Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-02-20
Probably He Is Not Such Saint After All :?
Our Rural Schools.

Our Rural Schools.
An agitation for the betterment of
our rural schools cannot be started
too soon. In some districts we realize
that the people have seen their dnty in
regard to the education of their child
rem in the right light and are keeping
somewhat abreast with modern times,
tho much Improvement is yet to be ex-
pected if we are going to raise our
rural school system from the farce it
now is.
It is matter, we'll known to all who
have taken the pains to investigate the
matter, that country pupils have as
rule more of those sterling traits of
character that go to make up the man
or woman of value to the community.
than the city children. The country
boys and girls do not come in so close
contact with all the filthy vices that
the city offers, nor are they so apt to
copy after them, because a purer at
mOsphere seems to surround them from
earliest childhood. I dare say that
many of the city boys and girls, of
that type which even your beautiful
city is invested with, would not be tol-
Grated in many of our rural districts
or life would be made so miserable for
them that they would not exist, yet
look at all the opportunities the city
has offered them for an education, for
nine months in the year modern and
elegant schools have been opened for
them and they have been bound to at
tend, receiving an education by 16 that
90 per cent of our country young people
can never dream of. For them the
poorest kind of a school has been open
only six months in the year and some
times not even that, and out of that
time they have been able to attend
only half of the time because either
the parents financial circumstances
did not permit of every day attendance
or lack of interest in their children 8
own welfare to give them the scanty
education offered them. What could
not be expected from our rural schools
then, if they were brought up some
what to the standard of four city schools
The greatest obstacle you nave to con-
tend with in undermining our rural
districts is the strict economy of the
people. Our country is blessed with
conditions which have made it's farmers
prosperous and well-to-do but it seems
as if the abominable spirit of COM
mercialism has so crept into the minds
of our farmers that every available
opportunity must be turned into dol
lars and cents, even at the expense OF
their own children's welfareiand their
own character in neglecting their high.
est moral and civic duty, the bringing
up of good and valuable citizens. !:
Letus all then make q common cause,
especially all rural teachers and all
people of influence in the community
in which they live, for lettering our
rural schools, getting better buildings,
better equipment, better teachers, more
regular attendance and greater in.
terest in school work, knowing that
with the bringing in of education, cul.
ture and refinement in our rural homes
we have also confirmed our own char.
acters with knowledge of duties faith:
fully done. Then we have brough,
proportional prosperity and happf.
ness to the world in general, for as yet
it is dependent upon the farmer for
sustenance and whatever benefits him
benefits the community as whole.
V. S. K.