THE COUNTRY CHURCH PROGRAMME 191 



The Consolidated School, that has proved such an 

 educational advance in Ohio and Indiana and is spread- 

 ing so rapidly throughout tlie United States, has been a 

 pedagogical success in Canada, but, so far as its wide 

 adoption is concerned, a practical failure. In Mani- 

 toba and in Xew Brunswick, however, the movement 

 is making good progress. People are getting for 

 their children, through more primitive methods, 

 as good an education as they desire for them. But the 

 principle of the consolidation of schools has undoubtedly 

 made good in meeting country needs. It is for tlic 

 church to help in securing the working of that principle. 



If the church undertakes her part in inspiration and 

 moral support the outlook is bright indeed. Here is the 

 voice of the Province of Ontario in official utterance: 

 '' The country school of the future will be teaching agri- 

 culture. It will not be a new kind of sehotd simply be- 

 cause it has added a new subject to its list of studies. 

 But in the teaching of this new subject it will find a new 

 service? in the community and a new meaning for educa- 

 tion for country people. 



'* It will be the local experimental farm in a simple, 

 but effective way; it will introduce new varieties of field 

 crops and test methods of cultivation through the child- 

 ren's school-farm; it will V>e the local beauty-spot, with 

 neat fences, well-kept buildings, lawns, and flower beds; 

 it will 1k' the local play-ground, not only for the child- 

 ren, but for the grown-ups ; it will be the local centre for 

 social gatherings; its library will serve everyone with 

 books, magazines, bulletins and reports that concern 

 themselves with the farm work in home and field as well 

 as with literary matters. 



" In the school work it will not consider examinations 



