AGRICULTURE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 13 



Salem, give no information respecting their attention to these 

 subjects. This is a serious matter, and deserves of farmers and 

 mechanics close scrutiny. These Normal Schools should be so 

 conducted that teachers will conic out from them qualified to 

 teach those branches which will make labor a luxury, and the 

 laborer skilful and intelligent. 



There is much said nqw-a-days of a farm school for the State. 

 I have but little faith in the result of such great and expensive 

 establishments. They make mostly fancy farmers, and do not 

 help farmers' wives at all in their chemical laboratory, — the 

 kitchen. The principles of farming should be taught in every 

 district school, and fully illustrated in the high school. The 

 management and studies of these schools demand the attention 

 of the thoughtful of all classes. They absorb nearly or fully 

 one-third of all the moneys raised for school purposes, in many 

 of our towns, (and wisely, if it is rightly expended,) while the 

 scholars in attendance are less than one-tenth of the school pop- 

 ulation. And more important still is the fact that sometimes 

 nine-tenths or more of the scholars in attendance are spending 

 two-thirds of their time on studies which are of no value in 

 practical life. 



Our high schools are now often conducted as if the scholars 

 of New England were residents of ancient Italy, and cattle were 

 to be reared and crops raised with Virgil's Georgics and Bucolics 

 as a hand-book. The housewifery of our daughters is taught from 

 the domestic economy of Dido, and their delicacy beautified 

 and their modesty perfected by mining syllable by syllable into 

 the story of her shame ! Boys who are fitting to be builders, 

 are required to study, word for word, the syntax and etymology, 

 and line for line the construction of Cassar's bridge, who never 

 receive a word of information respecting the strength of timber 

 or the names of the parts of an ordinary dwelling ! Young 

 aspirants for political honor, ardent to become selectmen, asses- 

 sors, school committees, possibly representatives to the great 

 and the general court, are thoroughly drilled in the municipal 

 regulations of Rome, and thumb out of their dictionaries with 

 perspiring agony and muttered execrations, the majestic utter- 

 ances of Cicero against Cataline, when they know nothing of 

 the duties and responsibilities of a field driver, or that such a 

 speech as that of Webster in reply to Hayne, is in existence. 



