AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION 237 



in training men to think deeply, logically and con- 

 structively and to express themselves clearly, much 

 less to acquire practical dexterity. There is just 

 enough of truth in this to mislead and its fallacy 

 will be made clear in a later discussion of the 

 courses of study. 



More and more it is becoming apparent that 

 there should be auxiliary agricultural schools of 

 lower requirements than those which the colleges 

 exact. Large numbers of young people are now 

 desiring to study agriculture who have neither the 

 inclination nor the time to take a four-year col- 

 legiate course. There is no provision for giving 

 technical instruction in agriculture in the public 

 schools and never should be; though there are 

 many simple things which are most interesting and 

 important to know, no matter what station pupils 

 may afterward fill, and which should be taught 

 in the public school. They might be called 

 " kindergarten science " or, preferably, by that 

 all-embracing and appropriate name already in 

 use, " Nature study." Every American child has 

 a right to good instruction along this line but to 

 call this general nature-information, agriculture, is 

 utterly misleading. The public school curriculum 

 is already overloaded and agriculture proper has 



