208 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES. 



been unwilling and slow to support the movement. It must be frankly 

 admitted that it does not appear possible, with the English outlook on 

 education, to transplant the High-school system into this country, but I 

 do believe that in the development of the spirit which led to their founda- 

 tion lies the greatest hope for the future of rural England. How far is it 

 possible that this work can be carried out through the instrumentality of 

 such organisations as the Extra-mural Delegacies of the Universities, 

 Rural Community Councils, Women's Institutes and other bodies which are 

 interested in the regeneration of the countryside ? The success of the 

 Women's Institutes has been very remarkable, and the potentialities of 

 the Extra-mural wt)rk of the Universities are as yet hardly explored. If 

 we look at the report of the Extra-mural Delegacy of my own University, 

 we shall see that courses, which have been more or less well attended, 

 have been given in purely rural areas on such subjects as ' Citizenship 

 and How England is Governed,' ' Industrial History,' ' Current Economic 

 Problems,' all of which themes, to mention only a few, might be expected 

 to interest a country audience. Some of the lectures deal specifically with 

 rural affairs and their development, and it is interesting to learn that in 

 the smaller centres, in the more purely agricultural districts, the audience 

 generally consists of the parson, the schoolmaster, village shopkeepers, 

 sometimes farm labourers and their wives, frequently farmers' wives, but 

 practically never the farmers themselves. I do not pretend to know what 

 is the reason for this abstention on the part of the farmers, but it does 

 indicate an attitude of mind that is to be deplored, and which must 

 hinder any attempt to improve rural conditions. 



Turning next to the case of the wage-earner in the industry, as has 

 been pointed out by Mr. Duncan, nothing has been attempted so far which 

 will either improve his technical training or prolong his education ; the 

 improvement, such as it is, that has been effected in the skill and knowledge 

 of the farmer has only intensified the difference between master and man. 

 One of the real needs of the industry is to keep the best men on the land, 

 not those who for one reason or another get left behind in the race to the 

 towns, and this will only be possible when the employer can pay wages 

 comparable with those which can be obtained in other industries. This 

 he is unable to do, and will continue to be unable to do, until it is possible 

 to increase the value of the worker's output. I would here remark that 

 in other industries employers have found out the value of prolonged 

 education, as well as of vocational training, and the real worth of continua- 

 tion classes has been clearly demonstrated. Is it too much to hope that 

 something of the same kind may happen in the industry in which we are 

 all interested ? Much is being done towards the improvement of 

 elementary education, and many persons are interested in this side of the 

 problem. The development of Senior Country Schools and the possibilities 

 that are to be found in such a scheme of fostering a liking for, and an 

 understanding of, rural affairs are all happy auguries for a brighter future. 

 Any improvement that can be effected, however, in the ordinary schools 

 is likely to be very largely sterile, unless it is possible to continue this 

 education over the critical years that follow the school-leaving age. Is it 

 too much of a dream to look forward to an improvement in the general 

 education and training of those who are engaged in agricultural pursuits, 



