No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 127 



is the basis of all other industries, then all honorable means should 

 be employed for its advancement. Nothing should be done to crip- 

 ple its interests. Nothing should be left undone that would en- 

 courage its promotion, or result in securing more satisfactory re- 

 sults for those who labor to feed the world. 



To this end and for this purpose we turn to the public schools, 

 the university of the common people, as the surest means of securing 

 higher attainments in agriculture. If knowing precedes doing, then 

 training must necessarily be the rule of action. In the performance 

 of any duty, assigned or undertaken, there must be some prepara- 

 tion in order to accomplish the purpose. If this be true, and if the 

 former's business does not differ materially from any other, then a 

 knowledge of the fundamental principles governing his interests 

 will evidently guarantee better results, and a little more prosperity 

 just now would not be very embarrassing. 



But we do not wish to heap any more burdens upon the children 

 of the public schools. The curriculum is already heavily loaded. 

 To further increase the labor of teacher and pupil without a corre- 

 sponding decrease is questionable. But by striking out and insert- 

 ing, studies bearing upon the future usefulness of the toiling mil- 

 lions might be introduced without endangering the interests of the 

 schools. We advocate no radical changes; rather a gradual intro- 

 duction of elementary science. We favor this, because it would 

 have a good effect upon the interests we represent, by bringing the 

 child in closer relation to the things in nature which shall require 

 his attention in after life. 



What would you think of a commercial school that did not teach 

 the principles of penmanship? What is your opinion of a school of 

 medicine without instruction in chemistry? What is your idea of 

 a normal school that does not have a training class? What must 

 you think of a public school in the rural district, with a farmer for 

 school director, and the financial support coming from farmers, 

 taught by a farmer's son or daughter, who was educated at a col- 

 lege whose professors chose farmers for parents, and farmer's 

 daughters for wives, walking in wisdom's ways from first to finish, 

 and nothing taught in that school, attended principally by prospec- 

 tive agriculturists, that touches the great underlying principles of 

 their future business. Great nature, with all her abundant wealth 

 of resource and beauty, utterly disregarded in the instruction given. 



Is the picture overdrawn? Do you know of such a school? If so, 

 are you in any manner responsible for such a condition? Is it any 

 wonder that you complain of the bright boys leaving the farm? I 

 am surprised that the so-called dull ones remain at home. They are 

 educated away from it. (<euius goes, where the money flows. 'Tis 

 natural that it should. The business centres need the bright boys, 



