Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-12-26

thirty enrolled a. pupils. and, ofthese thirty
eighteen present ON that cold day, yer,
many of them 40 young that I wondered a
their ability to bear up against the blast
The record showed them regular in atten
dance during the last three months. TIL,
bright. orderly and obedient demeanor o
these little children during my stay made
the visit a genuine pleasure to me. 1 found
reading, spelling, writing, arithmetic and
geography pursued here zealously and 10
each the blackboard freely used. A notice.
able feature in the reading classes consisted
IN the teacher, himself an excellent reader,
reading with his class. I believe the plan
a good one as akin to oral instruction.
While in some of my visitations, thus far
made, I have noticed that the rates of pu.
pills attending school, to the num-
bers embraced by the district,
is light. I yet know that the unusual severi.
~ of this winter operates against the posi-.
biltty Of q overlooking school, q casually
beyond the reach of human prevention.
Let US consider. however, that In many of
tho districte thus far visited, made up
largely of people of foreign ibirth. l find
night schools established, where Russian,
German. Scandinavian and Bohemian
fathers meet In common to study the Eng.
lish language. and in this way fill. If posi-
BILE, the vacuum occasioned by the
unavoidable absence of their children from
the day school, where even the day school
children who are able to attend do 90 at
additional expense, and I feel warranted in
asserting that the new era which IL dawn
ing on our school work will survive to the
correction of inc!emencies in the season
and the triumph Of a genuine common
citizenship over local hostility and external
prejudice.
have furthe! noticed in the schools q
lack Of uniformity in the text books used,
necessitating, thus, the organization In
each school of several extra classes. This
deplorable feature. complained of by the
teacher add seriously experienced BY the
pupil, to the Injury Of the school, is OBJ
servable in nearly every school in Yankton
county. visited thus far. outside the city.
The law assumes to provide a remedy which,
if enforced, might leave the evil open to
greater inhsrmony. if not call for another
legislature to correct its abuse; like the
quack who knew nothing concern
ing insanity yet proposed to
drive the insanity into Mysteries
because he was thunder on fits.
1t delegates TO each distric. board aud the
county superintendent the right of selecting
the books to be used in each district school.
This confines the remedy to the district lin.
its and leaves each district, by the very free.
dom of lite selection, Out Of harmony with
the county and the county equally far re-
moved from the uniformity which should
prevail throughout the territory. 1t offers
no inducement to the publisher to render
his advances profitable to the people, and
among the shifting population falls Tar sho1
OF the economy which it undoubtedly was
It's object TO establish. Let the terrific.
rial superintendent be empowered by the
Legislature to effect a change suited, by it's
uniform a%daptability, to the wants OF the
entire territory, and Yankton county, alone,
each gear, Will save to her forty or fifty or.
gsnizsd districts, no less than upwards of
sac gears of far more efficient school work
than can ever be attained to under orr ex.
listing discord.
T. S. DICKSON,
----- Eo..A, Observation-Disclosures