Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-02-13
Average Country School Does
Not Advance as DO Other
Rural institutions
TIME MAY BRING IMPROVEMENT
C. e. Wilson in Rural Route Letter,
Suggests That if These "shanties'
Can be Tolerated Few years Long,
err the Consolidated School Idea May
be an Established System.

Special to Times Republican.
Belmond, Feb. 13.-During the last
| written concerning the wonderful add
vancement of the rural population of
| the country in it's mode of life. Bet
| ter roads, daily mail. telephones, i'm
| proved methods of farming, that neces-
| state less arduous physical labor than
| formerly, a greater degree of indepen-
dence than is enjoyed in many other
occupations, together with less like
| lihood Of financial failure, supply some
life There is no doubt that the exist
ence of these conditions have resulted
III 81 eatly increased co'nilr. ana let
torment of the farming population ev-
crywhere. One rural institution, how
ever, which, tho of great and ever in
creasing Importance does not appear
to be keeping up with the march of
progress in other directions is the av
erage country school.
Anyone wishing to inform himself on
the comparative estimation in which
graded and ungraded schools are held
by those in position to note the work.
ingS of both has only to take his sta
ton near any village school house on
u stormy winter day at about $50 a.
m.. and note the numerous arrivals of
sleighs containing boys and girls from
the nearby farms. Near one northern
Iowa town the children of an entire
school district have attended the town
school for several years during the
winter term. closing their own. while
on all sides of that town for a con-
siderable distance, farmers have built
substantial dwellings, on small tracts
of land, having sold or rented their
farms and moved into the new home
that they might properly educate their
children. Especially are such condi-
lions noticeable near those towns
which contain seminaries or small
colleges. Whatever the degree of finan-
cial success these unpretentious educa-
tional institutions enjoy, they certain
~ exert great influence on the rural
districts surrounding them Driving
thru the country one can almost locate
them unaided. When he finds himself
in neighborhood of well-to-do old
German or Scandinavian farmers who
can hardly speak English intelligibly,
but whose homes contain young peo-
pie who are we'll educated and without
any foreign" appearance whatever, 1T
is pretty safe to conclude that there is
good school somewhere in the viein-
ity.
In almost any prosperous Iowa
community one may notice some fine
farm buildings recently completed or
in process of construction. 1t may be
beautiful residence, large double
crib and granary, or commodious barn.
But how seldom the new school house.
Little old-fashioned, uncared-for struc-
lures. built when the district was es-
tablished, poorly equipped and supplied
with half-paid teachers, greet the eye
everywhere, and bring to the passerhy
feeling of pity for the child that
must depend on such surroundings for
AN education. In nearly every case
where new school house is built the
old one is bought by some nearby far
mer for $25, and moved to his place
for hog house or calf shed, where it
presents such an uncouth appearance
among his other buildings and affords
so little protection from Indictment
weather to it's new inmates that he
soon wishes he had let some one else
have the old thing. Perhaps it is after
all, a good thing that SO many of these
"shanties" refuse to wear out, fall
h1nw 70, 1,
tolerated a few years longer it is likely
that the consolidated school idea will
have gained enough adherents to es-
tablish a system that will enable every
country resident to- give his children
the opportunity for a first class COM
mon school education, without ADAM
doning his farm or committing them
to the care of strangers at a period of
their lives when they ought to be at
home.
Mr.. S. B. Couenhoven, who lives
near Iowa Falls is the possessor of
very interesting collection of news |
papers. some of which bear dates that
could hardly be considered recent. One
of them is dated Jan. J., 1862, with the
following as the first sentence in the
leading editorial: considerable inn
patience begins to be manifested at the
continual inaction of the immense fed |
eral army at Washington" A copy of
the New York Tribune, dated Novem-
Der 80, announces the death of Horace
Greeley A New York Herald of April
%, contains an account of the assas-
sinatiOn and death Of Lincoln. The
death of Garfield is announced in the
copy of The Log
Cabin" containing the picture of Will
lam Henry Harrison, bears the date of
Sept. 10, 1870. Other old papers i'm the
collection are the New Jersey Advo-
cate, March 90, 1924, Ulster County
Jan. 4, 1900, containing ar.
account of Washington's death, and a
sheet yellow with age, entitled The
New England Journal, dated April s,
1928. One old paper, printed in 8.
Virginia town, contains this notice:
"A Very Likely Negro Woman, who
can do Household Work and is fit
either for Town or Country Service,
about % Years of Age to be Sold. In
quire of the Printer Hereof" The
father of Mr. Couenhoven, who is now
an elderly man, began the collection
many years ago, and the son has mada
several additions to it.
c. E. WILSON.
Death of Mrs. c. Jernegan.
Special to Times Republican