The Republican journal., 1899-06-01
Our School Laws.

papers OF THIS state a severe criticism OF
the present school law and a plea for its
repeal and a return to the old district
system. Having waited IL hopes that the
article in question might be replied to by
some of our prominent school workers,
| now wish to call the attention of my
readers to few facts that have an i'm
portant bearing upon school matters.
There is saying, true no doubt, that
an unpleasant truth never should he told
unless it will do some good to tell it. If
I tell some unpleasant truths in this con-
nection, it will be solely with the object
of calling attention to these things in
hopes that some good may ultimately
result therefrom.
| appreciate the work of our schools
under the old law and acknowledge the
fact that they have been a potent factor in
the life of the State and nation But the
district system always had its serious
defects, and when the changes in our
school population had so reduced the
number of scholars that many districts
had too few scholars to make a school
profitable it became necessary to adopt
some other system. Our efforts to meet
the existing conditions have resulted in
the present law. which, while il is by no
means perfect, is much better suited to
ou needs than the old system would
De
1t is sometimes said that we do not get
so good schools as We formerly did. ! ct
l have noticed that this assertion is al
ways made by men who have had no con
nection with our schools, either under the
cid law or the present one As a matter
OF fact, much the same grade of teachers
are now employed as formerly. This is
owing to two causes: First we have been
obliged to select from the material at hand
and there has not always been a sufficient
supply of good material to select from.
second, there is in many towns a senti-
nent that exerts itself in favor of hiring
resident teachers. This sentiment is
sometimes So strong that it has to be con
>idered even though better fitted teach
ers might be secured by going beyond the
town limits. 1t is natural for most
parents 10 think that their boy or girl
san teach school Just as well as their
ne 2Aoo1 SON or daughter. Although
rhe school officers may know that the
reverse is true they sometimes lack the
~,
cd applicant. Or, if they do possess the
courage, they are sure to lose the sup
port of the parents and friends Of the
rejected candidate. Personal interests
are apt to take precedence of public ones,
and because this is true it is not always
possible to retain the services of the best
teachers in some Of our country schools.
The majority may, and do, believe in
good work but their interest is not always
made manifest, while the nonprogressive
ones always bestir themselves harder to
keep in the ola ruts than they would
have to dn to get ont Of them onto a
better road. The only remedy for this
lies in a study of The true conditions.
which will arouse the mental energy
enough to bring about the needed reform.
AS an advocate of the town SYST m be-
lore its adoption l made the claim
through the columns OF The journal tn at
the greatest benefit to be derived fro m
the law would be equal school privileges
for all scholars in any given town. Ex-
peIience has proven the claim true, for
while there are many other advantages
The greatest of all is the fact that every
scholar in town now has the same number
II weeks schooling as every other scholar
in the same town, Under the old law.
the large districts would often get hirty
weeks OF school while the small ones
would have about one half as much. This
one tact alone more than compensates for
all the evils thar have sprung up in con-
nectjon with the workings of the present
Law. To prove th at many Of the asse rtions
against the schools are false. or made by
men who have no knowledge { the facts,
I wish to refer to some statements made by
member of the last Legislature ard print
ed IN the reports of the doings of that
body. The gentleman in question, who
is resident of one Of our county towns
where | am well acquainted with the
schools and their work, is reported to
nave said that we get poorer teachers, less
school, and that our schools cost more
than they did under the old system He
also accused the State of forcing the law
upon the farmers against their wishes. AS
matter of fact, the schools in the town
of that able legislator have been increased |
under the present law from an average of |
about twenty-five weeks per year to
twenty six weeks, while the school appro- |
priation has been decreased more than two |
hundred dollars per annum. In the home |
school of this gentleman at least one
year under the old law they had only six
teen weeks of school, while they have had |
not less than twenty six weeks any year
since the repeal of the district law, [ |
have selected this instance because it well |
illustrates the opposition TO the law and