Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-02-28
COUNTY TRAINING SCHOOLS UPLIFT.
Tend Toward Common Sense. Balanced
Character and Dignity of Labor.

Ex-State Supt Harvey SAYS: What il
needed today more than anything else
In rural commuT ities is the development
OF higher ideals IN educational matters,
IN the minds of men and women in those
communities
The only opportunity heretofore exist.
ing for the farmers boy in Wisconsin,
to secure sny scientific training for his
| work as a farmer was that offered in
| the agricultural department 9 the state
! university and while that department
has all the students it can accommodate
the number is but few compared WITH
| the large number of boys needing such
| instruction. The distance of the school
from their homes. lack of knowledge
concerning it, and cost in attending it
are all reasons why the deman7 for ad-
mission is not ten times create than IL
is today. The county agricultural
schools, centrally located, bring facili-
ties for this training almost TO the very
homes of those needing it. The cos1 Of
attendance at the county training school
Is far less than at the state university
The work Ia more elementary - its
nature, and therefore adapted tl those
who are perhaps too young to receive
the largest profit from attending the
agricultural department at the univer-
sitv
The building used by the Marathon
county agricultural school and also for
teachers training school was built ut
a cost of $iG 000 To the 81 COG received
from the state for running expenses the
county adds g., 900 and ont Of this sum
free text books and material for work
are furnished. There are three teachers
one for agriculture, one for manual
training and one for domestic economy
They also teach English. arithmetic,
history and other studies. Miss Conley
says: I'VE reach "a younger and larger |
class of students than the university
reaches The boys and girls finish the !
county school course and come to us for |
a two years course. Thus we see by |
these schools we bring the training of |
boys and girls nearer home win the |
establishment of a county agricultural !
school make the boys and girls willing |
to do the unpleasant things we are /
asked. The shirks we shall ALWAYS |
have with us. inst as we have the poor |
and unfortunate The boy in the school |
of agriculture will learn TO locate his |
pig pen in the proper place, with good |
drainage and thus lessen the labor of |
cleaning it, The girl viii know how to |
laun1er her linen, but il does not follow /
that she must do it, If she can earn more |
by doing something else. We believe
she will even look after the pig pen,
rather than let the animal suffer. We
have all observed that it is easier to do
the things we know how to do The
whole tendency Of manual training is
toward common sense, we'll balanced
and the dignity of labor The
state can never take the place Of the pa
rental home training and parental re-
sponsihility must come frat Are our
farmer fathers dong all they can to
enlist the boys to follow this honorable |
calling? The boy who, on the farm, |
hears all tho time fault finding and com
planning o. the hardscrabble condition !
of farm life and how nice it is to be In !
tnwz very early makes the decision to
get to town and usually does, soole= or
later. Boys and girls need to b., saught
to work and that there are disf greeable
things ss well as pleasant ones to be
done and to succeed they must be met
G.nd not s'1iesed Rssalts come by the
efforts of ones hard end braln and max.
lSg clean house or Il clean pig pen is
a part Of the worlds work, IS well as
writing a novel or huilding railroad
and faithfulness to duty commits not only
for time but for eternity. r. G.