Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-02-25
OUR COUNTRY SCHOOLS.
A Question OF Vast Interest to Farmers
and the Country at Large.

n
and the Country at Large.
Why do not our farmers think and
talk more about the really very i'm
portant part they must lake regard
Ing our country schools asks writer
in the Western Rural We know
that thousands of them in our own
State will not even attend the school
meeting for electing their officers.
But leave those devoted few" who
feel honor bound to help keep up the
proper form of school government in
their districts. | wonder IL the peo-
pie of this beautiful State of ours
will ever awaken to a full realization
of their responsibilities as intelligent
citizens
In every one of our towns and VIII
lagos we find a good public school the
center of attraction there, they are a
blessing and an honor to the peo-
pie. Still how many short-sighted
farmers we see every year who are
renting their farms and moving to
town where they may have better
facilities for educating their children,
than is afforded them at the little
schoolhouse at the crossroads.
The result of this mode of action
is OF too common an occurrence to
need description. 1t those same
farmers would only take the same in
terest In the management and growth
of their schools that the majority Of
them take in politics there would be
little or no necessity for such wild
goose moves. Why should not the
farmer feel just as proud of his own
little district schoolhouse as the rich
men of the city do Of their grand col
lege buildings? Surely the success Of
these colleges is dependent upon the
success of these same country schools.
Our free schools are for the benefit
of our farmers.
Then is it not the duty OF every
farmer to help make those schools a
glorious success? One reason that
our village schools are SO superior to
our country schools, is that the REQ
pie take so much more interest in
their schools than those of the rural
districts do They will occasionally
visit the school while in operation,
thus encouraging both the children
and the teachers and see that the
children do the work assigned them,
On the other hand thousands OF our
farmers shirk the important RESPONSE
biIities of school directors, often
stating as reason that there is
neither thanks or pay connected with
! it Who never visit the school or
take any interest whatever in any ed
vocational work. And yet did you
ever notice those same careless, neg
/ ligent fellows are the very worst
class Of people to grumble and COM
plain about Door teachers and poor
schools. They can seldom keep the
same teacher in the same district two
years in succession.
How can widc-awake, progressive
teacher afford to remain and labor
among class of people who are seem
ingly dead or perfectly Indifferent to
all responsibility Of true citizenship?
Who think it is the teachers duty to
take their children, keep them out Of
mischief and ''train them up in the
way tleY should go'' without one par.
ticie of help or word Of encourage
ment from the parents themselves.
Let us as farmers, citizens, and par
ents arouse ourselves to the impor-
lance and grandeur of this work OF
educating our children.
We can make our country schools a
glorious success if we only so will it,
Then let us cooperate with hearty
good will, each one with determine
tion to do all in our power to advance
ana perfect our free country schools
which are with the farmers, by the
farmers, and for the farmers