The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1901-03-29
EDUCATIONAL COLUMN,
By County Supt. L. r. Clark.
Our Rural School System.
Its Present and Future.

tendencies and problems
of the ungraded district school,
The founders of our Republic recog-
nized the fact that its safety lay in
the Intelligence of it's citizens. The
fall of former republics, caused by the
ficklenes and indifference of de-
graded populace, foretOld the doom of
the United States unless the great stun
bling block of ignorance were re-
moved.
The general government, by liberal
apprOpri atiOn and wise legislation,
gave early encouragement to popular
education, and the states, with few ex-
ceptions, followed the example.
In the convention which drafted the
constitution for the state OF Kansas
we're many warm friends of public
education, whose untiring efforts in
its behalf resulted in provisions which
placed Kansas in the foremost rank
in all that pertained TO free schools.
Our state was one of the first to es-
ia blish uniform test of fitness for
persons proposing to teach, to pro-
videfOr supervision of district schools,
and TO enable teachers to secure nor
maldraining in their own counties.
The found alton for an educational
system which should be accessible to
all was lafd by the fathers of our state
government. They did their work we'll
and it commands our pr raise and ap-
probation.
But it is the present and the future
with which we are to deal. However
good may be the foundation. it is the
superstructure that stands in view and
meets the critics eye.
In what condition is our education
al system NOW?
Have we as much progress along
educational lines as We have along
other lines?
How do our schools compare with
tn ose OF other states?
Are our children being educated by
the best and most economical meth
DDS?
Are the district schools as we'll at
tended as formerly?
Are parents and pupils satisfied
with the results obtained?
Without attempting to answer these
questions in their order, let US at
tempt to get an insight into the state
of affairs now existing by considering
school finances.
There are forty-tbree school dis
tricts in Edwards county outside of
! the city of Kinsley.
| LaSG YEAR GIGTt WSIO Gil oI1Oo III
the schools in these districts 731 pu-
pills.. This, however, does not mean
the daily attendance, which is an en-
tirely different matter. The average
daily attendance was Ala, or less than
65 per cent of the total enrolment.
During the year these district spent
| $llO79. 10 to support the schools for
an average term of less than six
months in length.
Based upon the average daily at
tendance, the cost of educating a
child for five months and fraction
in the district schools of Edwards
county is $23. 10. In the other count
| les of the state the cost Is about the
| same.
Let us compare this with the cost in
graded school districts. In the Klns-
| lev district. Notwithstanding the fact
that it is still suffering from the ex-
travagance of boom times. the cost
ner pupil is less than $40 for peri cd
! of nine months. In Hutchinson the
cost per pupil for nine months is
SIS. 80. in Newton SASS, and in Gar
den City and Great Bend where eight
month terms are held the cost per pu
pill is S13 % and S13.O4 respectively.
1t will be seen that if the terms in
the rural schools were increased to
eight months, in order to give the
farmers boys and girls equal oppor
tunites with their cousins the cost per
pupil would be over $50, or more than
twice the average amount spent in
graded districts.
In addition to this it must be borne
in mind that the pupil in tn graded
school is much more advantageOusly
situated for study than the pupil in
the country school.
He has we'll qualified and expert
enced teacher. The school room is
kept clean and comfortable by a paid
| janitor He has access to "A library.
! The school is under close supervision.
| And what is still more important he
| has the stimulus of a large class.
! An educator who has mdae study
of rural schools recently said. "A
school of three or four pupils Is about
as dead live thing as can be to have
any life or spirit at all, and school
of seven or eight is not much better. )"
| What is the remedy for this state OF
| affairs?
| That a system which compels the
farmer to pay twice the amount paid
by town resident for poorer school
privileges is unjust will be admitted
| by all fair-minded persons. But. in
tie words of William Hawley Smith.
what are you going to do about it?''
Report of Lewis school Dist. No. IS