CONCLUSION. 467 



fill agricultural colleges with students, Agriculture is not 

 a fashionable study, and among those of our operating 

 farmers generally. Education is " not believed in." That 

 wall of unbelief wants to be broken down. " It's dogged 

 as does it." We shall have to make an earnest effort and 

 persist in it. Our educational budget for Agriculture is 

 pitiable by the side of corresponding budgets of other coun- 

 tries. One would think that those who hold our national 

 purse are of a piece with those backward farmers whom Mr. 

 Middleton complains of, who " do not believe in Education." 

 And our voluntary associations have made more than one 

 mistake, both in the selection of teachers and in the devising 

 of plans of action. We have difficulties of our own to 

 contend with, of course. However, these are to be overcome. 

 Among juveniles it is imperative that a new direction should 

 be given to rural teaching. Our rural teachers want to be 

 made to understand that Agriculture is not " yokelism," 

 but an honourable calling, which can hold up its head beside 

 any other. Time was when engineering, commerce, in 

 fact all practical subjects, were held at a discount in compari- 

 son with classics. They have fully made good their position. 

 Agriculture will have to do the same. Just as we have 

 discarded Greek in some of our schools in favour of more 

 useful modern subjects, so shall we have to strike some other 

 non-agricultural subjects off our list for schools intended 

 specifically for agriculturists, in favour of agricultural. 

 The calling which Aristotle ranked first among all callings 

 surely need not tolerate its being held in low estimation 

 — even in universities. 



Our chief diificulty, however, for the moment lies with the 

 teaching of the adults. It is they who produce the bad 

 farming complained of, they who stand in greatest need of 

 being taught. Mr. Hall would have them " shaken out." 

 But what is to become of them after that ? And whom 

 have we at once to put in their place ? We shall have to 

 try to carry light into this realm of darkness. 



The question is, how to do it, and who are to be the active 

 movers in it. 



In respect of a general scheme of Education, more speci- 



