ON EDUCATIONAL TRAINING FOR OVKRSEAS LIFE. 271 



(2) that the contact with life which rural studies bring gives purpose and reality 

 to school work generally ; they create interest and provide a rational basis for all 

 branches of scientific inquiry : 



(3) that these studies provide opportunities for a simple and natural approach 

 to the physiological processes of life, and, when correlated with the teaching of 

 geography and history, constitute a basis of instiuDtion of far reaching importance : 



(4) that rural studies further supply many opportunities for handwork of a very 

 practical type, and so help to bring out latent capacities in this direction, which 

 otherwise frequently go undetected and undeveloped. 



Practical Work Essential. 



In diverse ways a considerable body of experience is being gathered, both at home 

 and abroad, which should in the near future indicate how these rural studies can be 

 utilised to the best advantage in the interests of education generally, how they can 

 be adapted to different types of schools, and how developed on a sure foundation 

 for the benefit of all concerned. 



One essential feature is the need for practical work on the land, which is as necessary 

 to any course of rural studies as practical work in a laboratory is to chemistry. If 

 agriculture were adopted as a subject for the First School Certificate Examination, 

 it should not be treated as an entirely indoor study ; rural studies without practical 

 work out-of-doors lose most of their educational value. It is the contact with things, 

 not words, that in this case counts for so much. The opportunity afforded by a 

 school farm or garden for bringing most of the science work into close relationship 

 with reality is extraordinarily useful. Such work gives purpose and life especially to 



(1) the study of botany through the types of plants cultivated or occurring as 

 weeds ; 



(2) the study of insect life — useful and injurious organisms that play such an 

 important part in the cropping of the land ; 



(3) the study of elementary physics and chemistry, for school gardens can supply 

 much of the material required for these subjects in the earlj' stages. 



The principle of giving to older boys and girls, say, from 15 years upwards the 

 opportunity of studying animal life and land cultivation on the scale afforded by 

 farm conditions has many claims for serious consideration. 



An examination of the present situation indicates that schools already interested 

 in rural problems are attempting to attack the problem along two lines. Some give 

 their science a rural bias by making use of farm and garden for illustrations, and 

 co-ordinating it with handicraft training by including practice in making things for 

 outdoor operations. The bias is also to be found in the history and geography teaching. 

 On the other hand, a few schools, with facilities for practical work on a farm, tackle 

 more definitely agricultural studies, the pupils taking part in dairying, poultry, 

 husbandry, &c. But the number of schools actually doing this is few, and the number 

 of pupils taking the agricultural course in these is small. Only a few schools may 

 be suitably placed for developing this more technical course. On the other hand, 

 there is no doubt, given qualified teachers with an interest in rural studies, the 

 majority of the secondary schools in the country could tackle the problem through 

 science and handicraft and some other subject. The needs of the home, and the 

 many interests of everj'^day lite could be made the subject matter for workshop and 

 science class purposes. The Committee feel that while some progress may be made 

 in introducing definitely agricultural studies, it is in giving the curriculum a more 

 practical bent that any great development must be looked for. 



SECTION II. 



Difficulties in the Way of a General Adoption of Rural Studies 



IN Schools. 



The difficulties that lie in the way of a general adoption of Rural Studies in schools 

 seem to be due mainly 



(1) to the conditions and requirements of the present system of the School 

 Certificate Examination ; 



(2) to an inadequate supply of properly qualified teachers. 



