EDITORIAL. 403 



for the welfare of our increasing population that the farmer be made 

 an expert." Furthermore, "history records the decline of nations 

 which have failed to maintain their soil fertility, and history will 

 certainly repeat itself in the United States unless we, and not pos- 

 terity, succeed in inaugurating now a system of agricultural train- 

 ing that is nation wide, which shall achieve a permanent and highly 

 productive agriculture." Similarly the Canadian commission main- 

 tains that " it is high time for Canada to recognize the difference 

 between the primitive conditions of the undeveloped country and the 

 complexities of advanced rural life in a democratic civilization," 

 and that " the conservation of a vigorous, intelligent, and prosperous 

 population in the country stands out among the foremost duties of 

 the whole nation. . . , Acceptable instruction, adequate education, 

 capable leadership, and hearty cooperation are necessar}^ means." 



Likewise the tendency to rural depopulation is recognized as a 

 serious menace in both countries. Statistics are given showing that 

 in Canada, despite the opening up for settlement of vast areas of 

 virgin land in the western provinces, the rural population of the 

 Dominion increased from 1901 to 1911 but twenty per cent, while 

 the urban population showed a gain of sixty-two per cent. The 

 commission concludes that " nothing can be done by legislation to 

 compel people to stay in the country, but much may be done by 

 education to cause them to prefer to stay there." Moreover, 

 " whether the movement of population at present flowing from 

 rural to urban areas goes on or takes an opposite direction, the rural 

 communities for their own sakes are entitled to and must have edu- 

 cation suited to the needs of all their members." 



One of the questionnaires propounded by the United States commis- 

 sion and sent out to superintendents of schools in typical rural 

 counties indicated that the popular belief that boys and girls are 

 being drawn from the farms to the cities is generally well founded. 

 Two of the principal explanations advanced were the supposed lack 

 of profit in farming and the absence of suitable education. Of two 

 hundred and fifty-three suggestions of means tending to retain the 

 boys on the farm, eighty-five mentioned the development of demon- 

 stration work, seventy-eight the improvement and multiplication of 

 agricultural schools, and thirty-nine the provision of better teachers 

 of agriculture, while in a similar query as to girls, over one-third ad- 

 vocated the provision in high or normal schools of agricultural and 

 home economics instruction. These replies were admittedly few in 

 number, but they may perhaps be interpreted as none the less typical 

 of the increasing belief in the need and efficacy of secondary instruc- 

 tion along these lines. 



As would be expected, the details of the plans recommended by the 

 two commissions for a system of secondary agricultural education 



