118 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



portunities offered here during the summer, as well as for -us to fiud 

 out what should be offered during the session. 



(2). A \erj excellent group of teachers has been with us this year. 

 Among these was a isub gToup of ten mature men — superintendents and 

 principals in public schools — who are preparing themselves to teach 

 agriculture under the provisions of the Smith-Hughes law. This group 

 has tlie promise of a much larger number next year, on account of the 

 rapid progress in the consolidation of rural schools in our State. For 

 the most part these men are already well trained and are adjusting 

 themselves to this new field. They are likely to spend several summers 

 here, and some will continue for our degree. In view of this fact, I 

 suggest that the College arrange a group of studies to be pursued by 

 these men. These courses would consist of the technical work which the 

 men need for their purposes. An orderly arrangement would be ad- 

 vantageous both to the College and to the men, over the chance classi- 

 fication. 



(3). Some method must be devised to bring a larger number of 

 teachers to our summer courses. Several reasons prompt this sugges- 

 tion. Foremost is the fact that I believe that M. A. C. offers a very 

 good type of training in educational lines for teachers. According to 

 official reports, more tlian one half of our boys and girls in the public 

 schools are attendants upon rural and village schools, where they are 

 trained by the city reared and trained teacher. There is something 

 incongruous in our expectation that boys and girls are going to acquire 

 a deep abiding regard for things rural if, in the most impressionable 

 years of their lives, they are taught by men and women who have no 

 intimate or first hand .knowledge of country life. The very least we can 

 do is to have a hand in establishing the intellectual attitude for our 

 teachers. It seems to me these considerations strike at the very root 

 of our social problem of today. 



Again, we have one of the most splendidly prepared teaching forces 

 to be found anywhere, whose time in a large number of cases, is not 

 utilized by the College during the summer months, and also, a physical 

 plant of untold value for furnishing the very training our teachers 

 need. M. A. C. arouses the sincerest appreciation in the minds of those 

 who do come here. Why shouldn't these privileges be more widely 

 distributed? 



Finally, the State of Michigan has established a great plant here 

 for use. As a business proposition, if the College is to be open at all. 

 why shouldn't the State insist upon its use more nearly to capacity 

 at this season of the year when other institutions find their capacities 

 taxed. It seems to me this matter might meet with approval from our 

 educational authorities with mutual profit. Lest I be misunderstood 

 in the ^bove comments, I Avish to make it clear that I do not mean to 

 transform M. A. C. into a competitive training school for teachers. I 

 do urge, however, the utilization of M. A. C. by students of other schools 

 to get the M. A. C contribution to thinking, and her spirit. 



As in ])revious years, many sjx'ci;)! jtrojects liiive been carried on along 

 Avitli the Summer Session, with \vv\ great l»enelit io groui»s who cannot 

 become students of this institution. \Vhile these efforts entail some ad- 

 ditional expense, I think they bring their own reward to the institutiou 



