122 ADVENTURES IN IDEALISM 



graduates had to leave for positions which were offered 

 them in all pants of the Union. The Agricultural 

 School during the very first years of its experience 

 graduated some of its brightest pupils into agricul- 

 tural colleges, and found good-paying work for many 

 others who have since become supervisors or foremen 

 on farms, competent florists, poultrymen and heads of 

 large stock farms. 



The school semesters were later arranged to be even 

 more elastic for the convenience of the students. A 

 boy spent one whole year at school ; then, in the second 

 summer, he was sent out to hold a position in which he 

 would earn both money and experience. In the winter 

 he came back to school again. Thus his stay at the 

 school would be for one summer and three winters 

 an arrangement particularly well adapted to farm 

 life. 



It is difficult to give a systematized account and to 

 show in figures just what the school accomplished for 

 the boys; but my husband always liked to tell of one 

 case that in his estimation, stood out prominently. A 

 boy of about eighteen entered the school. He could 

 speak very little English. All his moral make-up was 

 rather repulsive and to have him near was irritating. 

 He was neither bright in the class-room nor industrious 

 in the field. He did nothing that would warrant our 

 keeping him in the school; but, at the same time, he 

 did nothing that would serve as an excuse for sending 

 him away. So nearly eight months passed without a 



