34 



their intention of going to the university. This does not mean that 

 only three are taking the four year course, but it means that only three 

 are taking the work with the purpose in view for which the new sub- 

 jects were selected. To the remainder it makes no difference whether 

 when they graduate they are entitled to enter the university or not. 

 (The exception is, of course, the boy who may change his mind later, 

 but this works both ways. Moreover, only one of the twenty-four 

 boys who have graduated has the intention of going to the university. 

 He graduated from the three year course and is back for the fourth 

 year.) 



On this showing the questions which arise are 



1. Shall the school be made an agriculture and domestic science 



high school? 



2. Granting that a four year course should be given, are the sub- 



jects offered for the additional year the most useful that 

 could be found ? 



3. Would they be given were it not for university requirements? 



4. Does the number of students who intend to go to the university 



justify requiring all others in the four year course to take 

 work which may not be most useful to them? 



The pupil who graduates from a county school of agriculture and 

 domestic economy or from a high school agricultural course has a 

 much greater training in this work than the ordinary student entering 

 the college of agriculture or the department of domestic economy at 

 the university. The student entering agriculture at the university after 

 four years at the county school will either have to duplicate work, take 

 work other than agriculture, or actually be doing junior work when he 

 is enrolled as a freshman. If there are many such, adjustments of 

 curricula will have to be made. If graduates enter other depart- 

 ments they will not be so well prepared as the regular high school stu- 

 dent and will lack language requirements. Moreover, their special- 

 ized agricultural training will not be of much value to them. Thus 

 the attempt to articulate with the university seems to present consider- 

 able inevitable difficulties. 



If the four year course is to be given in these schools, are the sub- 

 jects in the extra year above the original course especially adapted to 

 the pupils in the schools? Some of the additional courses can un- 

 doubtedly be made of practical value. In others, the advantage is 

 not so apparent. It is said that a broad training and a wide founda- 

 tion is necessary in any course, even a very technical one. The ques- 

 tion remains as to whether this school is to be an agricultural high 

 school or a school of agriculture giving training in agriculture without 

 regard to the requirements of other institutions. 



