DEMMARK’S ADVANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 April 1925, Page 7

DEMMARK’S ADVANCE.

LIBERAL CULTURAL EDUCATION.

WORLD’S BEST CO-OPERATORS.

An instructive and interesting address oh ‘‘‘Some Lessons - from Rural Denmark” was delivered by Mr. Frank Tate, the Director of Education for the State of Victoria, at the Wellington Rotary Club. Mr, Tate said that' Denmark had for years been an object lesson of great interest to students by reason of its advanced social legislation, including land legislation, and of the steady progress of its people from a condition of ignorance and poverty to one of widespread culture, comfort and prosperity. Natural conditions in Denmark were hard, but a highly developed body of rural workers had by intelligent methods reaped wonderful success in adapting scientific and business methods to farm problems. The Danes were the world’s best eo-operators and the national genius for co-operation had resulted in doubling and trebling their output of dairy produce in a brief time and in securing for them the most favourable marketing conditions. Of all farmers in the world, they could claim that they receive for themselves the greatest proportion of the price paid by the foreign consumer for their produce. PEOPLE’S HIGH SCHOOLS. It might be thought that the remarkable success of rural industries in Denmark was the direct result of a fine system of agricultural and technical education. Nothing could be further from the truth than this, although it was certain that agricultural education in Denmark was developed to a high degree. At the root of the matter was the system of liberal cultural education largely availed of by young men and women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five years. This education was given to the young men during five winter months and to the young women during three summer months in remarkable institutions known as the People’s High Schools. These schools are adult schools working for short courses only. The young farmers who went to the People’s High School in " the winter did not go there to improve their practical knowledge of farming, but to receive a general and stimulating mind training. One principal had told him (Mr. Tate) that the purpose of the People’s High School was to make these young men good citizens; to show them what their country stood for and how they could help its progress; to open their minds and give them intellectual interests; and, above all, to develop in them the feeling of good-will towards their work and co-workers, ■so that they would readily unite as a team. for a common end. From the High School the young men returned to their farms with awakened intellectual curiosity and with the power and the desire to acquire knowledge for themselves by means of books. They might go next winter for another course at the same or at a different high school, or they might go on to a similar institution known as the People’s Agricultural School. Here the work was more distinctly vocational, but it was worth pointing out that even in the agricultural schools a large portion of the work was cultural and that & these schools also an hour a day was given to community einging, TRAINING OF EXPERTS. It was thus that the rank and file of the agricultural army in Denmark were trained. Those who wished to .take positions in go operative societies as graders or pub-managers of creameries or as herd testers often took special intensive eourees in these agricultural 'schools and were granted special certificates. ; But such an education as had been discribed would not produce the highgrade experts who could control and 'direct such a» army. There was in Copenhagen a very efficient agricultural and veterinary college of university rank. In this institution were trained the- real agricultural experts. The students before entering had received an advanced secondary education and had had two years’ experience in farming. After four years’ training, when they graduated, they went out—some as teachers, some as assistants in experimental stations and very many nought appointment as counsellors in the employ of co-operative societies and farm-1 ere’ asspeiatione.

Agriculture in Denmark, therefore, rested 'upon tho. work of a body of producer# of very high average education. Their operations were controlled and directed by a skilled aolontifte corps and by high-grade business men associated with the co-operative societies. The widespread use of co operation had had a very great effect in educating the Danish farmers.

Summing-op, Mr; Tate said that education had undoubtedly helped a poor country of few natural advantages to become rich and prosperous. Towards the end of the eighteenth century the

Danish rural -woi'kers were still serfs; to-dlay they were among the most intelligent workers in the world,- They had developed one great asset and that was a fine national spirit and a spirit of good-will towards their co-workers which expressed itself in co-operation. Their system of adult education realised that the practical end of education was to fit boys and girls for efficient citizenship, expressing itself in effioieijt service with good-will to all. (Applause.)