THE NEED OF EDUCATION

Southland Times, Issue 17787, 17 July 1916, Page 5

THE NEED OF EDUCATION

FOR THE FARMER. In the course of a most interesting and thoughtful address on "The Child and Nature,” delivered to the teachers at their annual conference recently, Mr A. Philpott, the naturalist, made the following sensible remarks:- — In is sufficiently obvious that man advances in civilisation as he advances in the knowledge of nature. The arts of peace hinge largely on (lie understanding of nature. The great art of all arts, the foundation course on which civilisation and culture raise their pyramids, is the tilling of the soil, the gathering of the wealth of the world from the fecund bosom of Mother Earth. And it is lamentably true that for this most important of all callings we have to a great extent considered that any or no education would suffice. We propose that our sons should follow the medical profession and we send them to the university. Or, we advise them to find a career in law. and in the church, and we send them likewise, to college. I hope the day may soon come when we shall give them a course at the university because they are to become farmers. Here, in New Zealand, wc shall always base our prosperity on some form of farming, on agriculture, on dairying, or pasturing, or fruit-growing, and what a variety of nature knowledge is of benefit for the successful carrying out of any of these ! Is there a natural science which does not come into touch willi the work of the farmer’.’ P.oiany, zoology, entomology, geology, meteorology. physiology—each one can teach things of moment to the tiller of the soil.