288 THE FUTURE OF OUR AGRICULTURE. 



know that they have been made a Cinderella of. They 

 feel the progressive widening of the chasm which divides 

 them from others. But they observe no efforts made to 

 bridge over that chasm. Is not that calculated to breed 

 depression and discontent ? 



No doubt the main work of improvement now to be 

 accomplished is that in the rural elementary schools, in 

 which the future agricultural labourer — provided that he 

 sticks to " father's " calling— is taught the " three R's," 

 and a little besides, unfortunately without any reference 

 to his agricultural environment, which ought to be the 

 dominating note and " leitmotiv " in all his education. 

 But it is not specific teaching that, above all things, he needs, 

 but rather the systematic opening of his intellect, the 

 infusing of a greater receptivity for further knowledge and 

 desire to acquire it in an after-life, out of school, in a variety 

 of ways, coupled with a capacity for taking it in. You 

 see the man dull, irreceptive — in Oliver Goldsmith's words, 

 " solitary, slow." Often enough it is your method of 

 teaching that makes him so. He wants, not the " three 

 R's " so much as a stimulating influence to vivify his mind, 

 which is not without capacity for learning. 



And our man does not want to be left alone when emerg- 

 ing from school. It is by their well-organized, methodically 

 treated continuation courses that the Germans have scored 

 so great successes in the matter of popular rural education. 

 It is the same thing in Belgium and the Netherlands. Mr. 

 Prothero expresses a fear that with small holdings increasing 

 in number, there will be a scarcity of winter employment. 

 Well, some such employment may readily be found in edu- 

 cational classes and courses, to which we may be sure that 

 growing labourers will take, if their minds are sufiiciently 

 awakened and prepared for them. But the courses want 

 to be tuned to the tonic of the intended learner's faculties. 

 The teaching wants to be made attractive and stimulating. 

 There is a special gift required for this. But there are people 

 who possess that gift. Once more, there is technical instruc- 

 tion. Do not, to take one instance, those Belgian imple- 

 ment classes appeal to our sense of what is appropriate 



