Page:The Wisconsin idea (IA cu31924032449252).pdf/173



"The university extension division cannot, from its very nature, do the permanent work of the continuation and trade schools. There is a parallel between its methods and work and those of the early church organizations. It was necessary at first to have some kind of missionary work, as perhaps some little local demand became evident. Then circuit riders were sent around; men who preached one Sunday in one little town and the next Sunday in another; the circuits grew smaller as time went on until churches were built, pastors secured, and permanent organizations established in each town.

"The university extension work can follow the same method. When little centers are established, permanent buildings erected and permanent teachers secured, then the university extension work can be used as a sort of circuit riding organization for the still higher grades of work until the needs of the higher grades are supplied by permanent organization. In this way the university extension work can form the means of building up the whole system from one which deals even with the needs of a single individual in a little community to a complete system for the whole state. This very elasticity, resulting in a variety of results by which different grades of students and different grades of work can be taken care of, is just what made German industrial education successful. With a mistaken policy, some of her educational directors, fortunately, however, not the leaders, have recently tried to grade and qualify this work. This has been defeated and the work saved from becoming static. The present system in that country, with local schools adjusted to local needs, with varying degrees of schools from the lowest continuation school through to the highest technical school, has been a far better arrangement for Germany, and for that matter can be a far better method to start with in this state, than that brought about by a more strict classification…