General Bulletin Volume 34 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1898 Excerpt: ...and what ought to be the standard of its educational work? Heretofore, in most of the States, the question of what the institutes shall teach has been left to the various localities to select. As a consequence, there has been no systematic or prescribed course of instruction, but a desultory and fragmentary method somewhat on the restaurant plan of, "order what you wish," and we will try to supply you. So long as the institute work is in the revival stage of its progress, this method, its, perhaps, the only one that can be pursned, but when it reaches the true educational idea, then a more systematic and logical method of education will be a necessity. Such an ideal cannot, of course, be introduced suddenly, or ever, perhaps, be entirely substituted for the present method, but it is possible, and, in my opinion, will soon become imperative, to gradually prescribe some topics to be taken up all over the State in every institute that is held, selecting such subjects as are of vital importance. The abandonment of the haphazard method of instruction and the gradual adoptilon of a carefully planned and systematic course of study will mark a new and most important era in institute development. What the institute shall teach ought to be limited to the study of subjects bearing directly upon the life and occupation of agricultural people. It is, of course, impossible to take up, in any proper sense, the study of botany, geology, chemistry and kindred subjects. First of all, there is not the time for such a course, and the institute student, as a rule, is beyond the period of life when he can undertake such work as this. The most that can be done is to teach the institute scholar the results of scientific research. To show the application of science and th...