Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1900-03-08
Talks on School Affairs.


which each member of community
calls or school. 1t is center which
should engage the earnest attention
of every member of the comlnunitv.
for, if we admit that the aim of ed.
ucation is to develop character ana
to fit men and women for self pov-
eminent, we must admit that the
home school has much to do in de-
terminiug whether the ain shall ha
realized. Ii the boys aud girls of a
neighborhood are To become self
governing men and women, it is self
evident that the parents in the dis.
trict must manifest more than SIM
erficial or "A sentimental interest in
the school.
The teacher whom they select may
be an excellent one, but be assured
that no teacher is so excellent that
his influence may not be increased
by the sympathetic, helpful interest
of parents.
Some years since a rural district in
one of our neighboring states devised
the following plan for securing
good home school:
The parents in this district were
almost all of them, quite well educa-
ted. There We're no wealthy peonle
in the community, but almost every
farmer owned the farm IN which he
lived. The number of children Of
school age in the district was prob
ably between forty and fifty. The
public money provided was not sufH-
cient to pay such II teacher as these
parents wished to place in charge of
their school. They, therefore, each
year called for meeting Of the faith
ers and mothers in the district, and
at this meeting they voted how much
they were willing to pay a teacher.
They also appointed two committees.
One to confer with the school Off
cials about suitable teacher for
their school; the other was to visit
the school during the school year,
note its needs, give encouragement
or help to teacher or pupils and pre-
sent "a report at the next annual
meeting.
The salary paid to the teacher or
teachers, (for they sometimes had an
aSSistant) was almost double that
received by the teacher Of the rural
school in other districts of the county.
The result was that almost all of
the boys and girls remained in the
home school until they were grown,
and many young men and young
to college.
1t will be said by some, "Such a
thing as that can not be done in our
district" Perhaps not; but are there
not many districts where it can be
done? where practically the same
thing is done? The laws of Wiscon-
sin give every encouragement to the
people of IA community to maintain
good school, and many fathers and
mothers who can not afford 70 send
their children from home to school,
and pay their board and tuition can,
by little self denial pay little
more toward maintaining a good
home school. They will then have
the pleasure Of having their child
rem at home with them and the adj
ded pleasure of knowing that their
education is not being neglected.
Surely there is nothing Of which
a community may be more Justly
proud than of school which can in
terest and develop the older boys
and girls as well as the younger
children.
Have you such school in your
district? If you have we congratu-
late you, and we would say with
Whittier.
Long live the good school giving out year By
year
Recruit TO true manhood and womanhood
dear.
Brave boys. modest maidens, in beauty sent
forth,
The living epistes and proof Of its worth.