154 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



introduce agriculture in the city schools ; that depends on 

 the conditions. ^ In New York there is a feeling that the 

 ordinary village high schools should have an agricultural 

 course. 



Mr. BowKER. You know in Massachusetts there was ap- 

 pointed last year Ijy Governor Douglas a Commission on 

 Technical and Industrial P^ducation, of which the Hon. Car- 

 roll D. Wright is chairman. Some of us appeared before 

 that commission the other day, and the question was put by 

 Mr. Bowditch of this Board and a member of that conmiis- 

 sion, if we would have these nature studies introduced into 

 all the schools, country and city, — for, being State work, 

 it concerned all the schools ; and whether we would make 

 them compulsory studies in certain grades, or in all the 

 schools. For my part, I was not prepared to answer the 

 question. Perhaps you are. 



President Butterfield. Of course I can't speak with 

 any knowledge of the conditions here, and so much depends 

 on the conditions. A number of southern and western 

 States have made compulsory the study of Avhat you call 

 agriculture in the primary schools, and they claim it is 

 working well. I have my doubts about the wisdom of 

 making a State law requiring the teachers to prepare them- 

 selves to teach agriculture in the common schools. Very 

 properly the nature study introduced into country schools 

 may differ from that of the city schools. 



Mr. BowKER. Although it is time to adjourn, I want to 

 add a word more touching the matter under discussion. We 

 have much missionary work to do in this State, and first 

 among the teachers in our })ublic schools. This is where 

 we must ])egin, for I am afraid that the teachers, both in the 

 country and city schools, are still in favor of what is termed 

 the old school or classical education. fhey are not yet 

 alive, it seems to me, to the new educational movement, 

 the new idea, — namely, that many of our studies, particu- 

 larly the natural sciences, can be made cultural as well as 

 vocational in their application ; that these studies can be 

 taught in such a way as to broaden a man and make a better 

 citizen of him, — a man who can stand up and fight for a 



