The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1898-12-01
|. R. KIRk'S VIEWS.
A GREAT DEAL OF LEGISLATION
NEEDED FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
N axes Some Recommendations.
The Schools of the Rural Districts
Shouid Be Given More
Attention.
u axes Some ReCommenaations.

State Superintendent John Il. Kirk
speaks Of his recommendations to
the general assembly. rs follows:
E'We should cease our wastful cx-
perimentations and profit by the cx-
ample ofother states whose school
organization is more perfect than
ours. No weii-informed men believes
the best results possible III rural
schools under the existing independ-
ent school district organization. |
shall recommend legislation pr"vid-
ing for the abandonment OF existing
isolated, and often impoverished, i,i-
ncpendent small school districts, and
their consolidation irto larger ones.
at least five or six miles square, with
authority to furnish transportation
for pupils to and from school. The
Missouri Scheme is the most expen-
sive in the world. The plan of hav-
ing two, three audfour room build
ings at the center Of a large district
and hauling the children to and
from school in covered wagons, in-
creases the attendance, reduces ex-
penses and greatly improves the in
struction.,
IL shall also recommend state aid
of from $500 to $1,000 to each high
school organized according to APP
proved standards and admitting,
without tuition, all students of high
school grade who wish to enter from
surrounding rural schools 1t is idle
talk about perfecting the rural
schools until something is offered to
stimulate the farm boys and girls to
higher conceptions and higher at
tainments. The stimulus should
come directly from the high school,
and felt down to the smallest child
in''he primary class.
The New England States-Min.
nesota, Wisconsin and others-far
outstrip Missouri in respects to the
opportunities and Encouragement
givin for the complete education of
the rural school children, bat our
Missouri farm boys and girls are as
worthy rs any others.
The present insti:ute is scheme
to legallze professional charlatanry
and perpetuate ignorance 1t should
be at once revised or abolished. !
shall recommend its revision. The
issuance of all state teachers GER
tificates should be throu,h state
board of education. of which the
state superintendent should be pres
ldent. The issuance Of certificates
by the state superintendent alone is
a burden too great for one man to car
ry. More than this, it is vicious in
itself and subjects the superintendent
TO- endless embarrassments because
unreasoniug politicians constantly de-
mand certificates as rewasds for pol
itical favors. The issuance OF county
certificates is now determined largely
by the "pulP' element III local politics.
shall recomcnd Il revision OF this
feature of the law.
''EXisting school buildings annual
ly ruin the health of thousands of chill
dren. This is net the utterance o c
visionary. / am able to prove just
what say. II should be made unlaw-
ful, under severe penalty, to erect or
add to any public school house that
does not conform to sanitary prInci-
pals rs to light, ventilation, heating
and seating. Il country board Of
health, Of which the county superin-
tedcnt is member, should be au-
thorized and required to report to
the state superintendent of schools
the building plans of every new
school house to be erected or old
ones to be remodeled. The state
superintendent can very easily, and
without material expenses, furnish
abundant instructions as to sanitary
architecture.
81 shall also recommend legislation
looking 10 the earliest possible .dop-
ton of a free textbook law. Such
law provides, at the least expense,
the only assurance that children
will be adequately supplied with
books. Our Missouri politicians
have grossly exaggerated the cost OF
school textbooks. There should be
at this time, outside of St. Louis,
Kansas City and ST. Joseph, about
100000 children enrolled il our pub
lie schools and affected by the exist
ing state uniformity law. If these
children were fully supplied with
textbooks, according to the best ex-
isting school curricula, the value of
all their books, at retail price when
new, would average SO cents per