the program for agricultural education in Indiana, is as it should be, yet we are forced to admit that in some instances we are confronted with a difficulty referred to in Chapter XV. The difficulty to which I refer is the fact that some of our schools "have taken up agriculture as a concession to farmers and farming, when, by very nature, it should always have been part of the school curriculum." Such schools as these are half-heartedly doing the agricultural work, and would be doing nothing with agriculture did not the law require it. However, I am glad that the majority of our teachers believe there is great value in the work; that it has a rightful place in the curriculum, and that it should receive the best direction which they are capable of giving.

We quite agree with the statment that the teaching of agriculture "can not be limited to a text-book or manual." We have insisted that "agriculture must be taught in the great laboratory of nature." We do not agree with the statement that the "school ground, including experimental plot and garden, must come first." On the other hand, we believe that the things that should be used "are orchards and cornfields and meadows," and "corn and cereals, barnyard fowls and other animals." We do not approve of bringing the animals and poultry to school to be studied except upon condition that such work be made secondary to the study of these things under practical conditions at home. Again, we are quite agreed with the author that "some one-teacher schools find time to make their grounds beautiful, test all seed corn for the district, bud

all the peach trees required to plant the orchards of the whole countryside, grow corn and vegetables for the annual contest and still have abundance of time for the other school tasks. When such able teachers are found everywhere, home and school will speedily reach an understanding." And, I may add that when such teachers are found, the state department's program for agricultural education can be carried out and then enlarged upon.

Without stopping for a discussion of the topics, we urge you to read carefully what the author says about manual training and domestic science, physical education and hygiene, supervised play and school morals, new leaven in the old subjects, and study

of rural life in the school. We wish to take up with you a fairly detailed. study of the topics relating to Boys' and Girls' Industrial Clubs, but before taking this up we wish to call your attention to the fact that Chapter XVI deals primarily with the question of consolidation of schools. Inasmuch as

Indiana is generally recognized as one of the foremost states of the United States in the matter of consolidation of schools, and because of the fact that as teachers we ought to be informed as to the status of consolidation in Indiana and be wholly appreciative of the advantages which accrue. to communities that consolidate their schools, it is not deemed necessary to discuss the subject in this review.

Going back now to the topics in Chapter XV that relates to boys' and girls' club work, your attention is directed to the author's statements that "no expedient made use of in recent

years by educators, in their efforts to solve the farm problems, has met with such universal approval as has the industrial club," and "boys' and girls' clubs offer exceptional common ground on which home and school can meet." Our own experience with club work in Indiana justifies our endorsing these statements. We have contended from the beginning of the work in this state that the club projects constitute one of the most important parts of the agricultural and domestic science work. Through these home projects the principles taught in the class room and school laboratory may be given a trial as to their practicability in the solution of farm and home problems. Unless this practical application of the school exercises is made, a large per cent. of the value of the work is lost.

In order that these summer projects may contribute their full educational value, preparation for them should be made by a careful study in school of the particular problems to be worked out. If the project is corn growing, the boys should select, store, and test the seed corn as a part of their regular school work in agriculture. They should make a careful study of the soil in the fields to be planted to corn, should become informed as to proper methods of cultivation, soil management, etc. Complete records of time, methods, expenditures, production, re

ceipts, etc., should be kept, and a written account of what was done should be made an important part of the project.

Suggestions as to methods of organizing the boys and girls for home project work are given in the state department bulletin No. 12, part 3, the January-April, 1915, issue of "Helps for Teachers in Agriculture." Teachers that have not received one of these bulletins should write to their county. superintendent or to the State Department of Public Instruction for a copy. More detailed information relative to the work may be secured by sending a written request to Z. M. Smith, Lafayette, Indiana.

We can not urge upon teachers too strongly the importance of taking up actively the enrolling of pupils for summer project work. The schools of

Indiana will fall Indiana will fall short of fulfilling their obligations to the children of the state, unless teachers make use of all agencies that may be utilized in connection with the school work. We must not simply read about doing, but we must take action at once. The need is imperative. Why not meet the need? There should be no objection to work of this kind, because it is not a burden but is, instead, an excellent means of lightening the tasks of the school. We hope for a generous response from teachers in all parts of the state.

In this concluding article for the year, it is hoped to have teachers feel the full meaning of vocational education; to be more fully awake to the enormous task and unusual opportunity to contribute to its rapid solution, or partial failure.

School teachers must take the lead in recognition of the essential dignity

and worth of honest and efficient work of whatever character. If work is anywhere regarded as mean and contemptible it is probably because of the influence of some one who has been taught by the school to regard himself above it. Without question the teacher has done positive harm when she has attempted to spur the restless boy to renewed interest in books by the warning: "You surely do not want to grow up to be a common workman!"

We of the past may have been educated as genuine artificial classics, with false ideals in regard to physical labor, with false pride, and many other inconsistent ideas, but we had one great advantage. When we were presented to the world with a diploma. in one hand and a burning torch of self-esteem in the other, we did not have to do things. Our position was such that in case of ignorance on any question we could smile, look pleasant or wise as the occasion demanded, and occupy at least a cultural position in the world. But what of the artificial tradesman, he who can not conceal his blunders, he whose houses must stand or imperil the lives of those who occupy them, he who must build for use

as well as beauty? As leaders in this great work, can we for the sake of self-glory, worldly popularity, enviable positions, or even a fat salary afford to turn out false products? This is the vital question of the hour. Trades and recreation, like boys and girls, are not wholly new subjects, but our viewpoint has changed.

