Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-05-04
EDUCATION IN NORTH DAKOTA.

North Dakota has "bullded wiser than
she knew" when providing for her
educational system. Being one of the
newer states it was possible for North
Dakota to profit by the experience of
older states: what has seemed good in
other systems has been adopted and
what appeared non-productlve avoided.
At the change from old territorial rule
to statehood the makers of North Da-
kota's constitution deereed that the
legislative assembly provide for the
establishment and maintenance of a
system of public schools which shall be
open to all the children of the state and
free from sectarian control. The sup
port of the schools is provided for by
local taxation: the county tuition fund
and the state tuition fund. Last year
the amount raised by local tax was
81, 04.572.S9: the county tuition fund
amounted to S3O2.O59.73 and the state
tuition fund to s%356.246.02. The latter
fund arises from the interest and in
come derived from the sale and rental.
The total state and county tuition fund
for the past year amounted to $685. 0 rs
or 1854 per capita. The total amount
received from all sources. for our public
schools for the year is s3,o45,631.5s.
The report issued for the past year
shows that North Dakota has 1896
school houses .svalued at s3.757.252.56, in
Guiding sites. The number of teachers
employed was 1853, and the total num-
Der of children of school age was 11S,o12
with a total enrolment of 1924. The
endowment of state lands for the COM
mon schools amounts to, approximately,
100000 acres. of which $4,000 have
been sold. AS lone of the school lands
of the state can be sold for less than SO
an acre the permanent school fund will
eventually reach the enormous sum of
over s25,0OO,O00 with an annual income
of over s1,OO0,0000 for schools.
In addition to its we'll established sys-
tenn of public schools North Dakota has
a state university. an agricultural college,
two normal schools and a school of
manual training all of which are the
pride and satisfaction of her people.
They form an important part Of the
states educational plan and give the
future generation of North Dakota an
heritage unequalled by any other state
North Dakota is one of half a dozen
states that require the teaching of ele-
mentary agricultural in the rural schools
In a state like ours. where the pFoduc-
ton of wealth must come largely from
agriculture, it was deemed both wise
and eNpedlent to begin such instruction
in the elementary grades that would aid
a majority of the boys and girls for their
work in after life. Neither has the
education of the grown up farmer been
left to chance. Farmers Institutes have
been held for the past six years and
the legislature of last winter made an
appropriation of $4,000 for the conduct
ing of institutes over the state during
the coming two years.
1t can safely be said that North Da.
kota is the equal of any state in the
Union in providing for the education
of the boys and girls who are tc
become the men and women of the flu
ture. II no truer index of a com
munity's higher life can be found thar
the interest and attention given the
public schools, then North Dakota neec
have no reason to fear when the educa
tional system and the provisions of the
same are compared with those of oldel
and more highly developed states.