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every day life of the people. and that the subjects of instruction have too little con- nection with the conditions in which the pupils live and are to pass their lifetime. In consequence an attempt was made in 1889 to introduce in the College the teaching of practical agriculture. but the movement was not well received and was soon abandoned. After a short interval the energy of Dr. James W. Robertson, of the Department of Agriculture of the Dominion, was di— rected to our educational system and his plans received the financial support of Sir William McDonald. of Montreal. a native of this province. In 1899 he equipped and maintained for three years a manual train— ing department in the Prince of \Vales Col- lege, and schools also in Charlottetown and Summerside. These were well received and at the end of that term were taken over by the Provincial Government and continued as part of our school system.

In 1902 the nature study and school garden movement had its beginning and the grounds at certain schools. \'iz.. at Kensing— ton, Central Bedeque. Searltown. Tryon and Emerald were enlarged to contain two acres. and a garden was laid out with indi— vidual plots where each of the pupils might receive training in the doing of things and have increased opportunities for observation in the growth and development of the vari- ous plants. In 1905 a regulation of the Board of Education made School Garden- ing a voluntary subject of the public school curriculum, and a special grant was made to all schools giving instruction therein. To

PAST AND PRESENT OF

prepare teachers for the carrying on of this work, Mr. Theodore Ross, who supervised the nature study and school gardening in the Macdonald Rural Schools, was sent to Prince of Wales College at the opening of the spring term, 1904, and has since carried on classes in that institution.

A number of teachers also were sent to the Macdonald Institute at Guelph for peri— ods of three months. but this course will now be no longer necessary. as, owing to the fur— ther generosity of Sir William McDonald. ample provision is being made for the train- ing of our teachers in this line of work by the addition to the Prince of Wales College of class rooms and laboratories. a hot house and a large school garden.

The province is also indebted to Sir W il- liam McDonald for an experiment that is being made in the consolidation of rural schools. At Mount Herbert a large central school has been erected. to which are con- veyed in covered vans the pupils from the surrounding districts. At this school. in addition to the regular subjects. instruction is provided in Manual Training. Household Science and Nature Study. The cost of maintaining this school. which is to be borne by Sir W. C. Macdonald for three years, is very much beyond that of the several schools of which it is composed. The advantages of a large graded school are. however, quite apparent, and there is considerable agitation in several parts of the province to combine the smaller districts and erect large centrally located schools. a movement that has been tried with decided benefit in many localities.