102 PROBLEMS OF VILLAGE LIFE 



education of the masses," and the inferiority 

 of " literary " to " technical " instruction, 

 though advocated sometimes by persons of 

 absolute sincerity and goodwill, are really 

 based on class selfishness of the worst kind. 

 The spirit which underlies such proposals is 

 akin to that which preaches the need of 

 temperance laws for the Rand Kaffirs in order 

 to secure their regular attendance at work. 

 The child who has been reared on an " agri- 

 cultural education " tends to become astrictus 

 glebce, and from the necessary absence of more 

 general instruction a contented and dependent 

 parishioner. 



But while the practical displacement of the 

 present primary education for that is what is 

 involved in the adoption of such a scheme as 

 Mr. Jesse Ceilings' cannot be justified, no 

 reasonable person could object to the adoption 

 in our country schools of lessons in gardening, 

 agricultural chemistry and the like : and as 

 a matter of fact simple and useful instruction 

 of this type is very frequently found in our 

 rural districts, more especially where a small 

 plot of land can be secured in the neighbour- 

 hood of the school. Claydon hi Bucking- 

 hamshire is an example of what can be 

 accomplished in this direction by a village 

 school, and my old friend, Mr. W. H. Piggott, 



