556 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



I just want to say one tiling: I suppose I got all the school ad- 

 vantages that come to a farmei-'s boy. When 1 was about ten years 

 old, 1 was sent to the McAllisterville Academy, in Juniata county, 

 and I was sent to College, and studied in three universities abroad, 

 and some of the institutions in this country, and in all the years I 

 was at school, I was never taught to know what would make me a 

 better farmer. Now, I am glad there is a change coming over our 

 schools, and this change is coming just as fast as you farmers want 

 it to come, and not a bit faster. The idea that a lot of young girl 

 school teachers, who are getting forty dollars a month, should ac- 

 complish anything great in teaching agriculture in the schools, is 

 simply preposterous, and you men who represent this State Board 

 of Agriculture, and are being taught the latest things in connection 

 with agriculture, will have to help to get agriculture taught in some 

 rational way in our Township High Schools. This last summer I 

 went to a neighboring state in order to see how they did it there. 

 Well, they had four expert lecturers, and if I wanted to kill agricul- 

 ture in Pennsylvania, I would import any one of these four. One of 

 them talked as though anybody could teach agriculture; the next 

 one went off on the value of snakes to the farm — a subject which may 

 do very well for Trinidad, where snakes are one of the crops. I heard 

 a third one, who had some little idea that there might be an enter- 

 ing wedge for this subject; but I came home thoroughly imbued with 

 the idea that we will have to do a little more before we can get agri- 

 culture thoroughly taught in the schools. 



I am glad to have had these few minutes to throw off the feelings 

 of my heart. I am interested in a^^'-iculture in the schools, without 

 destroying the lengendary funriion of the schools, as it has come 

 down through the ages. The school is completely out of adjustment 

 with the conditions of today. 



