Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-06-21
Future Prospects.

NO announcements VIII be Inserted for foreign
advertisers at less rates than that charged home
patrons.
Future Prospects.
With the exercises of last week the
school year of the school in this city
closed. This ends the first year of
Prof. Wood connection with the school.
and at no time during the history of the
school has it made more solid and last
ing advancement than it has during the
year past. As one result of his careful,
conscientious work, the school to-day,
instead of ranking down at the foot of
the scale, takes place among the best in
the county. As another result, the
scholars, especially of the high school,
which have been more Immediately un-
der the supervision of the Professor,
are in a better position to continue on
and enter deeper into the realms of
learning, with or without the assistance
Of a teacher, than ever before. The
Professor, IN his work, has aimed rather
to lay out sound foundation for future
superstructure by teaching scholars to
think rather than to make superficial
display of skin-deep accomplishments.
As consequence, shave no hesita-
ton in saying that the past year will be
remembered as one of the most impor-
tant epochs of the school. This is sep
arate entirely from the question of
whether the Professor had remained ut
the head of The school for another wear
or not. As regards the latter question,
those best acquainted with the work
done the past year, will be pleased to
know that there is to be no change in
the headship. The board have wisely
secured Professor Woods services for
another year, and the fine start already
obtained for the school will be carried
forward under the same guiding hand.
The prospects for the coming year are
thus quite promising, and with the dis
play of proper spirit on the part of the
district, there is no reason why the
school, at the close of another year,
should not have reputation extending
far beyond the local boundaries Much,
however, is needed to be done by the
district, as well as the principal, in or
der that this standing may be attained.
1t is fact that the school work now,
especially in the higher grades, is sur
rounded by much difficulty owing to a
lack of apparatus and facilities for
teaching. 1t is not necessary here to go
into long enumeration of the different
articles which are needed by the school,
it is sufficient to say, that those studies
in which experimental apparatus is the
most necessary, such equipage is either
entirely lacking. or in such shape as to
be of little or no use. Again, the force
of instructors is entirely inadequate to
the work in hand. The attendance DUR
ing the past year, to cite no other rea-
son, increased enough to not only war;
rant, but demand the service of another
tSNShtts tuC htEd vi WHlCI was 81 DduIN
felt the year before, that at the last
school meeting the employment of an
additional teacher was recommended.
The result of this was the employment
of n lady teachar for portion of the
day.
There is no doubt, as has been urged
in the educational columns of this
paper, that with more attention to the
needs of the school, and little active
cXcrtion in the way of providing it with
approved apparatus, that its excellence
could be made such that many non-resi-
dent pupils would be attracted hither,
and their tuition would go far, if it did
not entirely cover the extra expense in
Cured in placing the institution in first
class scholastic fighting condition. The
pleain abatement often urged that the
Normal School at Platteviile would
prevent any great acquisition of this
kind. can not hold good against the fact
that other places, towns situated nearer
TO 4 Normal School than we are to-
Platteville, maintained steady attend
ance of nonresident students, bringing
hundreds of dollars annually into the
school treasury. What has been &C
complished in one place ought to be
successfully carried out in another In
the meantime all the advantages to be
derived from this increased standard of
usefulness and instruction paid for by
nonresident tuition would inure to the
gam oil children here at home. If Ex-
celsior was n good motto for L)nsfel-
lows hero, it is much better one for
public school, especially one which by
proper management has so bright a
future as that of Lancaster.