Decembeb 10, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



849 



dary schools tliey will be generally recognized 

 as Laving much pedagogical value. This is 

 especially true of agriculture, which is a sub- 

 ject embracing much of the general human in- 

 terest. Even under present conditions the 

 agricultural colleges would do well to give 

 credit in their entrance requirements for 

 agricultural subjects properly taught in sec- 

 ondary schools. 



The agricultural college should have a defi- 

 nite legal relation to our public school system, 

 and especially to the courses or schools of 

 agriculture of secondary and elementary 

 grades. By this I mean that the state legis- 

 latures should take definite action recognizing 

 that agricultural colleges have a definite func- 

 tion to aid in the organization of a proper 

 system of secondary instruction in agricul- 

 ture, and help the secondary schools in that 

 work. 



One difficulty now in the progress of this 

 movement is that in quite a number of states 

 the legislation is such that the agricultural 

 colleges, if they take any part in it, have to 

 " butt in."' The whole matter of secondary 

 education is in many states intrusted to the 

 state department of education, as far as the 

 state deals with the matter. I think that 

 ought to be remedied. It may be said that 

 that is only part of a wider thing. I do not 

 believe that we have yet in this country con- 

 sidered definitely enough the proper relation 

 of our universities and colleges to the more 

 elementary education. These higher institu- 

 tions in many states yet stand too much apart 

 from our general system of education. It is 

 very desirable, it seems to me, that they should 

 be recognized by statute everywhere as an es- 

 sential part of our system of public education. 

 And while that general movement is proceed- 

 ing the friends of agricultural education 

 should urge that the agricultural colleges 

 should have a definite part in the organization 

 and maintenance of systems of agricultural 

 education in the public schools. 



Agricultural colleges will have to do sec- 

 ondary work to a considerable extent for some 

 time to come. We can not, in my judgment, 

 jump immediately in all our agricultural col- 



leges to a state of things where all the secon- 

 dary work is excluded. This should, how- 

 ever, be definitely organized as separate and 

 distinct from the college work. The aim 

 should be to have all secondary work rele- 

 gated to secondary schools, entirely separate 

 from the colleges, when such schools are effi- 

 ciently organized with reference to instruction 

 in agriculture. 



Agriculture should be generally introduced 

 into the ordinary high schools. There should 

 also be a limited number of special agricul- 

 tural high schools in the different states. 

 These should be so limited in number that 

 they will be organized with reference to large 

 districts. I do not believe it is either neces- 

 sary or desirable to organize such schools with 

 the county as the unit. Experience so far 

 points to the fact that the county is too small 

 a unit for the proper equipment and main- 

 tenance of a thoroughgoing agricultural high 

 school. These special schools have a relatively 

 large agricultural faculty and an adequate 

 equipment, so that students going to them 

 will not only have offered to them a standard 

 course of high school or secondary grade, but 

 will also have opportunity to specialize to a 

 certain extent along different agricultural 

 lines. I believe that such schools are needed, 

 because they will in a way set the pace for 

 secondary education in agriculture, and will 

 help rather than hinder the general introduc- 

 tion of agriculture into the ordinary high 

 schools. Besides serving more general pur- 

 poses, they wiU attract a good many of the 

 more mature students, who are not ready or 

 financially able to go to college, but desire to 

 go somewhere to get some definite instruction 

 in agriculture, and who are really too old to 

 feel comfortable in the ordinary high school. 

 These schools will also aid in the preparation 

 of teachers and school officers for the rural 

 schools; so that in a way these special agri- 

 cultural schools will more fully meet the need 

 which is now being met to a limited extent by 

 the special and short courses in the agricul- 

 tural colleges. 



In speaking of this subject, we must, of 

 course, all the time remember the great extent 



