Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-01-02
Barrett Addressing Iowa Teach
ers, Pleads for City Advant-
ages in the Country
UP OF YEARS WORK
Legislation Placed on Statute Books of
Iowa by Last General Assembly, De-
cIared to be the Most Important
Ever Enacted by Any One Legislature
Much Undertaken and Accomplished.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Jan. 2.-Superintendent
Witter, of NIuscatine, was today elected
president OF the State Teachers Asso-
citation. The proposition to abolish the
state educational council was rejected
by the general association.
Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Jan. 2.-State Superin-
tendent Barrett, in his annual address
to the teachers of Iowa, in their forty
eighth annual convention, declared
most emphatically that the legislation
placed on the statute books of Iowa
by the last general assembly is the
most important that has ever been en-
acted by any legislature, reported on
the favorable progress of the movement
for consolidation of rural schools, rec
commended some provision for train
ing teachers for the manual work re-
quired in Iowa schools, called attention
to the deplorable fact that the teach
ers wages have been decreasing in
Iowa, and urged cooperation for an
educational exhibit at the ST. Louis
exposition. His address was thought
full summing up of the entire school
year in which he quoted the statistics
in regard to schools reported by the
county superintendents and reviewed
the progress generally made for the
betterment of Iowa schools.
-
Seldom, II ever, said the state sup
erintendent, referring to the state of
Iowa and the year just closed, has so
much been undertaken and accom-
plished In a single year. Labor has
been employed. farms have increased in
value and produced in rich abundance.
business has prospered. new industries
have been established, and factories
lopened. In education changes have
| been less frequent, amounts expended
| for school purposes larger, the average
! flssii,E te.,dns.-e urae---t ha-sl Ools-in-
creased, teachers paid nearly quarter
1 of million dollars in excess OF any
other year, and colleges and private
schools have enjoyed an increased at
| tendance. Two hundred and eighteen
new school houses have been built,
nearly $4,000 have been paid for rec
ords and apparatus, more than 100000
| choice books placed in school libraries,
and three million and half dollars
paid for the maintenance of schools
exclusive of the amounts paid teach
| erS.
The school laws enacted by the
Twenty Ninth general assembly de-
serve notice, for more important laws
relating to education We're never pass
| ed. The more general appropriations
made for the higher institutions of
learning have met with general ap-
prevail The most important single
statutory enactment was the compul-
sorry attendance and truancy law which
| has been in force only few months
| but has already at least partially
proven to be both wise and beneficial.
There are found to be 392,151 pupils in
1 this state subject to the law, or lS.O4S
! more than the total average daily at
| tendance in the public schools. For
years college graduates, men and wom-
en- of rich and scholarly training have
| been denied admission to the examina-
! ton for state certificates. but this was
changed by the last legislature. Elev-
| en- schools have been accredited as nor
NAL schools under the new law, which
gives to their graduates right to adj
mission to the examination for two
wear certificates. The accredited high
schools are also now privileged to send
| candidates for these certificates. The
high schools, seminaries and acade-
mics graduate or instruct more than
one fourth of all the teachers. With
some ii is an open question whether
high schools should be made training
schools but an experiment is being
tried and if it is an error remedies may
be found. During the past year more
than $4,000 volumes have been added
to the school libraries.
The discussion of co-education in
this state is lifeless, but in regard to
college courses there has been some
controversy There is belief that they
! are too long and might be varied TO
! suit Individual cases. The law in re-
gard to manual training enacted twen-
ty eight years ago is still on the stat
ute books, but the lack of trained
! teachers to give instruction is now the
most serious drawback to the rapid
1 introduction of manual training. To
loyercome this, courses of study should
be provided in the normal schools and
Iother institutions designed for the
training of teachers. So important is
this that the state superintendent Will
soon issue lealet giving detailed in
. formation as to what is needed.
/ In regard to rural schools Superin-
tendent Barrett declared that they are
not meeting the needs of the people
They are often too numerous, popula-
ton alone considered, too small in area
and too expensive for the benefits re-
sulting They are still the expert
mental teaching stations of the world
4 A marked Improvement is occasionally
noted. In numerous localities the ral-
lying cry is city advantages for coun-
try children. Consolidation OF districts
and transportation of children contin-
lie to engage the attention or large
number of citizens. This great move
ment to give the country pupils the
school privileges enjoyed by city pupils
should receive most careful consider
alton. 1t began in Massachusetts in
1896 and has been followed in seven
teen other states. Twenty-three town
s,.ins In Ohio now have their schools