40 



their own responsibilities. In the larger questions of farm economy, farm 

 luanagement, and the many problems that have been so interestingly discussed 

 in the meetings of this association there is call for a grade of intelligence, of 

 executive ability, and of management much higher than is ordinarily appreciated. 



IV. Another phase of this appreciation lies in working out an educational 

 progi'amme that shall do the thing desired. This association has already dis- 

 cussed and in general decided the main features of what, in its judgment, an 

 agricultural education shoidd be. Consideral)le time and lal)or have been spent 

 upon the classification and adjustment of subjects and the time to be given to 

 these several subjects. There is now general agreement that this work has been 

 well done. I do not look for any serious- or revolutionary modification of this 

 progrannue. The ])roblem seems to be one of natural and, as I think, necessary 

 expansion. I should not ignore the criticism that has been made of agricultural 

 colleges, although I do not desire to be understood as supporting it. Some of 

 it has been intelligent, wise, and helpful, but much of it has been erratic, 

 zealous, and ill-informed. It has been said that agricultural courses are not 

 well adapted to the ends desired. It has been intimated that our courses of 

 study do not carefully conform to the spirit of the Morrill Act. It has been said 

 also that they do not meet the most pressing needs of the agricultural classes. 

 These are serious statements and in a way constitute a charge against intelli- 

 gence or the intelligence of those to whom the oversight of these colleges is 

 intrusted. So far as these objections have any force it may be found that a 

 more generous provision of money would remove most of them. Agricultural 

 education is working under ver.\ serious limitations. Most people and a very 

 considerable percentage of legislators ha-\e failed to a])preciate that agricultural 

 education is of necessity expensive. It is to be expected that every effort, 

 however sincere, can not always be wisely directed. We may therefore look 

 for some unwise use of money and for the abandoning of certain lines of work. 

 Making due allowance, however, for all these things, there remains the out- 

 standing fact that the limitations of these colleges have been a serious handicap. 

 Those in the association who have had most generous support have proved to 

 be most largely serviceable not only in their own States, but to the genera! 

 cause of agricultural education. In the present programme of this as.sociation 

 we are to discuss a number of the questions that bear ujion this very problem. 

 Whether these colleges shall do elementary work or whether they shall do more 

 iidvanced work will in many instances resolve itself into a question of money. 

 Ihere is a sentiment in the country that these schools should confine themselves 

 to what might be termed " practical education." We hear it and read it in the 

 pi*ess that there is no great demand for scientific agriculturists — at any rate, that 

 such demand could be met by a few colleges. We are told that the higher and 

 more scientific pursuits should not be abandoned, but that the more important 

 and i)ractical phases of agriculture should be emphasized and the work in that 

 direction greatly enlarged. Certain phases of agricultural effort, like the agricul- 

 tural institute in Iowa and the winter schools in Wisconsin and Minnesota, have 

 attracted considerable attention and called forth much praise. The tendency, 

 especially in the West, to take active interest in stock exhibits is quite marked. 

 On the other hand, severe criticism has been brought upon agricultural colleges 

 for experimental feeding, which costs three or four times what the stock market 

 will support. We have heard it said that such education would pauperize every 

 farmer in the State. 



I mention these things not for approval or disapproval, but for the purpose of 

 calling attention t'l the fact that the progrannue of the agricultural colleges is 

 not yet in its final form. 



I call attention to another fact in connection with it, that all these special 

 features are ex]iensive. The taxpayer is not exclusively devoted to the cause 

 of agricultural education. We shall probably not reach a jioint very soon where 

 we shall be free from adverse and oftentimes captious criticism. 



V. As bearing upon this general topic and :;s j^resenting another specific 

 problem, I make reference to the moveaient for agricultural education in the 

 rui'al schools. In general this is the outgrowth of the agricultural college and 

 follows the line of other educational development in that most improvement has 

 come from above. The highest education has stimulated the elementary educa- 

 tion. It is natural, therefore, that the agricultural college should stimulate the 

 elementary education in the rural schools. This is more than a jiassing jihase 

 of the subject of nature study. The local infiuence of a s<'lioal should always 

 be for the inqirovement if its constituency. There is no place where more wide- 

 spread good can be done for agriculture than in the rural schools. What might 



