Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-29
Discusses Riggs Rural School
Problem Before Iowa State
Teachers Association
OUTLINES HIS LINE OF WORK
State Superintendent Makes Strong
and Notable Plea For Better condi-
tons, Through Better Pay For the
Teachers, and Fewer Rural Schools
The Advantages of Consolidation.
special to Times-Republiean.

Des Moines, Dec. 20. = Before the
Iowa State Teachers Association today
State Superintendent John r. Riggs
delivered a notable address in which
he discussed the rural school problem
in Iowa, presenting some entirely new
statistics to show that there Is real
problem here, that as a matter of fact
the provision for education of the chill
dren in the country is far from being
as perfect as for education of the chill
dren in cities and towns, and suggest
ing some of the things which may be
done toward effecting a remedy. This
was Superintendent Riggs first annual
address before the association and in
1t he outlined practically what would
be his Line Of work during his admin
istration of the Office. He gave the re-
suits Of exhaustive research the past
year into the condition Of affairs in
the rural schools and made strong
plea for better conditions thru bet
ter pay for teachers and fewer rural
schools. Superintendent Riggs said:
The Rural School Problem in Iowa.
1T shall be my purpose in this ad-
dress to discuss the rural school prob
lem as it is presented in Iowa today.
This must not be construed as an adj
mission on my part that all questions
pertaining to the graded schools OF
the state are settled. / pass by this
class of schools, not that think them
local, or that l believe them to pre-
sent no problem worthy OF serious at
tention. The graded school has Its
problems, but in my opinion they are
at this moment far less urgent than
those presented by the rural schools
and this must serve as my excuse for
combining my remarks to the conditions
and needs of the thousands Of one
room country schools, where more than
half of the children of the state must
receive their elementary schooling
which, with most of them, is all the
schooling they ever receive.
"These country children are in most
respects most happily situated. The
beauties of nature smile upon chem and
her myriad voices call to them In the
solitude of field or forest. They nave
a healthful environment. The example
of virtue and honor in the home, and
in the community is In the main be-
fore them. Duties many and continu-
GUS await them. and their labor is di-
rected to definite ends. They have
time for quiet reflection and opportun-
,ties to use their reason and judgment.
Their environment Is we'll suited 10
develop a strong body and an active
VIGOROUS mind. No class OF our youth
gives greater promise of usefulness.
These country children deserve and
have right to demand school priva-
leges in every way equal to tnose ac-
corded to the children OF towns anu ).
cities. That the school privileges a.
nresent accorded them are not equa'
to those provided in the graded sclpoois
~ our towns and cities cannot be Dues
stoned nv any one at all familiar Wleh
5snnerior Work Generally Impossible.
..1 m not unmindful that there are
=, nv country schools superior to some
ar.dea schools. Where twenty-five 10
thirty country boys and girls NEE. q
s,trone tactful, resourceful teacher
whose heart is in her work and VINO Is Is
. Glow with enthusiasm, there we VIII
6nd a school worthy the name, ana
teacher who is doing a service eauai ~
that of any teacher in graded scnoo,
Fvery. county in Iowa has rev sucn
teachers and few such schools. bu'
in the great majority OF country y
schools the conditions are such tha'
snperior work is impossible.
"what are these conditions!
"F,rst small schools and irregular
attendance. 1000,
equipment. ,od
"rhird. teachers often inexperienceo
and of inadequate scholarship.
"Fourth freouent change of teach
ere.
"Fifth, a school year more than one
month less on the average than pre-
walls in towns and cities, and no pro-
vision for instruction beyond the ele'
mentary grades.
sixth. poor classification.
"From reports recently received IRON
secretaries of the rural schools OF the
state it is shown that last year sixty
five in every 100 of our rural schools
had an average daily attendance during
the fall term of fifteen or less; sixty
two in every one hundred had a like
small attendance during the winter
term, and sixty-nine in every one hun
dred had like small attendance dur
ing the spring term.
cor if we take the number Of schools
where the average daily attendance
was more than twenty, we find that
during the fall term it was but 15 per
cent: during the winter 16 per cent,
and during the spring term IL per cent
of the whole. These figures are based
on reports received from 10,019 out of
a total of 1881 rural districts.
cor, looked at in another way. we
find the total number of persons be-
tween the ages of five and twenty-one
years in the 1881 rural dis
tricts of the state to be