Presidents -- United States -- Messages; United States -- Politics and government -- Sources
Several factors must cooperate in the improvement of the farmer's
condition. He must have the chance to be educated in the widest
possible sense--in the sense which keeps ever in view the intimate
relationship between the theory of education and the facts of life. In
all education we should widen our aims. It is a good thing to produce a
certain number of trained scholars and students; but the education
superintended by the State must seek rather to produce a hundred good
citizens than merely one scholar, and it must be turned now and then
from the class book to the study of the great book of nature itself.
This is especially true of the farmer, as has been pointed out again
and again by all observers most competent to pass practical judgment on
the problems of our country life. All students now realize that
education must seek to train the executive powers of young people and
to confer more real significance upon the phrase "dignity of labor,"
and to prepare the pupils so that, in addition to each developing in
the highest degree his individual capacity for work, they may together
help create a right public opinion, and show in many ways social and
cooperative spirit. Organization has become necessary in the business
world; and it has accomplished much for good in the world of labor. It
is no less necessary for farmers. Such a movement as the grange
movement is good in itself and is capable of a well-nigh infinite
further extension for good so long as it is kept to its own legitimate
business. The benefits to be derived by the association of farmers for
mutual advantage are partly economic and partly sociological.
Moreover, while in the long run voluntary efforts will prove more
efficacious than government assistance, while the farmers must
primarily do most for themselves, yet the Government can also do much.
The Department of Agriculture has broken new ground in many directions,
and year by year it finds how it can improve its methods and develop
fresh usefulness. Its constant effort is to give the governmental
assistance in the most effective way; that is, through associations of
farmers rather than to or through individual farmers. It is also
striving to coordinate its work with the agricultural departments of
the several States, and so far as its own work is educational to
coordinate it with the work of other educational authorities.
Agricultural education is necessarily based upon general education, but
our agricultural educational institutions are wisely specializing
themselves, making their courses relate to the actual teaching of the
agricultural and kindred sciences to young country people or young city
people who wish to live in the country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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