REV^ENUE CHARGE 145 



" you do, in rural districts teach them every bit 

 " as well as they are taught now, but teach 

 " them ^nth a rural bias. Once train your 

 " rural teachers in some little knowledge of 

 " the rudiments of agriculture, even if it is only 

 '• gardening, and you will get those children to 

 " take an interest in the land, and having taken 

 "that interest, to stay upon it."* 



We have left this question of education to 

 the end for two reasons — firstly, because, in 

 spite of its direct bearing on the subject, it is 

 often overlooked ; and secondly, because the 

 slightly increased expenditure on rural educa- 

 tion which the State will undoubtedly have to 

 incur is a revenue expense. Loans to tenant 

 farmers and to small-holders purchasing land on 

 village farms are a capital investment bearing 

 interest, till the loan is repaid. There is no 

 loss and no expense. And a small extra grant 

 per annum for rural education which, even if 

 it were as much as £200,000, will not make 

 the total amount devoted to agriculture in 

 this country as big as that of Belgium, would 



* Debate on a paper read by Mr. R. H. Rew, C.B., at 

 the Farmers' Club on May 5, 1.913, entitled, ''English 

 Rural Life and Farming: Past and Present." 



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