1910. 
THE RURAL EDUCATION QUESTION. 
Part II. 
I speak advisedly with regard to the attitude of 
teachers as a class. The very nature of their profes¬ 
sion, naturally tends to beget a degree of abnormal 
self-esteem, and this, together with the fact that the 
routine of their work is conducive to narrow views, 
breeds an attitude of contempt for all endeavor not 
along genteel or professional lines. This does not 
imply that there are no exceptions. There are doubt; 
less many teachers with a fine appreciation of the 
eternal fitness of things. But still they are the ex¬ 
ception, and do not widely affect the general condition 
that is producing such disastrous results. To be 
more concise, the attitude of the average teacher is 
that he is training the pupils to become teachers, 
rather than giving them a broad appreciation of the 
value and dignity of the various honorable walks of 
life. This pernicious influence is not confined to rural 
schools alone, though for obvious reasons the result 
there is more pronounced. Nor is the attitude of re¬ 
fined scorn for industrial life as compared with pro¬ 
fessional life confined to what Mr. Morse on page 
70 terms the Latin-German product of the high 
schools that serve as teachers in our district schools. 
Mr. Dillon in his report of “The Al¬ 
bany Convention,” page 135, remarked 
on this same attitude as exhibited by 
Dr. Schurman, the distinguished head 
of Cornell University. Indeed, any 
thoughtful observer cannot fail to de¬ 
tect the venom of this false attitude, and 
that it is vitiating the general influence 
of our schools from that of “the little 
red school-house on the hill” to the 
mightiest college in the land. And the 
cure? From the very nature of the case 
this can only be attained gradually if at 
all. Doubtless something toward the de¬ 
sired result would be most promptly 
attained by requiring every teacher of 
rural schools to pass a creditable exam¬ 
ination on the elements of agriculture, 
gradually increasing the scope of knowl¬ 
edge the subject required. This not so 
much with a view to having the subject 
taught as such in the school, as with a 
view to instilling a wholesome respect in 
the mind of the teacher for the intricate 
and really scientific problems with which 
the farmer has to contend. Of course 
the result would be greatly influenced 
by the spirit and requirements of the 
examinations, and as this would rest 
largely with professionals higher up the 
.effect might be largely neutralized. Still 
doubtless it would be a widely effective 
measure. 
Almost as important as the attitude 
of the teacher and directly affecting that 
attitude itself, is the tone of our text¬ 
books. These naturally reflect the pro¬ 
fessionalism of the teaching class who 
compile them, so that here also we face 
the grave problem of how to secure 
books of the desired "me. Yet if the 
demand were insistent and the criticism 
intelligent, there can be no doubt that 
the proper article could finally be se¬ 
cured. “But,” says some one, “what is 
wrong with the books?” The fact is 
they are pretty much all wrong, so 
wrong indeed that a farmer’s boy may have completed 
the course his district school offers, and yet find he 
does not understand the ordinary agricultural terms 
in a farmer’s paper, because they are almost entirely 
new to him. Examine any common series of school 
readers, and the chances are that you will find the 
primary end of the series made up of silly baby-talk 
supposed to amuse and interest the child, and the ad¬ 
vanced portion of the series to consist of selections 
from the writings of the world’s literary stars, with 
here and there a fling at “The sons of toil,” “The man 
with the hoe,” “The sodden toilers of the earth,” and 
“The plowman homeward plods his weary way,” to 
duly impress the farmer lad that if he ever expects 
to amount to anything he must flee the farm at the 
earliest possible opportunity. The ability to appreciate 
good literature, is of course, an invaluable acquisition; 
but while it is true that “Man shall not live by bread 
alone,” it is just as true that he cannot live by air 
alone. 
And what shall we say as to the make-up of the 
average text-book of history, that relic of barbarism 
and lineal descendant of the tribal war-song? The 
great bulk of text devoted to minute descriptions of 
war and destruction and glorifying the man at arms 
and in politics, while the great constructive forces, 
tire triumphs of industry and peace, the brilliant in- 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
ventors, the mighty army of development, receive 
scant notice. Pages concerning Washington the sol¬ 
dier and statesman, perhaps not one word concerning 
Washington the progressive farmer; minute biography 
of third-rate Presidents, and forget even to mention 
the inventors of the sewing-machine, the cotton-gin 
and the reaper. Incidentally it may be remarked: 
could our text-books of history be once brought to a 
tone that would exalt peace rather than war, we 
might hope to rear a generation of statesmen who 
could see the folly of the bully’s method of preserving 
peace by preparing for war rather than by the sane 
and logical method of preparing for justice. The 
books on geography give undue prominence to the ac¬ 
tivities and importance of cities as compared with the 
value and extent of rural interests and activities. 
The problems found in the text-books of arithmetic 
are prone to relate to business propositions, while 
concrete problems relating to the farm are ignored. 
Search the average series of school text-books and see 
if these charges in the main are not fully sustained. 
Then wonder why our boys lack interest in and leave 
the farm. The last measure, the establishment of a 
connecting link between the farm and the aims and 
object of the school, should be the least difficult. A 
great deal, a very great deal, would be gained if the 
pupils were only put in touch in the school with the 
agricultural literature of the day. This would at one 
stroke place the importance of agriculture knowledge 
on par with his estimate of other fields of knowledge 
as revealed in the world of books. This could be ac¬ 
complished by a small but fairly complete library of 
books relating to various agricultural and other rural 
subjects. If there is a general library, as there should 
be, the agricultural contingent should occupy a prom¬ 
inent and distinct position. Then have at least two 
live up-to-date illustrated weekly agricultural papers, 
and the experiment station bulletins as they are issued, 
delivered by mail to the school. Besides these other 
minor means in the way of special exercises at stated 
periods will suggest themselves to the thoughtful. 
