Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-01-30

thing for the agricultural high
schools. That work nas been begun
II some OF our states. you know what
Minnesota has done, she already has
two such schools, and believe tas
time viii come soon when Minnesota.
viii have eight or nine OF these az
ricultural high schools.
The local people must nav in ,hs.
end mosS Of the expense for the CON
solidated schools. but the state cas-
go this far, and every state shoula
go this far where it has any adeouaAs.
means, to the extent of raising nopav
to pay for the industrial educatIon
and also pay something toward tha
buildings; the people in the neigh.
borhood should be induced to vote
the necessary additional expense Zoe
the buildings aud grounds of the
consolidated schools and should 70.
ceiye from the state portion Of the
added current expense OF the schoo.
which continues from year to year,
The STATE Legislators are wiser in
these matters than the people of ihs
district, because you know We SEND
to our legislatures some of our bright.
est men, and Of course we have a
clear right to assume that congress-
man is even more wise than tbs
average state legislator, because we
pick out of our state legislature some
OF our best men to go to congress.
We have got to get the money
from the top to promote this work
and we at the bottom have got to
pay more expense toward these
schools
Some Vital Statistics.
Let me give you Just few figures
There are something like nine mil.
lion little school children in this
country who are going to school
about 40 per cent of the full school
year, OF not more than that. There
are altogether nine million children
on he farms who should be going
to school, between the ages of fve
and 20, there is only about an
equivalent of 100000 that are going
to school. The schools cost prob.
ably about $60,000,00G, and We ought
to put in double that amount to Sc.
cure our agricultural high schools and
colleges, we ought to run 1t up to,
$120,000,000. This would cost each
farmer probably six, eight or 10 dol
lars more than he is now paying; we
have in this country six million farm
ers. These farms produce annually
six billions of money, one thousand
dollars per farm averaging 14s
acres. AS Prof. Kern has said. ire
children of these farmers are MOI
having a square deal The doctor.
the lawyer, most of the professions
can receive a technical education
that costs very little. They de-
manded it, and hey got it.
We firmly believe that If this SC
million dollars were added to our
whole cost of education in training
these children for country life, that
1t would increase the annual income
from our farms by easily five times
that amount, or three hundred mil
lion; in other words, believe that
one dollar will easily produce five
If put into this industrial education.
If we can organize our people to bs
more efficient in their plans, in their
daily work, it will pay all it costs.
and there is no agency sufficient to
meet these money demands to build
up our country schools, except as /
have suggested. Such system would
| believe, not only result in this add
ed money value, but We would have
in addition a great body of young
men who have received this technical
training who would go into the com
munities and by working out better
methods would greatly add to the
wealth and civilization of that com
munity.