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Show State School Superintendent Follows Lehi's ;LeaiJ Sevccnl mouths ngo tho Lehi school bon rd decided that Jn order tqTnnkc more efficacious the lessons of agriculture agri-culture being taught in tho .public schools, it would supplement tho work b hiring two Instructors to supcnlsc the work of tho boys In the fields during the summer. Accordingly Professors Henulou nnd Hanks wore hired to devoto one-hnlf of their summer sum-mer months to the work. Tho professors' profes-sors' services will-also bo nt tho command com-mand of tho fnrmera gcnernlfy, who desire to obtain their views nnd nd-vlco. nd-vlco. Mr, Dnnks' efforts will bo largely large-ly with tho boys' clubs, whllo Mr Reunion will bo more In tho fields Stnto Superintendent Mnthcson, evl. dently getting his inspiration from tho Lehl schools, litis issued n general circular to till tho school hoards of the state IIIr nrtlclo gives such ir thorough support to tho Lehl boaid's action that ue print his nrtlclo In full It follows' To tho Public School Hoards of Utah, In Agricultural Districts: For a number of years agriculture hns been taught both In the "common schools and in tho high schools of the state. Experience bus demonstrated demon-strated that agriculture is n subject which cannot bo taught effectively by employing only tho long established methods of the school loom- The study of n text book, work in the 'nboratory, and rccltntlon In tho class room aro nil voluablo aids In acquiring acquir-ing n knowledge of this Biibjcct, hut these nlono do not glvo a young man a full or fair opportunity to lenrn well this Important science. In addition ho must .participate Intelligently In tho work on tho farm. There Is considerable discussion theso days about educational readjustment read-justment nnd vocational training hero Is widespread conviction Hint tlio school would do well to make somo of its work n llttlo moro concrete con-crete nnd practical. Wo feel sure Hint this result can be secured in ngrlculturo and that school boards have It largely within their power to bring out this desired result In the rural districts of our state by fnr the largest part of vocational education must necessarily mean education In tho science of fnrm life. To bo Hk direct means of Improving- this Important Im-portant part of sclTool work would be n distinct credit to our school bOnrds Should He Prncllcnl. The boy who studies agriculture should bo given nn opportunity, under un-der skillful direction and supervision, to put tho theorlos nnd information which ho acquires in tho school room Into prnctlco on tho farm. Tlio teacher teach-er or supervisor should bo with the boy on the farm In summer, as well as with him in tho school room In winter. Tho boy would thus pass through n thorough-going cducntlonn) process In his study or ngrlculturo Ho would bo doing productive work which would also stimulate, his Interest Inter-est in school work and nfld lo his detormlnntlon to succeed thoreln. To bring nbout such nn opportunity, I rospectfully recommend to school boards, at least In high school dls trlcts whoro tho flnnnces will pormlt, that they engngo tho services of their teachers of ngrlculturo for the calendar calen-dar year, Instead of for the school year, I. e., for twclvo months Instead of for nlno months of tho year. During Dur-ing tho summer months the boards should have this teacher supervise the farm work of all school boys within with-in tho district, tnko charge of ngrlculturo ngrl-culturo club work, nnd with tho boys work out tho projects and problems of tho farm. Duo enro should be exorcised In tho solcction of the teacher. Ho should, If possible, bo a mnn whoso knowledge of agricultural science hns come from nctual participation partici-pation In farm life, nnd from u comprehensive com-prehensive course of Instruction in olio or our best agricultural colleges He should, moreover, be In ontlro sympathy with all morltorlous school work nnd sco clearly the relationship o his work to all of the activities of tho school Such n mnn would co-opornto co-opornto readily and happily with parents par-ents nnd would glvo vnluablo guld-nnce guld-nnce and demonstrations to tho boys. Furthermore, his Instructions could not fnll to be, nt least Incidentally, bcr.nficlnl to tho fathers of the boys Mill Help Lntlre Stale. Tho schools, I nm sure, enn bo very effective ngoncles In bringing nbout Improved ogrlculturo throughout our state. Tho countries whose schools hnvo tnught most effectively and most gnnernlly tho subject of agriculture, hnvo glon nmplo proof of the truthfulness truth-fulness of this assertion. Donmnrk, for example, is only nbout one-clgh-tcenth tho slzo of Texns; It has nearly three millions of people; ouir 00 per cent or Its population Is rural Lnrgoly through Intensive cultivation of the soil nnd tho cstnbllshincnt nnd successful suc-cessful operntlon of co-operatlvo enterprises, en-terprises, this vast population Is sustained sus-tained In comfort ofi this small tract of land Slmllnr cultivation or the soil In I'tnh would not only result In Increased production, but It would also proWdo homes of comfort nn' plenty for many of our oung people who too often think It necessary to remove from their homo stnto to find profitable cmploymont and suitable homeB elsewhere. I sincerely trust Hint tho schoo' bonrds of tho stnte, especially the high school boards, may give careful consideration to tho question of cm ploying their teachers of agriculture throughout the entire year Very truly yours, A. C. MATHESON, Stnto Superintendent of Public If ntriictlon. |