STATE AND OTHER TEACHERS' ASSOCIATIONS 59 



Beyond the propaganda which is expected of any large 

 educational body the most valuable work of the Association 

 has been through its committees which have been appointed 

 from time to time to investigate and report upon various im- 

 portant questions of general interest. 



The Association being a sort of clearing-house for educa- 

 tional ideas, its published Proceedings provide a valuable source 

 of information concerning all kinds of tendencies and move- 

 ments in education. Agricultural education has received a share 

 of attention proportional to the different stages of its develop- 

 ment. The interest of the Association in this subject as re- 

 flected in the Proceedings extends over four periods : the first 

 from 1857 to 1897, the second from 1897 to I 93 tne tmr cl 

 from 1903 to 1906, and the fourth from 1906 to the present 

 time. 



Agriculture was not considered as a separate subject except 

 as referring to agricultural colleges until the latter part of the 

 first period. Industrial education, however, was discussed as 

 early as 1866. In 1875 a Department of Industrial Education 

 was formed. At this meeting the question : "Can Elements of 

 Industrial Education Be Introduced into Our Common Schools ?" 

 was discussed in a paper by John D. Philbrook. He said: 

 "Science and art with reference to their special application to 

 industrial pursuits must be included in the modern school course." 

 Drawing, geometry, natural history, physics, and chemistry were 

 mentioned as the branches which lie at the foundation of indus- 

 trial education. 



At the meeting of the following year (1876) William T. 

 Harris in his report as chairman of the committee on "Course of 

 Study from Primary School to University" refers to the diffi- 

 culty of deciding "the amount of prominence to be given to 

 industrial branches in comparison with those chiefly productive 

 of theoretical culture." He says also : "The primary school has 

 been called upon to fit for life." In the course of study reported 

 by the committee for the district schools, topics relating to nature 



