The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1902-02-07

where the plan has been
tried. Attendance is from
so to $50 per cent greater and more
regular and of longer continuance and
there is neither hardness nor truancy.
1t leads to better school buildings,
better heating, lighting and ventilat-
ing, better equipment, a larger supply
Of books, charts, etc.
The cost per pupil is really much
less than the cost in small and widely
separated schools.
1t quickens public interest in the
schools. Pride in the quality of work
done secures q greater sympathy and
better fellowship throughout the town.
ship. Pupils are benefited by q wider
circle of acquaintance and culture re-
sulting therefrom. The whole COM
munity is drawn together. The health
of the children is better, the children
being less exposed to stormy weather
and avoiding sitting in damp clothing.
Public barges used in the day time
for the children may be used to trans
port their parents to public gatherings
in the evenings to lecture courses, etc.
Transportation OF pupils makes
possible the distribution of mail
through the whole township daily.
Finally, by transportation, the farm
again as of old, becomes the ideal
place in which to bring up children,
enabling them to secure the advan-
tages of centers of population and
spend their evenings and holiday time
in contact with nature and plenty OF
work, instead of idly loafing about
town.
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF IOWA
We do not know of any better place
to examine the work of the rural e
trail school than at Buffalo Center,
Iowa. Enclosed you will please find
some circulars concerning the matter
of consolidation of schools and the
transportation of pupils. We also
send you a copy of our last biennial
report, in which you will find the
opinions of this department upon the
subject. A new circular is now in
press, and we shall take pleasure in
sending you a copy of the same when
it is ready for distribution.
r. G. BARRETT, State Supt.
By A. G. Ross. Deputy.
The circulars sent out to the
superintendent and school Off
GERS of the state of Iowa, contain
the gist of the whole matter and
we are glad to quote several
sections:
To the County superintendent and Township
Boards of Education in Iowa:
In the year 1896, a committee of emil
nent education, of which Hon. Henry
Sabin, ex-superintendent of public in
structiOn in Iowa, was chairman, pre-
scented an elaborate report to the
National Council on The Improvement
of the Rural Schools. In this report,
adopted and published by the associa-
ton, no point is more earnestly en-
forced than the desirability of farming
the ungarded, rural subdistrict
schools into central, graded schools.
At the last meeting of the educa-
tional council of the Iowa State
Teachers association, the following
paragraph from a report of a COM
mite of its number, was unanimously
adopted:
s'The township is the proper unit
of the rural school system. Instead of
the present plan of a series of SUBJ
districts practically independent of
one another, each provided with a
small ungraded, or-by necessity
poorly graded school, establish, as
far as feasible in each rural township
a central graded school, modelled
| after the plan of the village public
| schools, for all the children of the
district. The expense for t~ransporta-
ton, when necessary, of pupils to and
from the central school, should be
paid from the school fund. This plan,
serving as it would the double pur-
pose educational efficiency,
and economy to the taxpayer, is al
ready provided for by law, and de-
| serves the active and earnest support
| of every friend of education in the
state"
At a subsequent meeting of the state
association, the recommendations of
the council was unanimously adopted
and the undersigned were appointed a
committee to labor to bring said
recommend tions to the favorable
consideration of those officially
| charged with the educational in
terests of the state.
The advantage of the township over
the present system are great and
many.
/. 1t brings to pupils in the country
the benefits of the graded school.
2. 1t substitutes specialized for un-
| specialized instruction.
3. 1t allows longer recitation
periods and consequently more time
for class drill and incidental instruc-
ton.
4. It allows the classification of
pupils with others of the same ability
and the sam degree of advancement,
enabling the teacher to appeal to the
spirit of rivalry and generous emula-
ton.
S. It widens the social horizon of
the district and gives the greater
breadth and culture that extended
association confers.
6. 1t increases the percentage both
of the enrolment and of daily attend
ance OF rural pupils.
Z. 1t requires and makes possible
buildings, larger, better, more artis-
tic, better supplied with educational
equipments and sanitary appliances.
8. 1t provides for better super
| vision and better Instruction