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

in the buildin possibly
five small school houses. This
will necessitate an expenditure
of $4,000 to $4,000. Then in case
the central school comes, which
there is every prospect of it's do
ing, the township will not be
willing to be an odd community
and the people will have to tax
themselves for the erection of
the new school building.
AS matters now stand in the
township, two rooms are all that
will be needed for some .ime to
come. This building can be
built in the center of the town
ship for less than half the cost
Of the five small buildings, or
about half the cost of the four.
This will save the township the
interest on $1,000 to $500, bonds
or warrants. There will be a
heavy saving in the purchase of
maps, charts, globes, diction-
aries, etc., as there will be but
twcrooms to equip, where under
the present system there will be
four and possibly five buildings
to equip.
If the one building should be
built having two rooms they
could be built on the ground
floor, with a movable partition
between them that could be re-
moved at pleasure. This would
throw the whole into one large
room that could be utilized for
all kinds of meetings that the
people of the township might
wish to hold. Church services.
lectures, Sunday school, town
meetings., ETC., could be accom-
modated comfortably. Theaver-
age American community of
farmers are nearing the time
when they will not permit the
villages to have all the good
things in the intellectual field.
The farmer has a good right
to the best the land affords in
any avenue. The average man
who loves progress would seek a
home in such a community to
one where the conditions are as
they exist at present, where
there is no society, no intellectual
communion worthy of the name.
The land values of the township
should take a leap upward as a
result of this forward movement.
Now suppose the two-room
building should be built and the
plan should possibly prove a fail
ure. 1t would be an easy matter
to cut this building into two
smaller ones and place them
properly for the reins :atement
of the present district school.
This could be done with a very
little cost and the township would
have the record of having nerve
enough to make a test of a thing
that promised to make country
life better suited to the parent
as well as the child. If it proves
a success, as it in all probability
will, the township has saved
half or more of the expenditure
necessary to equip itself with
necessary school buildings and
apparatus in accord with the
present system.
Thus far we have not quoted
the department of South Dakota
on this important subject. The
reason is that State Supt. E. E
Collins has consented to meet the
good people of Lura in the after
noon of February 20, 1902. This
meeting will be held at Strouseton
and the superintendent of the
state department will speak for
himself. 1t is hoped that every
one in the township will be pres
ent. No harm can possibly come
from a frank and free discussion
of the subject so near the hearth
stone of every home. The meet
ing will be called promptly at
l O'Clock p. m. so as to permit
Supt. Collins to reach the train
in Summit at about 5 o'clock.
The state department of this
state is in sympathy with the
Capitalization movement and it
will be a privilege to have the
superintendent with us to state
the views of the department in
person. Come and hear him