The Star. MONDAY, JUNE 10, 1912. AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 10 June 1912, Page 4

The Star.

MONDAY, JUNE 10, 1912. AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

I Delivered eyery evening t»y 6 o'clock in / Hawera, Maua>i, Notmanbi, Okaiawa. Eltham, Manfratoki, Kanontfa \wß'in» Opnnake. Otakeho. Manniahi, Alton. Hurley ville. Patea. and Waver ley.

In a letter published in the Star on Thursday last, Mr T. F. Walsh entered an eloquent plea for a^rieaiturai education, and suggested that the executive of the Farmers' Union might specially press on the Royal Commission on Education the advantages of, and the necessity for, instruction in agricultural subjects. The suggestion is a good one, and though it would have been more timely had it been made ten days earlier, it was not too late, especially as the members of the Farmers' Union must have their hearts in the subject, and should be able, with little trouble to themselves, to draw up recommendations and give reasons for them. Even were it not practicable for any member or officer of the Union to give evidence before the Commission, the recommendations could easily be drawn up and sent to the Commission in the form of a memorandum. This might suit the Commission even better than personal evidence, especially as it has little time to spare, and the Union executive is in the position of having data to start with right off, in the suggestions which Mr Walsh himself has made in his letter. Mr Walsh's proposal is that agriculture should be taught as a class subject in the primary schools of the country, and that the curriculum might include instruction in the financial principles on which land has to be bought; the value of manures and methods of manuring, grass-culture, veterinary surgery, and the characteristics of dairy cows. Mr Walsh expressly says that he does not "write as an authority, but as one of the younger generation of farmers who find problems continually arising, which, through lack of experience or knowledge, they cannot solve save through the loss of hard cash and years of wasted effort." But his position as thus described gives him a clear title to speak, and also justices him in feeling very strongly that the knowledge which he and others in his position lack might "have been advantageously imparted in the time that was comparatively wasted in learning the shapes of cones and pyramids, finding the centres of given circles, drawing water-jugs and lilies, or reading lessons on how the ancients made stone axes, or how to corral wild elephants in Bengal." Nor is this opinion in the least degree a singular one, for even professional educationists,, as well as many practical business men and farmers, are in agreement with Mr Walsh on the subject. For instance, while he was giving evidence in Wellington before the Education^Commission, Mr George Hogben, the Inspector-General of Schools, said that he strongly believed in vocational training right through. By this he did not mean the production of a finished product able to take a place in an office or shop, but that the subjects of the training should be such as to have some actual bearing on the. future life of the pupils. The training had been too formal in character, and the subjects so chosen that school work came to be looked on as having no practical bearing upon life. School life had oeen made too artificial, and separated from the real life interests of the children. Hence Mr Hogben would have vocational courses in every secondly school in New Zealand, and also a commercial course, which would give the pupil an understanding of the principles upon which commerce is based. There should also be an agricultural course in all secondary schools, and one ot applied science for boys, with a domestic science course for'girls. Neglect of instruction in agriculture had gone on -ar too lona;, and ought to be stopped. He did not believe in making separate schools for agriculture, comrneroe, and other such divisions of life. Mr Hogben added that in the past eftorts to get pupils to agricultural classes had not been very successful, and. generally speaking, the greatest difficulty was the lethargy of the farming community itself. Primary schools, hi^h schools, and district schools should work uogether m the teaching of agriculture became separate buildings could not be provided, m his opinion. Here the In-spector-General was speaking with a sympathetic reference to the limits of departmental finance, but his main statement shows that the earnest plea' made by Mr Walsh is not quite that of a voice crying in the wilderness. An n matter *of fact, the Utago Board of Education has for some time been strongly recommending that at all country schools, at any rate; boys shonld be Rdncated with a special view to their efficiency m agricultural work l"l a, s + ? irlß + J n a" schools should be taught the -things which are likely to make them comnletely at home in housework. All this is well, in view of the great practical importance of the subjects and there is ground for honfng in noucilture aTul f i oTrPstic er , onon]V good will come of the Roval ConW Jion on Education set up by the Mac" fcenaie Government