Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-12-31

County training schools for teach
ers have passed the experimental
stage and have become II fixture In
the educational system OF Wisconsin.
Five years ago county in the
north central pare OF the state began
to agitate the idea that the rural
schools OF the state should be in
charge of teachers who had received
special preparations for the work.
The proudct OF the State Normal
schools was going into the city
schools of Wisconsin and the rural
schools were in charge of young, i'm
mature teachers, who had no under
standing of the dignity of the pro-
fession of teaching and no rational
method of presentation. 1t was
pointed out that as the demand for
this training ON the part of teachers
came from the people themselves the
schools for the training of rural
teachers should be near to the peO-
pie. 1t was therefore suggested that
as the county was natural unit in
the educational system OF Wisconsin,
that county schools should be
established for the training OF teach
ers for the rural schools.
In nearly every county in the state
the teaching force is secured from
among the young men and young
women of the home county. and it
has often been shown that people, ais
a general rule, will not go far away
from home for an education.
Marathon county, therefore, In
1897, asked, through its proper Off
GERS, that law be passed by the
legislature of 1879 authorizing the es-
Establishment of county training
schools for teachers. The legislature
passed such law and gave to the
first two schools organized twenty
live hundred dollars per year state
aid. Marathon county, at IL special
session held the following June, or
ganized the first county school for
rural teachers. Dunn county, largely
through the influence Of Senator
Stout, organized the second school,
and both schools have been very sue
cessful. In Marathon county the
credit for the establishment and the
subsequent success of the school Is
largely due To John +. Lamont,
county superintendent of schools;
Karl Mathie, city superintendent of
Wausau; Senator A. l.. kreutZe and
Ii. j. Blanchard. Senator KreutZer
and Superintendent Lamont consti-
tute the training school board and
they with the assistance OF Superin-
tendent Mathie and Hon. .. T., Wells,
principal of the school. have. under
the direction of tie state superintend-
ent, worked out the details of the
organization. equipment and success
full operation OF the first training
school for rural teachers ever organ
lied in the United States.
TAKE FIRST GREAT STEP,
When the state of Wisconsin pro-
yided for the appointment of a com
missioner to Investigate and report
upon methods of procedure in this
and other states and countries in
giving instruction in manual train
ing and In the theory and art of
agriculture in the public schools. the
report was anXiously awaited in the
hope that II there was to be an
awakening along the lines OF more
liberal agricultural education, the
county which had taken the first
great step toward the improvement
of the rural schools. might find it de-
sirable to take the initiative in doing
something to better the environment
of the rural schools.
When State Superintendent l.. ID.
Harvey recommended to the leglsla-
ture of 1901 that authority be given
To county boards of supervisors to
establish and maintain schools to be