M iNTosH 1 (. OUKSE OF STUDY IN RURAL SCHOOLS 208 



to know exactly what should be done, or what icmjIu i.,uld rea- 

 sonably be expected, or even to have a very clearly thought out 

 method of attack. If this was the condition with those who were 

 most interested in agriculture and most keenly alive to its jxjssi- 

 bilities, what must we think of the matter as viewed by the busy 

 rural teacher who had thirty other classes to hear and plan for? 

 She would have been very willing to do something if she knew 

 what to do. We must admit that there is some virtue in the con- 

 tention of the hard-headed farmer that he does not care to have 

 his sons taught agriculture by the pink-faced schoolma'rm who 

 has lived in town all her life. To be usable and helpful in our 

 country schools, the outline must be worked out with considerable 

 fulness and definiteness, showing what to do, what experiments 

 to perform, and what is to be gained by the work. It should be 

 such an outline, in fact, as can be placed in the hands of a brigiit 

 farmer boy in the seventh or eighth grade and worked out almost 

 independently of the teacher, she being a sort of classmate an 1 

 working with him in this particular branch. 



You will note that in practically every case where anything 

 worth while in agriculture has been accomplished, a definite prob- 

 lem has been presented to the children. The corn-growing con- 

 test is an example. In many cases, the boys were furnished the 

 seed, and definite rules of procedure w^ere given them. The farm 

 Tjcys are not afraid of work ; many of the rural teachers are ener- 

 getic and ambitious and will do much work that is really valuable 

 if they have proper guidance and direction. I realize, of course, 

 the danger there is in the carefully worked out outHne, that the 

 outline may be followed mechanically, and in an improper spirit. 

 I realize that the important thing in this, as well as in much else 

 that is done in school, is the spirit in which it is done. We arc 

 coming to feel that the real test of our work in the school is the 

 sort of emotional attitude the pupils assume toward the work. 

 We assume, I think, that the purpose of the teaching of agri- 

 culture is to have the child get a love for nature and country 

 life, and to open his mind to the opportunities for pleasing and 

 profitable study throughout life to be found in the things and 

 operations connected with agriculture. I know that the teacher's 

 attitude towards this work counts for much. The material may 

 "be well organized, the general method all right, and the teacher 

 make the work ineffective. To be effective, the teacher must 

 nse the material that is at hand, that is interesting to children and 

 that has a \aluable significance. I know that it will not be cz^y 