In the first place, it must be agreed that the elementary school should sustain the same relation to subsequent industrial education that it does to subsequent professional and technical education, or so-called general education, or to education in the school of experience. Its aim should be the perhaps impossible one of preparation for any subsequent schooling or for immediate wage earning. It must provide a foundation upon which any reasonable superstructure may be built. The problems of the elementary school will not have been solved until it gives as careful and efficient attention to the needs of the child who goes out into the industries as it gives to the needs of the child who goes on to the secondary school and college.

American institutions are organized, theoretically at least, on the supposition that the only barriers to upward progress are the limitations of individual endowment. Everything must be, as we say, "open at the top." Against this principle the elementary school has in the past been a serious offender, in contributing to the restriction of possibilities in the cases of countless individuals. This it has

done by its cultivation of ideals and inclinations in a narrow field, and by its attraction away from commerce and industry toward genteel careers. It has been well said that the practical tendency of our academic education is to prescribe the future careers of the young people who submit themselves to it.

Every individual should approach the time of decision as to his future life-work with an open mind, in possession of as much vocational data as possible concerning prospective occupations, and with as much knowledge as possible of his own tastes and capacity. The opportunities and responsibilities of the elementary school in these respects have never been fully realized.

Closely connected with what has been said is the proposition, now urged in many quarters, to introduce into the work of the elementary school more of the vocational motive. This involves such modification of the spirit and content of the work as will make its vocational value apparent to the pupils themselves and will definitely raise and attempt to answer questions relating to future occupa

tions.

I do not believe with those who hold that consideration of such questions as these during the elementary school period means prematurely fastening upon the shoulders of childhood the cares and responsibilities that should be postponed as long as possible. The elimination statistics that have been

gathered are the very best evidence that such consideration is not premature. The vocational motive is already in the situation, but it works

the wrong way. As it is now, the boy sometimes leaves school because he wants to get a job, and he feels that the school is doing him no good. The school should be so changed that the boy will want to stay in school as long as he possibly can because he wants a job and he knows that the school will help him.

The appeal to the vocational motive. does not necessarily imply the setting of a time at or before which every boy must have decided upon his life-work; though it is a question whether it would not be an unusual boy who, in a proper school environment, would reach the age of fourteen or fifteen years without forming some definite idea as to his future work. A good dcal could be accomplished, without revising courses of study and without new equipment, by a change of attitude on the part of the teachers toward various occupations.

I thoroughly believe in teaching every girl a trade, a craft, a profession, or whatever you choose to call it, but I do not believe in opening the shop or factory door and driving them into the college and university. I say, open all doors of educational and selfsupporting opportunities but keep always in view that the home comes first?

Then we, as a nation, are safe.

For a solution of these problems we turn eagerly and trustfully to the public schools. During some twenty years in teaching and supervising, I have come to this conclusion: that it is really easy to earn a living. The world needs you, and is willing to pay you for just what you are, but the world is in many respects a wise old

guy, and will not invest its money in false standards.

Out of the great army of children who have been leaving the schools at fourteen to go to work and get from these schools no further attention come the ne'er-do-wells the loafers, the tramps, gamblers, prostitutes, and criminals, for whose care the state spends more money in penal and correctional work than it would have cost to have prevented through proper vocational guidance and training, many ei then from becoming a burden and menace to society.

The ultimate goal of the movement for vocational education is to organize the schools to reach and train properly for their work in life, whatever it may be, the millions of children now going to work at fourteen years of age. Manual training and domestic economy for the regular high school pupils, technical high schools to fit boys for service as leaders on the business and directive side of industry, trade schools that deal with a selected group of fortunate boys who are able to give four years to preparation for an occupation -all these have their place and deserve public support. But they contribute nothing to the solution of the vastly more important and critical problem of reaching and serving the

educational needs of the multitude of children whom we have up to this time neglected, largely because we have not known how to deal with them. From

fourteen years who is able to give all his time to training for some occupa-. tion before entering it or by following. him with its service to the work upon which he has already entered are finding out little by little how we can get hold of him and prepare him for his life-work properly-to the end that we may by such experiments come to know as our final goal in vocational education how to "train all kinds of men (and women) in all kinds of ways. for all kinds of things."

The typical boy and girl fourteen years of age leaving the public schools. as they do by the hundreds of thousands need either under the roof of the school or in the industry, or in both, practice in the callings which they are

to follow under the conditions which the calling sets up that will give insight, skill, knowledge, and power of growth. They need training in the related mathematics, drawing, science, technique which will make their work interesting and intelligible and lead to the mastery and promotion, and leadership. They need an acquaintance with the industry as it is carried on, its organization, its administration, its problems, its difficulties, its social and economic place and relationship. With the great majority of these boys and girls, the emphasis needs to be laid upon extensive practice in school or shop, along with thinking about the practice, rather than upon the doing of a few things that will bring out an

the most valuable contributions to vocational education, and certainly to a wider democracy as well, are being made by those schools which, by opening the doors wide to the child at

of execution which they do not pos

sess.

Is too much claimed for vocational education? No. So long as Satan is the chief employer of idle hands, crime