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particular lines of work, but also in lines allied to it — to give the 

 ])upils some interest in life in the world lying- beyond the school. 

 The broad general aim is to train the pupils for practical life and 

 love of work." Recently the scope of the training has been en- 

 larged. "The moral gain to the pupils of these schools," says 

 Levetus again, "is infinitely higher than the material gain, for 

 the students are brought into close contact with the world with- 

 out, and life becomes a bigger thing to them." The larger view 

 again. What is the practical result? Austria is today noted for 

 the excellence of her textile fabrics and her people stay at home. 



Then there is Tuskegee. ]\Ir. John Graham Brooks tells the 

 following story of one effort in that institution. To the pro- 

 fessor of agriculture had come a lad whose attem])ts to meet 

 even the lowest literary requirements of the school had failed. 

 Could he be .permitted to sit in the class for farming? Permis- 

 sion was granted. It was months before the instructor ever 

 asked him a question. One day the boy came to the instructor 

 and asked, in a shamefaced way, if the instructor would some 

 time go out to see what he had tried to do. Out of objects that 

 had been broken and thrown to the rubbish heap the boy had 

 constructed a hot-house. From these piles of waste he had picked 

 his glass, boards, roofing, window sash and piping. Empty to- 

 mato cans, old pails and abandoned lamps served him for fur- 

 nace and heating tubes. He had invented cross-section boxes in 

 which he could watch the root-development of the 40 to 50 thriv- 

 ing specimens in his dififerent soil mixtiu'es. The boy's work 

 was so good that the instructor sometimes brought his i^lants and 

 boxes into the classroom to show \vhat experimental science 

 could do to turn the whole state into a garden. 



It is not to be expected that all the pupils of the proposed 

 Agricultural School will be possessed of faculties for original 

 research work. But every boy will have a hand held out to him 

 in his search for that mythical secret of the soil. He will be 

 t.aight practical, scientific agriculture. 



Is it worth while establishing such a school? I sa\' emphatic- 

 ally, yes — for 1 have enough faith in human nature to l)elieve 

 tliat a fair pro]:)ortion of the pupils of the school will become 

 valuable workmen, even had I no examples of the success of 

 similar institutions. Every boy who leaves ihis school with a 

 good record will find immediate employment <>n tlic i)lantations 

 or allicfl industries if he so desires. The planters stand readv 

 to further any practical efl'ort such as the proi>osal beff^re us. 



1 may have wandered a little far afield. I'ut. \iiu sft-, there 

 is the larger view. 



I thank you for your attention. 



