The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1894-02-16
SHELTON MASON COUNTY, WASHINGTON FRIDAY FEBRU ARy IS

| tiers are kept out.
Below Union City is HooGspor
with twenty-three children, some O
whom are back of Lake Cushman, tel
miles away from the school house
How can they go to school? But six
teen OF these childred managed to ge
TO school, and they improved the time
as the average attendance has beer
fourteen. Like the people at Union
City, this place has built number
one good school house, and seem to be
on the road to education. But in past
years some of these children have had
very poor educational advantages, as
before the formation of their district
1t was impossible for them to attend
school. '
Next below is Lillewaup with seven
teen children, fourteen enrolled. and
an average attendance of eleven. The
place, however, has had such severe
olow after It's boom, that its outlook
LOT prosperous settlement is verv
uark' and consequently the prospects,
or growth in the school are not bright
The lowest district on the west side
OF the Canal is at Humahuma, and it
IS the smallest, with twelve scholars.
seven attending school some for three
months, though the average attendance
was but four.
On the east side is Dewatto and Har-
rlson IN one district, with scholars
scattered for six miles, some of them
hve miles from the school house. Last
winter the scholars did nobly, seven
teen out of twenty-one attending. A
number of these went three or four
miles, climbing a hill, in comparison
with which the Webb hill is a small
affair: The road is mainly gravel and
one child wore out four pairs of shoes
IN five or SIX months, and the shoe bill
Tor the family was not far from S25,
Whlie they had to carry lantern, as
they travelled by dark. Notwithstand-
ing this and the great snow of last
winter, they averaged fourteen in at
tendance. But this winter has been
more dlscouraging, from sickness and
otherwise, and the average was reduced
to four.
TO sum up, out of 17S white child
rem on the Canal, 13S only profess to
attend the district schools, with an ay-
erage attendance of 1O7. A few attend
school outside of their district.
However, there is improvement: In
1872 there was only one school district
On the Canal and fourteen children of
school age, some of whom were ten or
fifteen miles from the school house bv
water. Now there are ten districts.
Thus great difficulties attend the
education of our children. As gen.
eral thing the people have done all
that could be reasonably expected of
them. They have built good school
houses, considering the circumstances
In which they have been placed. Three
gread difficulties have, however, met
them: a. The great share have
come here poor, and many could not
make a living while staying at home,
but have had to leave home and work
out in order to get enough for bread
and butter, and pork and beans, with
nothing extra for school more than
was appropriated from the public
treasury. (2) In consequence of the
scattered condition of the settlers and
the few scholars in most of the dis
tricts, three months school is all that
many of the districts have been able
to maintain, and hardly any have
had more than half year. 1t has
become proverb that when a child
attends school only three months in
year, he forgets nearly all he learns
before he can go again. (3.) A natural
result of having school only few
months in year is the constant
change in teachers Some districts
have for years seldom had the same
teacher more than three months.
Some of these teachers have been
good, some fair, some not so good. 1t
has been natural with but a small
amount of money in the treasury, that
teachers should be obtained for as low
a salary as possible. But cheap
teachers have sometimes been cheap
at both ends. But with good teachers
when they change constantly, the
scholar cannot learn as well as he
could under the same teacher.
The remedy for these evils is very
difficult. Some of them will proba-
bly, not be remedied until many of the
present scholars are too old to obtain
any benefit from them. One sugges-
ton is here made, and that is for the
directors to learn considerable about
the teacher before engaging him.
Sometimes teacher is wanted. Some
stranger is hired for three months,
with the expectation of continuing if
Before the three months
have expired, all conclude change is
desirable. But half the money for
the year, or two-thirds, or perhaps all,
is gone. Considerable acquaintance
with teacher or at least his or her
history and precedents is certainly
very desirable. It is not we'll to hire
a teacher as man is hired in a log
ging camp. If the owner wants onel
and the man comes along he is hired.
But the engagement is not made for
three months. If in a week the man
proves unsatisfactory he is "fred."
But in school the teacher cannot be
so easily discharged, consequently
more previous acquaintance is need
ed. S.