his mind the connection between the technical high school and the technical colege: In the relation of the technical high schools to the other highest educational establishments, there is no opposition of interests, and no other competition than this, that each of them and every member of them for his own part, should do full justice to the claims of life and science, mindful of the words of Goethe: "Neither be like the other, but each be like to the highest! How is this to be done? Let each be complete in itself." We close where we began. In the technical college as elsewhere the ultimate purpose of the training offered is for service. But the service rendered must be given, not with the hope of material gain only or of selfish reward. Recent events in our country have shown us most clearly a great lack in our present social attitude. We have men-trained specialists, professional, technical, and commercial, and we need more of them, but if we are to meet, successfully the present state of social unrest and solve the economic and political problems that confront us, they must be men of broad social vision, men who realize the needs of society and who are willing to assume to the full their individual and collective responsibilities. The technical college must do its part by broadening its purely technical character in the lines which I have attempted to indicate. But the proper results in technical education cannot be attained without work, and there will be much opposition. We must be leaders as well as learners and followers. We must be open-minded always, definite in our purposes, and willing to stand alone if in the right. What Burke says of Parliament finds its application with us in America, whether it be in politics, in the religious world, or in education: Their one proper concern is the interest of the whole body politic, and the true democratic representative is not the cringing, fawning tool of the caucus or the mob, but he who, rising to the full stature of political manhood, does not take orders but offers guidance. CONFERENCE OF NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION SECRETARY'S MINUTES WEDNESDAY, 2:30 P. M., JULY 10, 1907 The conference under the direction of the National Committee on Agricultural Education met Wednesday afternoon, July 10, in the State Normal School, Los Angeles. E. C. Bishop, deputy state superintendent of Nebraska, was chosen leader and E. E, Balcomb of Southwestern Normal School, Weatherford, Okla., secretary. "The Work of the National Government in Extending Agricultural Education through the Public Schools" was the subject of an address by Dick J. Crosby, expert in agricultural education, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. A paper on "What Has Been Done and Is Being Done by Normal Schools and Agricultural Schools for Popular Education in Agriculture" was read by E. E. Balcomb, department of agriculture, State Normal School, Weatherford, Okla. "The Work in Agriculture as Conducted by the State and County Organizations of Young People in Club Contests" was considered in an address by E. C. Bishop, deputy state superintendent of public instruction, Lincoln, Neb. A discussion followed. By reference to the minutes of a meeting of the Board of Directors held July 8, 1907 (see pp. 44, 45), it will be seen that in answer to a petition, the establishment of a Department of Rural and Agricultural Education was authorized. It is understood that the petitioners will organize at a later date and will present a program at the next annual convention. E. E. BALCOMB, Secretary. THE WORK OF THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT IN EXTEND- DICK J. CROSBY, EXPERT IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION, UNITED STATES OFFICE The work of the national government in aid of agricultural education may be outlined under two main heads: (1) The giving of funds to the different states and territories to support and encourage agricultural education and research; (2) The giving of expert assistance to educators, educational institutions, and the officials of education, by the different executive departments of the government. FINANCIAL AID FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT The government is now giving annually to the states and territories more than $2,000,000 for the support of institutions in which agricultural education and research are the leading features, and legislation recently enacted provides for the gradual increase of this amount until a total of $3,840,000 is reached. Incidentally this recent legislation also provides for the use of a part of the federal appropriation in the preparation of teachers of agriculture. In addition, these same institutions receive a total of $760,000 annually from funds derived from the federal land-grant of 1862. In a few years, then, the states will be getting from the federal government over four and one half million dollars annually, which must be used largely for education and research in agriculture. Relatively this is not a large sum (nearly as much is spent for a single battleship), but it has had a wonderful influence in stimulating local activity in organizing agricultural education, and local taxation in support of agricul tural education. It is only fifty years since the first agricultural college opened its doors, but there are now sixty-five state educational institutions which receive aid from the federal government, and sixty-three of these are giving instructions in agriculture. They receive two million dollars from the federal government and more than twelve and one-half millions from the states and other local sources. The aggregate value of their equipment and endowment is estimated at eighty-four million dollars. These institutions are now training over nine thousand students to a better appreciation of the problems of the farm and the farm home, and directly or indirectly, they are reaching over a million people annually thru farmers' institutes, and nobody knows how many thru agricultural high schools and the teaching of agriculture, nature-study, and school gardening in public and private schools. Suffice it to say that the agricultural college has been the parent, the inspiration, the wise counsellor, and the guide for the whole movement in education which finds expression in the study of common things for the sake of knowing them better and appreciating their importance in the everyday problems of life. And the federal government has had no small share in the establishment and development of the agricultural colleges. EXPERT ASSISTANCE FROM FEDERAL EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS Several of the federal executive departments publish bulletins, maps, charts, and other material used more or less in the public schools, but only two of these, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, are directly charged with duties relating to the education of our youth. The Department of the Interior thru its Indian service is charged with the management of Indian schools and has made provision for the teaching of elementary agriculture in these schools; thru its Bureau of Education it is charged with the direct management of schools in Alaska and given certain duties in connection with all colleges and schools receiving public funds. The Department of Agriculture thru its office of experiment stations is given the task of promoting more effective instruction in agriculture thru farmers' institutes and agricultural schools. The functions of both these federal bureaus are in the main advisory. They may collect, collate, publish, and disseminate information concerning education in this country and abroad, but there their duties practically end. They may recommend certain changes, but they have no way of enforcing their recommendations. They may co-operate with educational institutions and officials in the different states but not coerce them. They are intended to be co-ordinating agencies-the clearing houses of education. THE BUREAU OF EDUCATION The work of the Bureau of Education touches all phases of educationsupervision, methods, relative values; all subjects —the humanities, mathematics, sciences, and arts-among them agriculture. One who is familiar with the meager funds given this important bureau would not expect it to give much special attention to this recent subject, agriculture, but an examination of the literature emanating from this source will show a number of important and helpful publications on nature-study, school gardens, and other phases of the subject. This bureau is now getting out a bulletin on agricultural education which will be an important contribution to our knowledge of this subject. The Commissioner of Education, in a recent address at the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the first agricultural college in the United States, expressed a warm and hopeful interest in agricultural education, and I am sure that teachers of agriculture who write to him will be given every assistance he is able to extend. THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE In order that what I shall say regarding the work of the United States Department of Agriculture may bear the stamp of official approval, allow me to quote very briefly from the President's message at the opening of the second session of the Fifty-ninth Congress: 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, thru associations of farmers rather than to or thru individual farmers. It is also striving to co-ordinate its work with the agricultural departments of the several states, and so far as its own work is educational, to co-ordinate 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. While the office of experiment stations is the agency thru which the United States Department of Agriculture deals with matters concerning agricultural education, I wish to defer speaking particularly of the work of this office until after I have mentioned briefly the efforts of other bureaus of the department to promote the teaching of agriculture in public schools. The Weather Bureau has representatives in all parts of the country who are doing much to instruct the people concerning meteorological conditions in relation to agriculture. Last year these men gave regular courses of instruction in fourteen universities, colleges, and scientific schools and at least forty other officials of the bureau gave occasional lectures or addresses. The |