EDUCATIONAL FEATURES. 95 



to do better in the future. I am glad the time has come when we 

 are appreciating ourselves a little better than we did formerly. 

 Not very many years back we were sending our men and our 

 money out into the other states. The money was lost, much of 

 it ; a few of the men made for themselves success, but many did 

 not succeed in a large measure. We are realizing in these later 

 days that there are just as good opportunities open for us in this 

 State as in any other, and I think that under the teaching of the 

 Grange our farmers are beginning to believe that there are just 

 as good opportunities upon the farms of this State as upon the 

 farms in any other state. And as these agricultural fairs stand 

 true to their original purpose and aid the farmers of this State 

 in the development of its resources, then they will repay their 

 managers and accomplish a worthy work. 



SHOULD THE EDUCATIONAL FEATURES OF FAIRS 

 BE MADE ^lORE PROMINENT? 



By Prof. C. S. Phelps, Chapinville, Conn. 



Ever since the first agricultural fair was held in ^lassachusetts, 

 in 18 1 7, fairs have been thought to be of advantage to the farmer, 

 — of pecuniary advantage by encouraging him to raise crops and 

 products that would win the coveted premiums, and of educa- 

 tional advantage by stimulating a desire to know the reason, in 

 case of failure to win. The raising of better stock and better 

 products has thus been encouraged, at least among those who 

 were in the habit of exhibiting. As long as the fair received no 

 State aid, and thus did not come under State control, the man- 

 agers were fully entitled to conduct it on such lines as they saw 

 fit, as long as they introduced no morally objectionable features. 



Realizing the educational advantages to be derived from fairs, 

 the state has been induced to come in to help the farmer. By 

 comparing the good and the poor qualities of the various exhibits 

 it was thought that all in attendance would receive some benefit, 

 that the standard of quality, or of excellence, throughout the 

 state would thus be raised. This was a broad view of the situa- 

 tion and the only one upon which state aid could justly be 



