Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 10.djvu/632

 616 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

There are two dangers, both somewhat grave, likely to arise from an urgent campaign for centralization. Even if the move- ment makes as great progress as could reasonably be expected, for a generation to come a large share, if not a major portion, of rural pupils will still be taught in the small, isolated, district school ; there is danger that this district school may be neglected. Moreover, increased school machinery always invites undue reli- ance upon machine-like methods. Centralization permits, but does not guarantee, greater efficiency. A system like this one must be vitalized by constant and close touch with the life and needs and aspirations of the rural community itself.

Wherever centralization is not adopted, the consolidation of two or three schools a modified form of centralization may prove helpful. Where the district school still persists, there are one or two imperative requirements. Teachers must have con- siderably higher wages and longer tenure. There must be more efficient supervision. The state must assist in supporting the school, although only in part. The small schools must be corre- lated with some form of high school. The last point is of great importance because of the comparative absence in country com- munities of opportunity near at hand for good high-school training.

Agricultural education is distinctively technical, not in the restricted sense of mere technique, or even of applied science, but in the sense that it must be frankly vocational. It has to do with the preparation of men and women for the business of farming and for life in the rural community.

Agricultural education should begin in the primary school. In this school the point of view, however, should be broadly peda- gogical rather than immediately vocational. Fortunately, the wise teaching of nature-study, the training of pupils to know and to love nature, the constant illustrations from the rural environ- ment, the continual appeal to personal observation and experi- ence, absolute loyalty to the farm point of view, are not only sound pedagogy, but form the best possible background for future vocational study. Whether we call this early work "nature- study " or call it " agriculture " matters less than that the funda-