d to the age and interests of the
pupils from the standpoint of synthetic appreciation and enjoyment,
rather than from the standpoint of mechanical analysis.

The rural high school course in social science should be broad and
thorough. The course in history should not give an undue proportion of
time to ancient and medieval history, nor to war and politics. Emphasis
should be placed on the social, industrial, and economic phases of human
development in modern times and in our own country.

Political economy should form an important branch. Especially should it
deal with the problems of production, distribution, and consumption as
they relate to agriculture. Matters of finance, taxation, and
investment, while resting on general principles, should be applied to
the problems of the farm. Nor should the economic basis of support and
expenditure in the home be overlooked.

The course in civics should not only present the general theory of
government, but should apply concretely to the civic relations and
duties of a rural population. Especially should it appeal to the civic
conscience and sense of responsibility which we need among our rural
people to make the country an antidote to the political corruption of
the city.

Material science should constitute an important section of the rural
high school curriculum. Not only does its study afford one of the best
means of mental development, but the subject-matter of science has a
very direct bearing on the life and industries of the farm. To achieve
the best results, however, the science taught must be presented from the
concrete and applied point of view rather than from the abstract and
general. This does not mean that a hodge-podge of unrelated facts shall
be taught in the place of science; indeed, such a method would defeat
the whole purpose of the course. It means, however, that the general
laws and principles of science shall be carried out to their practical
bearing on the problems of the home and the farm, and not be left just
as general laws or abstract principles unapplied.

The botany and zooelogy of the rural high school will, of course, have a
strong agricultural trend. It will sacrifice the old logical
classifications and study of generic types of animals and plants for the
more interesting and useful study of the fauna and flora of the
locality. The various farm crops, their weed enemies, the helpful and
harmful insects and birds, the animal life of the barny