ON EDUCATIONAL TRAINING FOR OVERSEAS LIFE. 293 



' My agricultural form is in most ways quite a joy to me. I see boys who could 

 be made nothing of by other means becoming useful citizens, and even developing 

 intelligence of a kind, and self-reliance, and that in spite of the fact that they are in 

 some cases boys who have not only been rejected as poor brains, but as doubtful 

 characters also. My present class consists of boys, some of whom have been with 

 me four terms, some three terms, some two, and some only one term. This is usual 

 and cannot be helped. It becomes essential, however, not to keep to the same 

 branches of the subject each year, otherwise the older members spoil the freshness of 

 it for the younger ones. 



' The following indicates a line of interest that emerged spontaneously : — 



'A Jam Factory. 



' Last term we had a lot of marrows, and some of the boys suggested wo should 

 make jam. I saw possibilities in this, so we used our portable boiler, and made quite 

 a profitable thing out of it. Here was a rural industry which brought in quite a lot 

 of new material for study. Some jam was left uncovered, fermentation set in, 

 bacteria, moulds of different kinds led to a natural desire to know more about these 

 organisms, this led to bean roots, and so by a new approach to a cycle of changes. 



' Agbicultural Returns. 



'On another day Agricultural Returns from the Ministry of Agriculture arrived— it 

 happened to be a wet day. We studied them and made graphs — -this led to a natural 

 desire to know how the yield of our own plots compared with the averages given in 

 the retxurns. Record books were consulted, calculations made eagerly (because not 

 forced) as to yield per acre for unmanured and differently manured plots for some 

 crops ; money value of crops and manures were compared, profit and loss discovered. 



' Afterwards one boy, reputed dull when he joined the class, asked if he could take 

 the record books to his house and work out the results of the other crops in the same 

 way. 



' One cannot make out a syllabus for this kind of work. I did not know it was 

 going to lead so far when I opened the envelope of the Ministry of Agriculture that 

 morning.' 



4. MEMORANDUM FROM Me. G. W. OLIVE, HEADMASTER OF 

 DAUNTSEY SCHOOL, WILTSHIRE. 



The essential basis of a coxirse is a good education, including a fundamental 

 knowledge of General Science, and in the absence of the latter, an elementary course 

 of Air, Water, Soil, and Life, at least must first be given. 



The course should be experimental. Its value should in no wise be regarded as 

 merely a vocational or commercial one. The spirit that inspires and operates should 

 be educational. 



Throughout the course the story of progress and human effort shotild be introduced, 

 and the qualities of accuracy and manipulative skill should be engendered. 



The selection of the studies and the details of the syllabuses of the studies must be 

 determined by each school according to its own special facilities, e.g. : The question of 

 including or excluding, say. Economics, Book-keeping, Dairying, Bee-keeping, or 

 Woodwork, should be left to those actually responsible for the organisation of the 

 work in the school. It is felt, however, that Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Geology, 

 History, Mathematics, and Handwork are essential. On the other hand, for example, 

 the amount of attention and time given to actual farm work, to the consideration of 

 Crop Production, to the study of Bacteria, to Book-keeping, and the manner in which 

 they are treated, are matters which must be left with and decided by each school 

 independently. 



The conduction of the course must usually be a matter of understanding and 

 agreement and treatment by the various members of the staff. Clearly each school must 

 try out a course of its own adapted to the facilities and the environments, the teaching 

 staff, and similar factors, and therefore freedom rather than definite syllabuses are 

 regarded as being essential to the success of the course. 



