The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-05-09
GRANGE DEPARTMENT.
Conducted by w. =. Alexander. r. F.
.. No. 4, Owosso.

-. NO. ", OWoSSOs
To whom Correspondence for the department
should be addressed
COUNTY GRANGE CALENDAR.
Owosso Township: First and third Tuesday
in each month at 80 p. M. Richardson's hall
Owosso.
New Lothrop: Second and fourth Tuesday
afternoon In each month
Bennington: First and third Saturday after
noon In each month.
Hazel Green: First and third Friday Of each
month; Henderson.
Burns: Every Tuesday evening, Knaggs
Bridge.
Union: Each Alternate Friday evening;
Chapin.
Most parents in the country find fault
with the schools-often unwisely; some
times with good reason. You know the
difference on the farm between a good
worker and an inferior one; you know
that strong, intelligent, and willing
horse is worth more than two scrubs,
and you are willing to pay the price OF
good work, whether it be done by man
or horse. How would it do to consider
the employment of teachers in the light
of your experience with workmen and
horses ?-Exchange
EDUCATION.
Personally we do not favor the CEN
tralization of our rural schools, but
means for their improvement is sub
ject that should receive the best thought
of all who have at heart the welfare of
our country and the perpetuity of our
free institutions. The following from
an exchange is worth considering:
Education is tiresome subject to
some people. They have been bored by
it-or by people who have talked
education" to them. Now, you are
very careful not to bore the members of
your grange; and yet you know as well
as we can tell you that there are people
who would be greatly benefited by
judicious boring to let the vanity out of
their heads and to permit little of the
commonest of common sense to find its
way in. If by the use of gimlet, auger,
or drill, you could do little of that
kind of boring, you might be a much
more efficient educator But you will
have to be careful. You must bore em
when they are not aware-in secret and
by stealth. The painless operation is
the popular one in education as we'll as
in surgery.
Probably you have been reading and
liz 1t,.t-s sol ha
possibility of improving them by cen
tralization or consolidation 1t is
good subject to talk about and to think
about. Moreover, it is a subject that is
forcing itself on the attention of the
people The magazines have heard
about it and are telling about it.
People have been thinking about the
. advantages of the country and its dis
advantages. OF the latter, many of
them think the school is the greatest.
Every intelligent farmer knows of other
farmers who have moved to town to
give their children the advantages of
the town schools. If the country school
could be made just as good without in
creasing the school tax, the cost of
moving to town or sending the children
away from home could be saved-in
most cases would be saved. The advo-
Gates of the consolidated school declare
that it is not only as good as the town
school, but actually cheaper in operation
than the ordinary country school. Here
is suggestive statement of an ex
perience in Ohio:
I'm Kingsville FIVE teachers are EN-
ployed at the central building, while in
the several districts before the adoption,
of the Capitalization plan seven teachers
were required. The cost of heating and
maintaining the little district schools is
avoided, and the central building is
heated by modern appliances. 1t was
3 found that under the new system the
taxpayers have been saved in three
years $1,000. The expense per capita
was reduced from 500. IS to S12.25, and
this after good teachers had been EN-
ployed at good salaries
This is worth thinking about and
talking about. Your Grange will be
INTERESTED if you present the matter
wisely and instructively The follow
ing paragraph is from the Forum; and
gives Clarence T.. Blake's idea of the
advantages of consolidation in the
country school system. If you are
especially interested Won will read the
whole article in the March Forum:
1T puts the country ON level with
the city. The farmers child receives as
good teaching as the alder1nans. 1t
places in charge Of the youth we'll
trained teachers of broad culture. 1t
permits better grading and allows in
dividual pupils wider range so that they
can work TO better advantage. 1t
makes possible thorough work in special
lines-nathre study, writing, music,
drawing. 1t odds the stimulus of COM
petition and the enthusiasm of numbers.
The attendance is better, and the boys
stay in school longer 1t lengthens the