Agricultural Education 107 



to handle it, or is unsympathetic toward it, or 

 is not given the necessary facilities. 



In the states, the regular administrative de- 

 partments of public instruction should handle 

 the work of all fundamental elementary and 

 secondary education. They will need to call 

 on the agricultural colleges for help, especi- 

 ally in the training of teachers ; but they 

 should exercise the control. The trouble is, 

 however, that such departments have not risen 

 to this opportunity, and the agricultural col- 

 leges have been forced to take up the work, 

 and the leading ones of these institutions are 

 now doing all grades of educational service. 

 Departments of education are likely to be fol- 

 lowers of public opinion rather than makers of 

 it. It is at this moment a serious question 

 whether the regular administrative state de- 

 partments or the colleges of agriculture are 

 to carry the rural work ; but the opportunity 

 lies before the departments. 



Education has now come to be a much 

 broader conception than the work of formal 

 schools. It covers a great range of activities 



