CONVENTION OF COLLEGES AND EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 9 



for this reason I can but regard the time as inefficiently spent that is devoted 

 in college to observations and exercises of an ultrapractical character or to 

 gaining information that is easily acquired from the ordinary experiences of 

 practical life." 



He plead for the atmosphere of scholarship in our vocational institutions: 

 " We should carefully guard and cherish the intellectual impulses and equip- 

 ment of the teacher and the investigator, because they are the instruments 

 whose etlge must be fine if we are to be successful in rightly fashioning the 

 minds and hearts of young men and young women and in laying open the 

 bidden recesses of truth." 



Dr. Jordan frankly admitted that his position with reference to extension 

 work was antagonistic to the view that makes it a function of the agricultural 

 college, coordinate with and of equal Importance with the training of young 

 men and women, to be maintained on an equal footing as to development and 

 permanence. He held that " because of the strong trend toward the populariza- 

 tion of agricultural knowledge both within the colleges and stations and with- 

 out, because of the sweep and strength of the agricultural extension movement 

 which is taking such diverse forms and is so largely occupying the interest and 

 energy of college and station leaders, there has never been a more critical 

 period in the life of the colleges and stations or a time in which their efficiency 

 for the accomplishment of their primal and fundamental purpose should be 

 more carefully guarded." 



While the college might be a source of advice and assistance in the extension 

 instruction and secondary education when means were provided to enable it to 

 do so, such aid should serve rather " to stimulate and supplement the activities 

 of other agencies and of the various communities that are to be benefited, and 

 should be so related to the colleges as in no way to hamper their academic 

 work." 



As to the advisability of Federal aid for secondary education, the speaker 

 questioned whether we have any reason to doubt that the States will provide 

 for advances in secondary education as rapidly as public sentiment, available 

 pedagogical tools, and opportunity will justify new movements. 



Commissioner Glaxton's address. — Dr. P. P. Claxton, United States Commis- 

 sioner of Education, in an evening address before the convention, dealt with 

 the training of teachers for agricultural instruction. Referring to the very 

 great increase in the number of students attending the colleges of agriculture 

 and mechanic arts and the development of interest in work of this character 

 in the secondary and normal schools, he pointed out the great demand for 

 teachers, present and prospective, and stated that " if the public schools shall 

 do what they ought to do " there would be a demand for 20,000 teachers of 

 agriculture and manual training and domestic science. The present demand 

 has far outstripped the colleges. 



Dr. Claxton presented a recent interpretation of the Nelson Act by the 

 Department of the Interior, making it applicable " for the instruction of 

 teachers in agriculture, the mechanic arts, and domestic science at summer 

 schools, teachers' institutes, and by correspondence, and in supervising and 

 directing work in these subjects in high schools," permitting the entire appro- 

 priation under this act to be used in the above manner if necessary. He con- 

 sidered this an important extension. He suggested that every agricultural and 

 mechanical college should have at least three teachers in its department of edu- 

 cation — one to teach the teaching of agriculture, one of mechanic arts, and one 

 of home making. He showed that, while 36 of the 50 colleges now offer some 

 opportunity for the preparation of teachers in agriculture, " there is very little 

 in most." 



20296°— No. 1—12 2 



