MISCELLANEOUS TAPERS. 403 



INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION. 



BY GERALD HOLSINGER. 



Within the last twenty years the cry for " industrial education " has 

 become almost universal throughout the civilized world. This cry has 

 been made to penetrate the innermost hearts of the most conservative 

 educational institutions through the astonishing progress made in the 

 arts, through the application of scientific principles, the development of 

 new industries by the powerful influence exerted by technical science, 

 and the awakening of the agricultural classes to their claim of something, 

 higher than their old positions. In all schools and in all places the jus- 

 tice of the demand is admitted, and now the question is, to what extent 

 shall the training of the senses become a part of the education and not 

 whether or not it shall form a part. 



There certainly can be no doubt but that you are agreed on the 

 main issue, but let us discuss somewhat the application of the idea of 

 Industrial Education to Agriculture in general, concerning which there 

 is still a great variety of opinion and practice. Such a discussion may 

 prove the more interesting as the establishment of experimental stations 

 has once more brought out the merits and demerits of the Agricultural 

 Colleges. What should be the method of education outside of the home 

 and what can be accomplished by this education is not a common mat- 

 ter to be understood without much reasoning. But there is one thing 

 our farmers and fruit growers do see: that there is something wrong 

 with the old educational system; that it does not teach much that bears 

 directly upon their life pursuit, but rather seems to have a tendency to 

 alienate boys from the farm. 



Now the complaint as to these colleges is well founded, in so much 

 as they omit from their teaching the principles that are brought into 

 daily use, and also the training of the senses and perceptive faculties. 

 But the remedy the farmer applies will not bring about the desired ef- 

 fect. He demands that to prevent a diversion of the mind from the 

 farm the boy be shut off from the rest of the world, that he may but 

 dimly see what other people arc doing or have done in past years. 



