The courier., 1902-04-05

fall to the new structure a rod away
will make a little more high school
room but not enough. To study now
the students must be seated in the
auditorium and its light is decidedly
poor; aside from the laboratory there
are only class rooms, from which the
pupils are shifted every three-quarters
Of an hour. Rooms are needed where
the pupils can study under a teacher.
undisturbed, a thing impossible at the
high school.
Many students are here from out in
the country, out in the state, and out
side it's boundaries. Their tuition is
"a a month at the high school and alto
gether it will be $1,000 this year. At
the graded schools they are admitted
for 81 month il they are from outside
the county, and 81 a month IL they live
inside. Less than $500 will be raised in
this manner from the common schools
this year. Last year the tuitions
amounted altogether to $l,424.92. Lin
coin is chosen by these students be-
cause of the presence of the state uni
versity. As mentioned before the per
capita expense of each pupil is $2l.S4.
In seventeen other cities of about equal
size where text books are not furnished
the per capita is $2l.2i; in Omaha and
four other cities where the books are
provided the average per capita is $26.23
The Lincoln school children are furn-
ished their books. The difference is
significant. As for the teachers, their
salaries here range from $40 to $3.50.
while the principals are paid from $40
to $50 The wages of the latter have
been slightly raised during the last two
years.
None of the teachers are paid as high
salaries as they received during the
hard times, even after the wages were
supposed TO have been cut to correspond
to the situation. Moreover the COM
missions they then received on their
warrants always amounted to about 81
a month to each teacher. Now they
are retained by the board. With the
rise in price of everything it is obvious
that the teachers are not feeling as
well requited as they should be for
their services. The result is that many
OF them are seeking employment else
where. This does not mean that the
teachers who stay are incapable
but II does show that the tendency is
to lose the best. There is also need
for more teachers. None should be re-
quired to manage more than forty pu-
pills, yet many have fifty and fifty-five.
In methods of teaching and in re-
suits the progress of the past few years
has been very satisfactory. The teach
ers have more freedom than ever be-
fore and are consequently more jealous
in their work. That is. they are allowed
more independence in methods Of in
stilling facts and philosophy. Not be-
ing tied down to a set plan they feel
warranted In putting vim and enthus-
iasm In their work and they do it. In
reading. geography and drawing the
labors Of the children have been much
better. In these days schooling is not
tied down to the ossified curriculum of
ancient days. There is variety for the
sake of testing and developing all the
powers and tastes of the pupils. Art
is no uncertain educator and the stu
dents are given a good chance at it.
Drawing is made a regular study and
school decoration comes in for good
share of attention. Only the best
grades of pictures are hung in the
school rooms and the chromos Of earlier
days are quite out Of date and custom.
The students have cultivated a taste
for pictures in their work in drawing