The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1902-03-07

Supt Kramer Reports ON the
Visit to Iowa.

ing more or less interested in what is
called the central school, I thought
they might be interested in a descrip-
ton of what Messrs. Ernest Britzman,
G. P. Burnatad, Frank Heathcote and
myself found on our recent trip to the
school located at Buffalo Center, Ia.
These gentlemen are residents of Lura,
where the people are quite interested
in the matter.
At the above named place there is a
village q mile from the west line of
Buffalo township. The people began
to petition the school board to close
their district schools and provide for
the transportation of the pupils to the
village school. One after another did
this until all of the schools of the
township except the two farthest away
have been closed. This has now been
continued for four or five years, and
the plan is growing in favor every
year. The country is practically the
same as the average of Grant county
land SO far as the general conditions
are concerned, except that they have
very poor roads after every rain and
in the spring. This would not be any
drawback here. They are also subject
to heavier snowfalls than we are.
The pupils of the country for a radius
of about six miles ri brought to the
school in SIX buses. These buses are
platform wagons, tightly covered, and
having . tightly fitting door in the
rear. The buses begin to take up the
children at 7:15 to 7:45 in the morning,
and return them to their homes at 500
to $50 in the afternoon. This makes
about the same time on the road as
the average child puts on the road in
the common district; possibly the
time is q little longer, but it is in q
comfortable bus and not on foot. This
leaves the children in excellent condi-
ton for their work after arriving at
the school, and also leaves them in
excellent spirits for the chore work in
the evening.
1t was our privilege to see these
buses leave for home on the day we
we're there. We asked the children II
there was any suffering from the cold
or exposure. The universal reply was
no suffering, except n or two who
said, 20, sometimes it is q little cold,
but j. is much better than walking"
We asked for the teachers registers
and had the country pupils checked
so we could know one class from the
other, and found that the country pu-
pills were in school as many days in
the month as the village pupils. This
is q very important matter, as the at
tendance in average country schools
is from so to IS per cent. The at
tendance at the central school there is
80 to So per cent. II this is due to the
transportation feature it is certainly
time the subject is considered. Our
failures In the country schools now
are due to irregular attendance rather
than poor teachers On any other ele-
ment, unless it be the matter of text
books. Free books would help much,
but the pupils do not get to school
and if transportation and
the central school will improve that
matter it is time to try it.
Upon our return we wrote q person
al letter to each of the farmers who
have children transported to the
school asking these questions: how
far the children rode to school; wheth-
er the school is better centralized: ii
the children suffered from exposure;
and whether he would vote tocontinue
the central plan. OF q letters sent
out eighteen have returned. OF the
eighteen thirteun have been strongly
to the idea, and OF the five
who were opposed, one said it raised
his taxes, which all reports show to
be false. Another said the children
suffered too much, but the children
stated differently. One or two replies
would indicate that the father be-
grudged the time the children put in
the road, for when they were there
they yer not able to make any dol
lars for him. From the letters it
would seem that the school is as near
IL universally satisfactory as any
other element in our social makeup.
The land ia the township where this
school stands is selling at q higher
price than any other in the county.
We found two families who had NOV
ed there expressly to get within range
of the school.
On the whole the school there is q
complete success, and we came home
fully convinced OF its superiority.
NJ. M. RAINIER.
Big Stone Chautauqua.