Water Valley progress., 1903-06-20
ROADS AND SCHOOLS.
some Valuable Suggestions one red
By New YOrl<'s Supe rintendent
of Public Instruction.

The advantage Of good roads to
dwellers in the country districts lies
not alone in greater ease by which
crops can be transported to the dis
tributing centers and towns. They
play great part in the education of
the children of these districts, mas
much as the more the children can be
drawn together in large central
schools the better can they be edu-
Gated. With number of small SCHOOLS
scattered over the rural districts it is
too expensive to provide much more
than instruction in the rudimentary
branches, but if the children can be
brought together in large central
schools, the cost of instruction is di-
vlded among greater number and
more branches can be included in the
curriculum. AS is pointed out in the
Following extract from the report of
superintendent of Public instruction
Charles r. Skinner, of New York state,
1T is impossible to bring the children
together unless the roads are in good
condition.
The arguments thus far advanced
in the commendable agitation for good
roads have not considered the welfare
and comfort of our school children as
a factor.
The farmer is told that good roads
will put money into his pocket by saw
ing his horses and wagons, that the
value of his farm will be enhanced and
the trip to town or to church will be
pleasure rather than burden. The
merchant is assured that his trade will
nightly increase if good roads lead to
the village. The bicyclist knows by an
occasional run over rare sections of
well-built highway what comfort
would result if good roads were the
rule instead of the exception. Those
who are able to indulge in the luxury
OF automobiles also see pleasant
visions. Nothing, however, has been
said about the children as they go
through the mud and dust, up hill and
down, from their homes to the school
houses, one to three miles distant. Is
It unreasonable to believe that these
men and women of tomorrow would
prefer well graded, macadamized
roadbeds to the miserable pretenses
for highways which now disfigure so
much of our landscape? It is not
difficult to imagine the country school
much happier and buster place if the
children could gather after pleasant
walks along well built and well kept
highways.
What to do with our country schools
is becoming a serious problem as the
years go by and the rural districts be-
come more sparsely settled. When
more than 80 per cent. of our rural
schools have an average daily attend
ance OF less than ten children some
thing should be devised to put stop to
such needless waste. Combination of
resources and capital cheapens pro-
duction and results in an improved
product. It is the opinion of edu-
Gators that reasonable application Of
this principle to our rural school prob
lem would result beneficially. With
the present condition of country roads
the transportation of the children to
central, well equipped schools is
practically impossible during most of
the year. Good roads would remove a
serious obstacle to this most impor-
tant step forward in the improvement
OF our country schools. The boys and
girls of the country with one accord
demand good roads, that they may en-
JOY school privileges equal to those of
their brothers and sisters in village and
city"