THE AGRICULTURAL CLASSES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14239, 4 July 1910, Page 6

THE AGRICULTURAL CLASSES.

~.'; DPENING ADDRESS, Between 40 and 50 teachers assembled at the Technical School on Saturday morning to listen to an address by the newly-appointed [agricultural instructor for South Canterbury. Mr itrown explaned that he would speak in a general way that day, as they Jiad assembled chiefly for the purpose of arranging the course of work and etudy, and to decide how his services and the laboratory equipment of the .Technical School could be best utilised. He referred first, to an article which, Lad appeared in the Christchurch, "Press" recently, under the title: "The German Chemist." Tins article had been suggested by an alarmist address by Professor Osborne, the essence of which, was that the.Britdsh nation had much more to fear from the progressiveness of the German people in manufacturing industries, u.nd their skill in applying the results of research, than from German Dreadnoughts. He instanced the synthetic manufacture of aniline camphor, xausk, etc., end the effect of the artificial production of these, on the natHirual supplies. One might go further With the indefatigable activity of the Germans, in agricultural production, and what they had done with calcium cyanamide. But the New Zealand farmer need have no fear of the chemist. Our educational system should be bo ordered that every child would he brought into intimate relation with real life, so that they would grow up more observant, and, as regards the farmers of the future, better able to cope with the difficulties that beset the practice of agriculture, which becomes yearly more intense; improve existing systems, and increase product tion. Mr Brown went on to refer to the departure, in recent years, of educatioal aims and methods, and said that the so called "new" education, was in reality older than civilisation. He knew it had not met with the approval of some teachers, who regarded, it as an intrusion, and considered that traditional methods had answered >vell enough. But the real reason of their opposition was that, 'having qualified for their profession, they desired thereafter to take things easy, and rest content with teaching what they had been taught. But all hie was, or should be, a striving after higher and better things, and the teacher who failed to recognise this, ;was .unworthy of the name. .What, then .was the new, education. The iboy's definition of an educated man, ,tvae "one that does not work." They ;would not accept that definition, but it was full of significance. It was an pld idea that education made a man accomplished, it was the new idea that it also makes him useful. "Our .whole system of education for tho eake of culture and power was threatened with destruction by the overincreasing flood of materialism in courses, and of practicalism in the professional courses." So far from developing the reasoning powers, the old subjects too often served merely to train the memory at their expense, and it was too often insisted that practicalism was incompatible ; with high ideals. Tho paramount importance of teaching sciences, especially the science of agriculture, did not rest on their excellence as mindtrainers. That was only one aspect of education; the other was that it should render pupils practically efficient and useful. Education should faring pupils into sympathy with common affairs and tho problems of the jwork-a-day world. The speaker quoted the advice of the farmer to his Bon when- the latter was leaving for college: "John, be careful not to get more education than your intelligence can stand." That farmer was thus giving expression to the well-known fact that institutional training and education frequently unfitted a man for dealing effectively in the actualities of life. In an ideal system, school ; work should be supplementary to real •work, and not vice-versa. He had ■worked with_ old shepherds, and farm hands, who, in their powers of observation and deduction put him to shame. No boy or girl_ should leave school without the ability to do a piece of Srork with their hands. How many of

US; were in the position of the minister who could ao nothing -with his hands, except play golt —and that badly. Mr Brown quoted Bailey's eulogy of the life of t)ie farm boy as an example of education in realities and went on to content that that example was a particular instance of the fact that the customary activities could he made to have true educational value. The school should bo co-ordinate with and co-operate with the practical issues of life. That it had not been so in the past nad been due to the fact that the progress of education had been from the classes to the masses, and the divorcement from common life was regarded-as one of its cliief merits, education being supposed to stand for ideals and culture. He was aware of the practic.il difficulties to be faced, especially in the demand for an education leading to the professions, ou '*' uo could see no reason why the authorities should cater for such a demand, leaving the pro'ducing classes, on which the welfare of the Dominion rests, to work out their own salvation. The remarks of Professor Davenport were quoted as showing why agriculture should be taught in the rural schools, and Mr Brown went on to explain how the various aims were to be realised. In nature study, manual training and school gardening they had made a beginning, and ho had some proposals to make for the school gardens in the ensuing season which would be communicated shortly to teachers by circular. One of these, would, he hoped, be yery fruitful in studies, and create an awakened interest in the staple crop of Canterbury. With regard to nature study the only point he would urge was the avoid anco as •far as possible of the information method, unless it be necessary to supply it in answer to a spontaneous and natural enquiry, or to put the child in the way of acquiring fresh facts for liimself. For the rest he insisted only that the new point of view must come —education in the school of affairs must predominate. There was already an irresistible tendency towards the gradual emancipation of the schools, and nothing would stay it. He wished that every rural teacher would make these lines his or her own. "I teach the earth and soil, to them that toil; the hill and fen to common men, that live just here. The plants that grow, the winds that blow, the streams that run, in rain and sun throughout the year. And then I. lead through wood and mead, through mould and sod, out unto God; with love and cheer I teach. As the race in its progress, as the child in its nurture, and the flight of the poet come up out of labour, constructive, creation ,so will the method of nature of life and its content make the school of the future."

On resuming his seat Mr Brown was heartily applauded A discussion then took place as to when the classes should be held; Mr Bell, secretary to tho Board, said that uo teachers had already applied to join the classes, and as all could not be taken at once, it was resolved that there should bo two clases ,one on Friday evenings, and tho other on Saturday mornings. Mr Brown said that there would be 15 lectures in the cotirse.