Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-09-19
OUR COUNTRY SCHOOLS.
A Question of Vast Interest to Farmer
and tho Country At Large.

| A Question of Vast Interest to Farmer
and tho Country at Large.
Why do not our farmers think and
talk more about the really very i'm.
portant part they must take 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 ocsecra
But leave those 'devoted few" wEo
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 full realization
of their responsibilities as intelligent
| citizens.
| In every one of our towns and vii
I 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. II those same
| farmers would only take the same in
terest in the management and growth
of their schools that the majority Oi
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 cob
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 tC
our country schools, is that the reO
pie take so much more interest in
their schools than those Of the rura
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 ou
farmers shirk the important response
bilities Of school directors, Otter
stating as reason that there j:
neither thanks or pay connected will
| it Who never visit the school o.
take any interest whatever in any ed
1 nd
ever notice those same careless, neg
ligent fellows are the very worst
class of people TO grumble and com
| plain about Door teachers and poo
schools. They can seldom keep the
same teacher in the same district TIVE
years in succession.
How can a wide-awake, progressive
teacher afford to remain and labO
among a class of people who are seem
ingly dead or perfectly Indifferent t.
| all responsibility of true citizenship:
Who think it is the teachers duty t.
take their children, keep them out o
| mischief and "train them up in tn,
way they should 90" without one par
tic!e of help or word of encourage
| ment from the parents themselves
Let US as farmers, citizens, and par
ents arouse ourselves to the impor
tance and grandeur Of this work o
educating our children.
We can make our country schools ;
| glorious success if we only so will it
Then let US cooperate with a heart
| good will, each one with determine
| tion to do all in our power to advance
ano perfect our free country schools
which are with the farmers, by tbl
farmers, and for the farmers"