Middle- Class Education. 11 



and practice of agriculture, of mechanics, and mensuration ; of 

 the physiology and treatment of domestic animals, and of the 

 application of botany, chemistry, and natural history to agri- 

 culture." 



If such be the test of merit, I would say that any one who could 

 take in and hold such a large and varied amount of knowledge 

 would be meritorious indeed, and might well exclaim, like the 

 accomplished young lady after completing her education, that — 



" The more she thought the more the wonder grew, 

 That one small head could carry all it knew." 



At the same time, when it is taken into account that young 

 men in Scotland have special opportunities for obtaining a 

 liberal education at a small cost, which may be prolonged to 

 twenty-one years of age, there need be no fear of some being forth- 

 coming capable of passing a satisfactory examination on many 

 branches of study, and showing such a proficiency as may be 

 deemed sufficient, if the examiners do not exact too much from 

 them. 



It appears that the Agricultural Society of Scotland obtained 

 an extra charter in 1856, which enabled it to confer degrees 

 upon agricultural students. 



The subjects for examination, as at first proposed, were more 

 numerous than those named by the new Board of Examination. 

 Very few candidates have hitherto presented themselves at these 

 examinations, either because they were too comprehensive, or 

 else because the honours to be conferred were not sufficiently 

 attractive. The new system may perhaps meet with greater 

 success, though I much doubt whether well-educated young men 

 of twenty-one years of age Avill travel long distances from 

 home to be examined by a central board, which may not 

 award a diploma, and thus do positive injury to the prospects 

 of some candidates. 



I should have the same misgivings as to the result if the 

 Royal Agricultural Society were to offer to examine men on 

 their agricultural education. This is a very different thing from 

 testing by the examination at the end of a period of study the 

 proficiency obtained by the scholars from a definite course of 

 instruction. That is an almost necessary guarantee that teachers 

 have really done what they professed to do. The Scotch system, 

 however, presumes a large general acquaintance with practical 

 agriculture. 



The system of schools which I have proposed in this Essay 

 does not refer to the learning of practical agriculture at all, 

 because well-digested popular opinion coincides with my own, 

 that the acquirement of a good theoretical education only is all 



