8 April, 1907] The Agricultural High School. 247 



THE AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL. 



/. //. B ether as, M.A.., Inspector of Schools, Warniainhool District. 



In the establishment of Agricultural High Schools there is a fine oppor- 

 tunity to " Ring out the old, ring in the new " in educational aims and 

 methods of their attainment, to lessen the scholar's burden by discarding 

 everything that does not tend to development of interest, power, and useful 

 knowledge, and to take him straight along the road that leads to an active, 

 useful, progressive life. The new school need not be trammelled by tradi- 

 tion that culture means an easy and dignified repose from work, that farm 

 life is essentially dull and uninviting, hard and mind-deadening ; it should 

 seek to exalt the doer, to greaten and glorify a cultivated common sense in 

 matters of field lal)Our, and to place success in the science and practice of 

 agriculture in the ver\ forefront of our country's satisfaction. 



The school must be for training rather than for learning. In the near 

 future, a much greater honour will be given to every resourceful man of 

 action. The direct aims of the Agricultural High School include the 

 following: — 



1. To give to boys such education as will direct their interest specially 

 towards the land as an excellent means of gaining a livelihood ; and, fur- 

 ther, to afford the practical experience and scientific training necessary for 

 success. 



2. To magnifv agriculture as an occupation and a profession. The 

 boy mav leave the school as an interested labourer, or for further study 

 and practice in Experimental Farm, Agricultural College, and University. 



3. To provide a central institution for the dissemination of agricultural 

 information by evening lectures, conferences, and literature. 



4. To superintend the Government experimental plots, to record and 

 interpret the results. 



5. To provide a Summer School in Agriculture for primar\- school 

 teachers. 



To insure success, it is necessar\- to weld together the efforts of the 

 different assistants, the directors and administrators, the local Advisory 

 Board, the teaching staff, honorary helpers and general public. There 

 must be a supply of well-trained teachers, a carefully-prepared syllabus, 

 an up-to-date equipment, a reference library, a reasonable examination, and 

 a preparation in the primary school, especially in a proper organization of 

 nature-study and school -gardening. 



The Advisory Board is of great importance, more particularly in the 

 establishment of the school. It may be at first a local committee, widen- 

 ing afterwards into a Board representative of the district agricultural and 

 kindred societies', town and shire councils, farmers, and general public. 

 Its work will be to arouse public interest in the need for such a school, to 

 satisfy the Government requirements, and to enrol scholars ; afterwards to 

 keep in touch with the Departments of Agriculture and Education, and act 

 as advisers in matters pertaining to the welfare of the school ; to select 

 farms and dairies for the visitation of the scholars ; to arrange for evening 

 lectures by honorary and other helpers; to hold farmers' conferences; to 

 superintend the expenditure of the maintenance allowance. The ex- 

 perience at Warrnamhool showed the value of such a committee in over- 

 coming the many difficulties which arose by the way. It had the advan- 

 tage of being guided by the energetic and influential mayor of the town, 



