150 Agricultural Instruction in tite Public High Schools 



and industries, and home economics in secondary schools ; 

 " by appropriating pro rata $4,000,000 to aid state 

 district agricultural schools, $1,000,000 for experiment stations 

 attached to them, $5,000,000 " for the maintenance of instruc- 

 tion in trades and industries, and home economics and agri- 

 culture, in public schools of secondary grade," and $1,000,000 

 for similar instruction in state normal schools. The agricultural 

 schools are to be not less than one for every fifteen counties 

 nor more than one for every five counties or fraction of five 

 counties. The bill as at present drawn gives great freedom 

 to the proper state authorities to designate any suitable high 

 school to receive the aid. An objection to the first draft was 

 that it merely stipulated " cities," without fixing the lower limit 

 of the population of municipalities free to avail themselves of 

 the grant. An objection to the second bill introduced was that 

 the federal aid would be open only to high schools of " incor- 

 porated villages, towns (not townships), and cities containing 

 at least two thousand inhabitants," and even then could " be 

 used only . . . for the distinctive studies in mechanic arts 

 and home economics," that is, for " instruction in the non-agri- 

 cultural industries and in home making in the city secondary 

 schools." How this would have discriminated against many of 

 the high schools now attempting such instruction, is indicated 

 by the fact that about one-half of the schools in which agricul- 

 ture was taught when Mr. Davis's bill was introduced would 

 not be eligible to receive any federal aid. It should not be 

 claimed, however, that all of these did work deserving recog- 

 nition, or even that all would do creditable work if given a grant. 



As already hinted, the contemplated special schools could par- 

 tially supply the deficiency of small but well supported high 

 schools in the South and supplement them in the North and West. 



One of the arguments raised against the special school has 

 been the disadvantage of sending the youth from home, both 

 on account of their removal from the influence of the farm life 

 while away at school, and on account of the evil influences and 

 distractions of the city. In reference to this point, more or 

 less complete views were obtained from the principals of twenty- 

 two special schools of all types in response to the following ques- 



