The Bureau of Education, which is under the Department of the Interior, is the national clearing-house of information on educational subjects. This information is set forth in a large number of valuable publications, and the Bureau also maintains a corps of experts who travel about the country giving advice and conducting investigations in regard to various lines of education. One of the duties of this Bureau is to supervise the expenditure of the liberal funds provided by the Government toward the support of agricultural and mechanical colleges, commonly known as the “land-grant colleges.” Another is to operate schools for the education of native children in Alaska and to look after the Government reindeer industry in that territory. A comparatively recent undertaking is the promotion of home gardening under school direction in cities and towns throughout the country, and the organization of a School Garden Army, which has materially increased the national food-supply. Another educational agency of the Government is the Federal Board for Vocational Education, which was organized in the year 1917. This Board directs a scheme of cooperation between the Federal Government and the states for the promotion of vocational education in the fields of agriculture, home economics and the industrial arts. Congress has made liberal appropriations for this work, and these are to be increased annually until they amount to $7,367,000 a year. Each state is required to spend as much for vocational education as it receives from the national Government for the same purpose. Before this plan was inaugurated, the training of young people at public expense for definite trades and industries had made little progress in the United States. Since the World War the Board has had charge of the training and education of discharged and disabled soldiers and sailors. This work is carried on in the various technical, trade and commercial schools of the country, or other institutions offering special courses, and also directly in the trades and industries. It is not limited to manual training. The Board has announced that “all careers are open to the disabled men.” This educational work must not be confused with that carried on for discharged soldiers in the hospitals conducted by the Public Health Service, and for soldiers still in service in the Army hospitals. PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 7, No. 11, SERIAL No. 183 COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC. [Illustration: A BOYS’ CORN CLUB--COUNTY AGENT GIVING INSTRUCTION] _THE STORY OF UNCLE SAM_ _The Department of Agriculture_ TWO