor mastered Browning. Moreover, 

 under modern conditions, have we a right to call that man cultivated 

 who ignores the great social problems of the age? We face here one 

 of the coming educational questions, how can the industrial course be 



