50 



duced under the term "nature study," and the child's knowledge of the phe- 

 nomena of plant and animal life is much clearer and more definite by reason of 

 the concrete methods employed in nature study. 



In the average village and rural school nothing approaching adequate instruc- 

 tion in the biological group of studies has ever been given. Geography, as far 

 as taught in the primary grades, has consisted almost entirely of text-book 

 work, and has had in it very little that is concrete or that touches the experience 

 of the child. Nature study, on the other hand, begins with the concrete — with 

 the organic life of the school yard, the garden, and the farm. It has, therefore, 

 a very definite and useful place to fill among the culture studies, particularly 

 the biological studies of the i>rimary grades. Elementary nature study, together 

 with an informal study of local geography, might well supersede the formal 

 study of geography during the first three or four years. This should be fol- 

 lowed by niore formal geography and nature study, the' latter to be superseded 

 by the elements of .agriculture wiieii the child is eleven or twelve years old. 



Agriculture should not be confused with manual training as taught in the city 

 schools. Manual training " relates to the transformation of materials such as 

 wood or stone. or otlier minerals into structures for human use," and draws more 

 from the mathematical group of studies than from the I)iological. Agriculture, 

 on the other hand, is confined mainly to things biological. Its purpose in the 

 common schools is to awaken an interest in the wurk and life of the farm, show 

 the progress being made in the improvement of farining, indicate the rational and 

 scientific basis of modern agriculture, and give the pupil an outlook toward the 

 work of the experiment stations, agricultural schools and colleges, and other 

 agencies for his future education or assistance in his life work. 



The motive for teaching agriculture in the rural school may. however, to a con- 

 siderable extent be the same as that for manual training in the city school — 

 namely, to bring the child into direct and sympathetic relations with the indus- 

 trial life of the comnumity in which he lives. Undoubtedly, manual training in 

 the city school has ;ui outlook toward the shop, factory, and kitchen, and in the 

 same way agricidture in the rural school should be directly related to the prac- 

 tical work of the farm. 



A REASONABLE PROGRAMME FOR AGRICULTURAL TEACHING IN THE RURAL 



COMMON SCHOOLS. 



Whenever it is proposed to introduce the teaching of agriculture into the rural 

 common schools the objection is at once raised tluit the curriculum is already 

 crowded; there is no time for more. This is true. There is no time for more, 

 but there is time for better. It would be undesirable and unwise to do away 

 with any of the studies now regularly taught in the common schools, but it would 

 be wise' to make a more judicious selection of the topics to be included in the 

 courses in the various branches and omit nmch ^^•hich now occupies the time of 

 the pupils but which is not likely ever to be of use to them. Prof. Frank M. 

 IdcMurray, of the Teachers' College of Columbi.a University, in a recent article 

 discussing Advisable Omissions from the Elementary Curriculum, and the 

 basis for them,ffl says, "Life is too full of large s])ecifie ends to be attained to 

 allow time for work that has no really tangible object." As a basis for the 

 rejection of subject-matter from school coiu'ses he holds to the following propo- 

 sitions : 



"(1) Whatever can not be shown to have a jilain relation to some real need of 

 life, whether it be a?sthetic, ethical, or utilitarian in the narrower sense, must be 



dropped. 



"(2) Whatever is not reasonably within the child's comprehension, likewise. 



"(:!) Whatever is unlikely to appeal to his interest; unless it is positively 

 demanded foi- the first very weighty i-eason. 



"(4) Whatever topics and details are so isolated or irrelevant that they fall 

 to be a part of any series or chain of ideas, and therefore fail to be necessary 

 for the appreciation of any large jioint. This standard, however, not to apply 

 to the three R's and spelling." 



He does not favor the entire omission of any subject now taught in the ele- 

 mentary schools, but doc'^ recommeJid the omission of particular topics and 

 details."^ Omission, however, is not the only remedy that he suggests for the 



a Ed. Rev.. 27 (1004). No. T). p. 4TS. 



