336 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



Some of the points broujrht out were: That while the institutes 

 should continue to give <>:eneral elementary instruction, they should 

 also develoj) to an inoreasin<j^ extent the moval)h; school idea of jjiv- 

 inc: more delinite, specific, and extended instruction along certain 

 lines; that the woman's institute should receive vastly more atten- 

 tion: that the boys' and girls' institutes or sessions should be started 

 in all (he more thickly populated States if only in (he form of com- 

 petitions; that local people should be more freely consulted and 

 should bear a share in the expense; and that demonstration work 

 should be encouraged. 



Reports from the Canadian Provinces of Alberta, British Colum- 

 bia, Manitoba. Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan were 

 presented showing that they held 7,154 sessions of institutes last 

 year with an attendance of 300,888. 



INSTITUTES FOR WOMEN. 



Institute directors are coming to appreciate the fact that if insti- 

 tutes for men have been valuable through the dissemination among 

 them of information adapted to their special needs there is no reason 

 why they should not be equally successful if their efforts were 

 directed particularly to the improvement of women's life and work. 

 According to the census there were in all 37,244,145 women and girls 

 in this country in 1900. About 35 per cent of these, or over 13,000,- 

 000, live in rural districts. 



As yet no comprehensive system has been put in operation by which 

 the State shall be responsible for supplying educational facilities 

 specially designed for reaching country women at their homes. 

 While the farmers' institute has done something in this respect, yet 

 until quite recently its efforts have been chiefly in the direction of 

 assisting men, leaving the women to depend upon themselves, or at 

 most to gather what they can from the teaching which the men re- 

 ceive. It manifestly is not meeting country needs when the educa- 

 tion furnished is adapted to the needs of the male population only, 

 for that assumes that the problems of country living all lie outside 

 of the walls of the house in which the family dwells. Instruction 

 helpful and adapted to the needs of country women should be pro- 

 vided as well, in order that their influence, whether exerted in school 

 or church, the social circle, or in domestic life, shall be most bene- 

 ficial to the family and the State. 



It is certainly worth while to make an effort to reach country 

 women with helpful information, and a proper proportion of the 

 money appropriated for institute purposes by the State should be 

 devoted to this purpose. This Department has recently published a 



