256 What Schooling Should the Country Boy Have 



ROUND OUT THE BOY'S NATURE 



Fortunately, the new provisions of the schools are 

 furnishing more and more definitely the equipment 

 and the course of training most necessary for the 

 masses of the growing children. Fortunately, too, 

 the illiterate father is not to be permitted to dictate 

 as to what subjects his boy is to study in the school, 

 there being not only compulsory attendance, but 

 strict requirements that every child pursue the pre- 

 scribed course. The time is fast approaching when 

 the rural parent in any community can feel assured 

 that this course of study has been mapped out by 

 expert authority in just such a way as to serve the 

 highest needs of his boy, the idea being to teach and 

 awaken every side of the young nature into its highest 

 possible activity. 



In the usual case it is a waste of time to attempt 

 to predetermine the boy's vocational life before he has 

 gone at least well up through the intermediate grades 

 of the common school ; and even then, there is usu- 

 ally not much indication of what he is best suited for. 

 So, one of the great purposes of the common school 

 course is that of sounding the boy on every side and 

 in every depth of his nature, so to speak, in order to 

 find what is there, and to determine what he is by 

 inheritance best suited to do as a life work. 



The usual inclination of the rural parent is that of 

 looking at his son's education too strictly in terms of 