The main object of all this, be it remembered, should 
be to impress the importance and dignity of the occu¬ 
pation rather than to secure results that can be re¬ 
duced to percentages in an examination. Besides the 
important considerations just dealt with, there are 
other phases of school work that merit serious atten¬ 
tion. What can we do to increase the efficiency of 
our schools? This will be considered next week. 
D. L. HARTMAN, 
Tiir latest suggestion is muskrat farming—for the hide 
and the meat. 
No—do not use a brass hand to advertise the fact that 
you follow the Golden Rule. Silenee is goldeu. 
ere 
BUILDING A ROUND SILO. 
How to Make the Hoops. 
On page 622 D. W. A., of Brandon, Vt., asks a 
question in regard to making the silo hoops, which L 
do not think is very plainly answered in the article 
following, and some other points do not agree with 
the ideas of some who build this kind of silo. In the 
first place two-inch oak plank sawed to one-half-inch 
and sized to an even thickness by running through 
planer, or sawed sufficiently thick to size to one-half 
inch, is heavy enough. For a silo 11 feet in diameter, 
the five-eights strips would make pretty tough work, 
getting the end of each strip in place, bending such a 
thick piece. The one-half-inch strips handle much 
better, and two inches is plenty wide enough. Oak 
is far better than elm for lasting. 
As to making the hoops, a nice place to build 
them is on a good level driveway or barn floor. First 
saw out a number of blocks of 2x4 or any handy 
size, not too wide, and 12 or 15 inches long, as may 
be convenient. Then with a spike driven through a 
strip, say 1x3, or a 2x4 would do, as a radius, de¬ 
scribe a circle the size the inside of the hoop is de¬ 
sired. With the end of this same radius as a guide, 
lay one of the short pieces of 2x4 above referred to, 
with end up to the mark, or even with 
the end of the radius, and spike down 
firmly to the floor, and so proceed 
around the circle, 18 to 24 inches apart. 
This gives a form to which to bend the 
strips, but the first attempt will reveal 
the necessity of a second, outer row of 
blocks, to hold each strip in place tem¬ 
porarily as it is being bent in place. 
The outside blocks need not be as close 
as the thickness of the hoop, but small 
tapering wedges driven in back of the 
outside strip or sometimes at the end of 
each strip as placed in position in the 
hoop will save time and patience. In 
placing the strips, always break joints 
as much as possible, in placing the dif¬ 
ferent layers of the hoop. Small nails 
that can be driven close to the ends of 
the strips without splitting are better 
for part of the supply, the galvanized 
shingle nails being good for this pur¬ 
pose. Larger sizes can be used in com¬ 
pleting the nailing. 
The thickness of the hoops can be as 
desired, but should not be less than four 
strips thick, or about two inches. When 
well made, this will stand an enormous 
pressure, but for building a double- 
lined silo where the builder has plenty 
of money to spend for the purpose the 
hoops are made four inches thick and 
short braces of 2x4 set in to make a 
stiffer structure to withstand wind 
storms. The first hoop should be at 
least three or four inches thick, and in 
building to concrete foundation, set in 
rods or long bolts, anchored at one end, 
well in foundation, and sticking up 
above the surface far enough to accom¬ 
modate the hoop, a heavy washer and a 
nut. The sill hoop is thus held firmly 
in place. In the absence of a barn floor, 
a platform of plank, level and solid, can 
be built for the purpose. If the oak 
plank for the hoops can be but partly 
seasoned it will handle more easily. 
These wooden hoops, or this same style of hoop, 
can be used to make forms for building concrete silos, 
at a great saving over anything I have yet seen recom¬ 
mended. The hoops are made in the same way, but 
allowance is made for the size, as the inside form has 
the hoops on the inside, the outside form the op¬ 
posite. With two forms for inside and two for out¬ 
side of wall, four hoops of each size made, line the 
outside of one pair of the smaller ones with two 
thicknesses of one-half-inch boards, 18 inches long, 
breaking joints, and the same material for the inside 
of the larger hoops leaves space to be filled in with 
stones laid in first, and soft concrete poured in to fill 
all space. The forms should not be over 18 inches 
high, and when one is filled, set on the other and fill, 
then when sufficiently hardened open a splice in the 
two hoops of the lower form and raise, and so proceed. 
There is no difficulty in keeping sflage in a concrete 
silo, if the inside is coated with hot tar during warm 
weather, after the wall is fairly dry, and care is used 
in keeping the inside plumb and smooth. I believe 
air spaces in concrete or wooden silo are worth about 
as much as so much “blue sky.” Even that would be 
a high estimate in the Hope Farm man’s opinion of 
the value of blue sky during the past few weeks. A 
silo is like a big fireless cooker and the contents, stay 
warm for a long time, even close to the edge, and the 
loss is not worth considering. The trouble' is not to 
eet it to keep, so much as to get the stuff to fill the 
silo, where reasonable care is used in construction. 
ISAAC C. ROGERS. 
AN OHIO FARM TEAM OF GIANTS. Fig. 283 
A PARADISE FOR PEARS AND CHICKENS. Fig. 284. 
