EDITORIAL. 503 



agTiciiltiiral courses effective. It will not do to ph^ad lack of funds or 

 lack of interest aniono- the farmers. It is tiie plain duty of the man- 

 agers of ao'ricultural colleges to secure fluids and to arouse intei'est 

 along agricultural lines, and luitil it is clear that they are making earnest 

 and intelligent efforts in this direction they should not expect to escape 

 criticism from the friends of agricultural education. "Where there's 

 a will ther(>'s a way-' is true in agricidtural education as in other lines 

 of human activity. The way has been pointed out in a number of 

 States, and the success which has been achieved in attracting and train- 

 ing students for their life work and in broadening the influence of the 

 institution along agricultural lines should stand as an inspiration to 

 instructors and directing officers alike. 



The initial report of the new Department of Agricultui'e and Tech- 

 nical Instruction for Ireland outlines the various plans which have 

 been put into operation for the promotion of agriculture and the edu- 

 cation and assistance of the small farmers in that country. The depart- 

 ment was organized under the agriculture and technical instruction 

 (Ireland) act of 1899, and intrusted with a variet}' of duties pertaining 

 to technical education, lands, ffsheries, control of animal diseases, etc., 

 which had formerly been in the hands of separate boards and commis- 

 sions. One of its chief objects is "to bring order and simplicity into 

 branches of administration where correlated action was not properlj^ 

 provided for before." It is provided with an annital endowment of 

 £166,000 (over $800,000), together with funds for maintaining a num- 

 ber of institutions turned over to it. It embraces six branches, i. e., 

 agriculture, technical instruction, fisheries, statistics and intelligence, 

 veterinary, and accounts. 



The work of the department will be carried out very largely in 

 cooperation with the different counties and boroughs, rather than as an 

 independent government luidertaking, and its financial assistance will be 

 rendered in the form of subsidies to local enterprises of various kinds. 

 In planning for this, two important principles have been laid down, 

 namely, that the department will seek to evoke and fortify the self- 

 reliance, enterprise, and sense of responsibility of local communities, 

 and that in encouraging local initiative and responsibility it will guard 

 against an indiscriminate multiplication of unrelated local schemes. 

 The national as well as the local point of view will be kept in mind, 

 and the attempt made to coordinate various undertakings and render 

 expert aid, w^hich are the most important functions of the central 

 authoi'ity. To this end the department has established direct and per- 

 sonal relations with the local authorities, societies, schools, and other 

 organizations of the people generally with whom its work has to do. 

 Correspondence has not been relied upon for this purpose, but repre- 

 sentatives have biM'u sent out to aid local authoi'ities in perfecting their 

 "schemes" for agricultural education or impi'ovement. 



