The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1899-03-23
THE ELLIS BILL.
Pubic School Exhibit at the World =

FAIR.
To theiEditor of the State Tribune
Since it ie a determined fact thai
the St. Louis Exposition in 1903 II
to be the grandest ever held, and
that Missouri must be the best rep
resented state 10 the uLion. l hope
the present general assembly and
the continental Management viii
begin at once to provide amply fof
q grand display of all Missouri S re
sources and institutions. At the
Chicago worlds fair the Missouri
school exhibit was credit to the
state. So was the display at Omaha.
| These were confined almost wholly
to the higher educational institutions
and to the city schools. While we
should be Justly proud of all this.
Missouri should begin now to pre-
pare for Rural School Exhibit
that will equal, if not surpass, any
thing ever before done in this line
Indiana has for years made the best
showing in this respect of any state
in the union The educa'io9ol world
has had it's attention drawn to the
Indiana rural school system as the
best. I hope to see Missouri in a
position to surpass her at the St.
Louis fair in 1903 and the teachers
of Missouri will be found working
together in season and out of sea
son to this end Should this gen
eral assembly enact the Ellis rural
school bill, we can accomplish so
much more. There are ten thous
and small, Independent school dis
tricts in the state at present without
any provision whatever for organic
ed, harmonious and systematic eff
forts. The Ellis bill has so many
meritorious features that it is i'm
possible 10 mention all of them now.
1t will enable the state superintend
ent to inaugurate systematic move
ment to fix higher standards of
excellence aud to produce results
that will enable the rural schools of
Missouri to excel all others. A
magnificent rural school exhibit will
be the best advertisement that can
be given Grand Old Missouri"
In answer to the question as to
whether there was demand for the
law proposed, he said:
l. 1 have received several hun
dred letters from teachers and di
rectors indorsing it.
2. The State Teachers association
has unanimously Endorsed the prin-
cipal features of the bill time and
again
The National Educational essc-
citation, through it's committee of
fifteen, outlined plan including all
the principal features of this bill.
4. The people of the state are de-
handing something in the interest
of the rural schools. Nothing else
has been proposed.
5. Something must be done for
the rural boys and girls if they are
to be kept on the farms. This will
have the effect of providing more
advanced and systematic tracing in
the rural districts.
6 It will meet with almost unani-
nous Endorsement of The farmers Of
the state. It does not increase tax
alton one cant; it seeks to organize
and economic aud thus make the
annual investment of four millions
the rural schools more effective.
Missouri invests much more in
schools than the results justify. Mr.
Ellis seeks to economic by making
thu investment pay better dividend.
7. One superintendent says that
it is the best educational measure
ever proposed to the Missouri legis-
at Ire. Respectfully.
". t. CARRINGroN.
State Superintendent.