The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1896-04-23
THE SCHOOLS OF
MISSOURI.
District Schools, Colleges,
High Schools, University,
the Pride of Our
People.


written for This Paper by John r.. Kirk,
State superintendent of Public schools.
Tho next article in this Series will he by
Hon. William j. stone, Governor uf Mis-
souri,, and will nave for its subject. THE
Duties Of a Governor !"
John R. Kirk, state superintendent Of
Public Schools, was born January y, 1851, in
Bureau county, Illinois; came with his par
ents to Missouri in 1886; was reared on Il farm
and attended the country schools. and be-
came n teacher; graduated at the klrksville
State Normal; aftcrward took private course
under specialists in Latin, Greek, science and
mathematics; was county commissioner OF
schools Of Harrison county was principal Of
public schools Mt MoultOn, Iowa, four years.
was superintendent Of schools at Bethany,
Missouri, for eight years. was principal of
ward school, and taught Mathematics three
years in Kansas city high school; for two
years was superintendent Of public school at
westport, Missouri; was the republican nom
inee for the office he now holds, being elect
ed at the general election, November, 1894.
Missouri has a population of nearly
three millions. Ouc-third of all the
IttIllt vi UT Elilt blt bNN"''l 'AN
ages of six and twenty wears. Onc.
fourth Of our entire population amt
ally enroll themselves in the public
schools, while one.siNth are in actual
daily attendance for Il period Of seven
months each year. Fully fifteen thou
sand able bodied Missourians at sal
laries averaging $40 per month are re-
quired to teach this army of children
and over thirty thousand school direc-
tors are engaged in administering the
business affairs Of our school system,
which includes, among other things,
the annual expenditure of about seven
millions Of dollars.
The past half dozen years have wit
messed some very gratifying improve
ments in the organization of the sys-
TEN. Not least among these moiitica
tions is the matter of school architec-
tire. The rude single room school
house built after the plan of Il box car
is beginning to give way for some
thing better. The new modern school
building is usually the first object
which attracts the eye of the iu4uiring
visitor rs he enters Il Missouri town.
Especially noticeable among these
buildings are the recently erected high
school bindings in Mohcrly. Webb
City. st. Joseph Scdalia ana Kansas
City. These buildings are rl! designed
and constructed with special reference
to uniform temperature, absolute venti-
lation and protection Of the children's
,yes-the health Of the children.
Even in the smaller towns and the
rural school districts the people are
learning that a properly constructed,
uniformly heated, well ventilated and
properly lighted building with outer
Railways and separate cloak rooms is a
paying investment. School architcc.
tire and sanitation are at this time en-
gaginS much thought and attention on
the part of scientists, physicians,
builders, teachers, school officers and
architects.
\ large proportion of the school
rooms Of the state are well supplied
with unabridged dictionaries, libra.
ries, charts, globes and other school
equipments. Our schools are aSsum-
ing an organized form. We now have
definite terms by which TO designate
the several kinds and grades of pablo
schools. There is first the elementary
school which includes the ordinary
rural school and all that is taught III
the city and village school below the
high school. In the elementary school
it is understood that practical arith-
mctic, grammar, geography aud United
States history are completed that the
children have learned to read ordinary
English easily, intclligently and intel,
ligibly and that they have learned To
write good English legibly and speak
it readily.
But of all the distinct movements
which characterize this decade the or,
ganization Of the public high school is
most prominent, The authors Of our
fundamental law in Missouri no doubt
builded wiser than they knew. Tn,
constitution of lsGj provided that every
child within the state should have op,
p%ortunity to attend the public school,
from the age of five to twcnty-onc.
Under II present constitution .adOp
ted in 800 the school age j. from 81,
to twenty, still giving each child il
the state an opportunity to attend
school free Of cost for Il period Of four,
teen years, We now well know tina
an average normal child can finisl