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country devote their energies to producing things from the soil. Then, I say that 

 nearly'one-half the men in college should be in the agricultural colleges. Heretofore 

 the rural schools have been articulated with the high schools, and the high schools, 

 in turn, with the so-called college of literature and the lil)eral art*. But in the State 

 universities there are many colleges— seven in the University of Illinois. It is time 

 that the rural schools should seek articulation with the colleges of the economic arts, 

 particularlv with the colleges of agriculture. 



For a student to attempt to reach this college through the high school as it is now 

 conducted is almost to make sure of missing it. The high school leads to the so-called 

 learned ])rofessions. The college of literature and arts determines the high school 

 curriculum and extends a welcome hand to its students. 



It is one function of the farmers' institute to assist in finding what Superintendent 

 Bavliss happily calls "the trail from the rural school to the college of agriculture." 

 It inust not only find existing trails, but it must help to make new ones and stimulate 

 young people to enter upon them. It must create a sentiment in favor f)f teacliing 

 the elements of agricultural science in all the schools, in favor of rural school con- 

 solidation, rural high schools, agricultural high schools (or a modification of the 

 present high school), with curricula suggested by the agricultural college and includ- 

 ing a department of domestic science. G. Stanley Hall says that the germs and 

 extracts of as many trades as possible must be introduced into the common schools. 

 It is the business of the farmers' institute to see to it that the "germs and extracts" 

 of that vocation to whicii nearly one-half the people of North America devote their 

 energies are introduced into the public schools. 



In no way can this l)e so rapidly accomplished as by the cooperation of farmers' 

 institute officers with school officers and teachers. The combined farmers and 

 teachers' institute is the most effective agency for bringing about this educational 

 reform. The farmers must take the initiative in this cooperative undertaking. When 

 the officers of the schools are made to feel that the farmers desire their assistance 

 and cooperation the combination is easily consummated. Teachers, particularly 

 those who know a little of agriculture, who are in touch with the Department of 

 Agriculture and the experiment station, should be given a place on the programme. 

 Broad-minded county superintendents of schools, in States which provide for such an 

 officer, make first-class secretaries of farmers' institutes. 



The teachers of the rural schools should l)e brought face to face with the leaders of 

 the men who pay the taxes that support the schools, and these teachers should be 

 permitted to ask"^the taxpayers, "What will you have us attempt in the way of agri- 

 cultural instruction and training? Will you support usand give us the necessary assist- 

 ance in doing the work you desire? Will you really encourage us in our attempts to 

 obtain the information we need from the Department of Agriculture, from the agri- 

 cultural college and the experiment station?" 



Let the leaders in the farmers' institutes answer these last questions wdth an 

 emphatic affirmative, and the work is well l)egun, and when thus begun is half done. 



Two years ago there were whole counties of teachers in the State of Illinois no one 

 of whom had ever seen the nodules on the roots of clover; no one of whom knew 

 what thev were for, or had ever heard of them. The words protein, carbohydrates, 

 phosphoric acid, hvgroscop'c, balanced ration, etc., were not in their vocabulary. 

 But this is not true "to-day, thanks to the work of men from our college and station 

 in the combined farmers and teachers' institutes and to the cooperation of our county 

 superintendents of schools in this great work of agricultural instruction. 



Last winter it was my privilege to address many audiences at county farmers' insti- 

 tutes composed of more than 50 per cent of the teachers of the county and less than 

 2 per cent of the farmers. There will be many such meetings during the current 

 institute season. Last Friday evening 1,500 people, including 200 teachers and a less 

 number of farmers, assembled in the opera house in Centralia, 111., to listen to a dis- 

 cussion of the relation of the school work to the life work. It was one session of the 

 Marion County Farmers' Institute, which was attended during the day as well as the 

 evening by the county superintendent of schools and nearly every teacher in the 

 count v. 



Last Tuesday the court-house at IMount Carmel, 111., was filled with an audience 

 made up of teachers, some of their older pupils, and a few of the leading farmers. 

 At one of the sessions the county superintendent of schools presided, and steps were 

 taken to organize a boys' experiment club and to interest the teachers in the bulletins 

 from the Department of Agriculture and in the work of the experiment station at 

 Urbana. 



In one institute attended by the speaker last week there were 60 farmers and 1 

 teacher. The farmers were attentive, asked many questions, and took some part in 

 the discussions. On the whole, it was a profitable institute, but for every farmer in 



