Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-04-09
AsTER, WISCONSIN, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 1872.


pills, for correcting errors, for making
general suggestions and for training.
etc. is more than doubled by contin-
uing the school in one district, divid-
ing tho school into two departments
etc. for it takes time to call class
time TO get warmed up with the sub
ject to be treat d of, and time 20 dis
miss class so that the last five
minutes is really about as good as the
first ten. Hence large districts, large
schools and large classes are necessa-
ry to the better success of our com
mon schools School-districts sho'd
be so large that those pupils who live
upon the outskirts of them will have
2 miles to go to school by road, and
IN some cases in which we can do no
better by certain residents, even two
miles and a half.
Yet some will say, "oh, that will
never do, for little children can OF
go two miles and a half nor two
miles TO school in winter" We ad-
nit that in winter little children can
not 60 so far to school, and we main
tain that in our country districts,
they should not go, however short
the distance, from about the first or
middle Of November till the begin
ming of the Spring term, and that it
would be better for all concerned, if
all the small children in the district
under eight years of age, perhaps,
were kept at home during the win
ter, for it seems to me that school
should begin the last week in Aug
ust or the first week in September
and continue without vacation till
Christmas week then, from the be
ginning Of the school till the first or
middle of November, the roads are
generally good, the weather is mod
crate and the days are long, so that
even small pupils can go this distance
so school but at the end Of this
time they will be tired and some
what in need of rest, and may be
kept at home till the beginning Of
spring term with little harm to them;
for if children are properly taught
at school in the fall they will study
at home in winter. But as they leave
school many larger boys and girls
who have till now been busy upon
the farms, in the workshops, in the
kitchen, etc, will be through with
their work and ready for school, and
they should come at once. Now.
most of these pupils are found to DO
backward" and at best they can
go to school but little longer, and
more than one two or three winters
so it is but right that they should
have every advantage that the school
affords and every attention that the
teacher or teachers can give them.
At the beginning of the Spring
term they will go to work again and
make room for the little ones, and
the fine weather will make good
roads, and the long days will give
them plenty of time to go to school
two miles, or even farther, as few
may have to do. Better go this
distance and find every convenience
and necessary aid, good teacher,
good school, strong in numbers, wide
awake, doing ,ceH and desiring
to do better,-than to go but forty
rods and find an inconvenlent room,
uncomfortable seats and desks, u o
charts, no outline maps, no out
houses, etc, q poor teacher, poor
school, weak in numbers and in
fuence, sluggish, doing almost moth.
ing, and not trying to do well nor
much. Better support such school
as the former at slight expense in
proportion to the amount of prop
erty taxed Cor even at great ex-
pense), than to support such as the
latter at a hedUy expense in pro-
portion.
Too many country districts
in Grant county support such
schools as The latter. Hickory
Grove for one Of many instan-
ces has nine school districts, yet
it needs but four, or FIVE at most
But soon | hope to see change for
the better; yet let us not go to the
other extreme and make our districts
too large. In a fen instances this is
the case now. Let us limit to such
size that those pupils who live far
thest from the schoolshouse will have
little or no more than two miles to
travel. The best and most etfectUal
remedy for this and many kindred
evils, is TO adopt the town system
that is, Ito make the town unit for
educational purposes" as ait has been
found the true unit for almost every
other purpose"
The reason for my thinking that
our schools should begin the last
Monday in August or the first in
September, and continue without va
cation till about the Goth of Decem-
Der, is that the sixteen weeks preced-
ing Christmas week are the best time
in all the year for study and school
the next best time is from the close
of New Years week till about the
goth of March and the "third best"
time is from the first or second week
in April to the first or middle of
June. From the middle OF June till
the last of August there is no time
suitable for school for any except
adults.
A FIVE or six months school, |
think, should begin the first Monday
inSeptember and continue tillChrist-
mas week, then close for two weeEs
vacation, after which the school
should be completed without further
interruption. With this arrangement
small children can attend till the first
or second, and sometimes till the third
week in Nov. By this time many
large pupils who could not come
before, will enter the school. Well
come them, and allow the little ones
to reman at home, is my suggestion.
think that seven, eight or nine
months school should begin on the
last Monday in August and continue
sixteen weeks Till Christmas week.
without vacation then close for two