The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-10-07
A Thing Much Needed In State of
3 Michigan.
FALL ENCOURAGES ITS ADOPTION
Much of His Annual Report Devoted
to Discussing Question-OnIy Means
of Giving Country Youth Advantages
Equal to Those Offered In City.

Lansing, Mich, Oct. 3.-The sixty
seventh annual report of the depart
ment of public instruction, issued by
Superintendent Fall, is most inter
esting and valuable document, discuss
ing, as it does, variety of important
topics bearing upon the educational
system of the state.
Most Important Question.
Prof. Fall says that the most impor-
liant educational question at the pres
ent time is that which seeks to place
before the boys and girls of our rural
communities the same educational
privileges as are enjoyed by those of
our cities and villages. 1t has long
been the boast of Michigan people that
any boy or girl in the state has
chance to pass, without hindrance or
embarrassment, from the lowest
grades Of our public schools through
the grammar and high schools, and
thence into and through our colleges
and university; but the report de-
clares that we are at last awakening
to the fact that this is true of only
about three-fifths of the youth of the
state.
Rural Pupils Difficulties.
During the last school year there
were 300,459 pupils in the cityDnd viii
lage schools of the state and 251, 439 in
the rural schools. For any one of the
latter to even enter high school it
is necessary that he shall leave his
home and go to some neighboring city
or village, which in turn involves non
resident tuition fees, board bills and
numerous other expenses that are not
incurred by the ordinary high school
student 1t involves also absence from
home, with it's attendant subsection to
severe temptations.
Notwithstanding the fact that it
costs more per capita to educate
child in the country than in the city,
the country school affords only the
city schools give all the benefits of
grammar and high school, with the ac-
compartments of music, drawing, man.
ual training and domestic science.
Solution Of the Problem.
The declaration is made that it can
be shown that the centralized school,
with the pupils transported to and
from the schools at public expense.
will not only adequately and fully
solve the problem of furnishing to TIE
child in the country improved facili.
ties, with better teachers for the first
eight grades, but will also add the ben
efSs and privileges of the high school
grades, generally without increased ex-
pense.
1t is admitted to be true that the
rural high school will not afford all
the advantages of the city high school,
it is insisted that it is equally as true
that the rural high school will furnish
many advantages which, in the very
nature of the case, cannot well be at
tanned by the city school. These ad-
vantages lie in the direction of oppor-
tunities for nature study.
Prof. Fall takes a strong stand in
favor of the centralized rural school.
He says that when Capitalization is an
accomplished fact for any community,
the high school will invariably be
there without extra cost or further eff
fort.
The report deals also with the his
tory of the various educational funds
of the state, the development of the
normal school system, the evolution
of teachers institutes, school grounds
and buildings and the duties of schoo,
officers.