The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-08-28
Better Country School Houses
Are Pleaded for by
the Teachers.
BETTER TEXT BOOK LAWS
Uniform Course of Study and
Other Modern Features
Are Asked For.

Friday afternoon:
Preamble.
The teachers OF Harrison county
in institute assembled, desiring to ex-
press their interest in the educational
problems now engaging the attention
OF the public as well as the attention
of the educational forces OF the state
and OF the state legislature. have
adopted the following resolutions
relative to the subjects hereafter
named:
1. Better country school houses.
2. Better sanitary conditions about
such houses.
8. Closer supervision Of district
schools.
4. District high schools. consolida-
tion of district schools, and the trans
portation of pupils to central build
ings.
5. Uniform courses of study and
better text book laws.
s. School libraries.
z. More trained teachers.
8. The most equitable method OF
certificating teachers.
8. The development OF school SEN
timent among the people in general.
Resolutions.
First. Many Of our country school
houses are unfit for school purposes,
being unfavorably located, badly
built and not properly heated and
ventilated. The purpose of out
houses is to make for decency. phys
ical comfort and the moral protec-
ton OF the children. Many of these
outbuildings are In disgraceful con-
dition and their influence on the
young is indescribable. We plead for
cleaner environment and pledge our
selves to keep our respective school
rooms clean and In every way to
guard the welfare of the pupils en-
trusted to our care.
Second. We are conscious OF the
need OF counsel and help for the
teachers in the one room school as
well as for those of the graded
school. That the county superin-
tendent, because of his large field and
his limited time, can not spend suffic-
lent time in the district schools has
long been apparent. The state has
made district supervision possible,
and our county has taken long for
ward step by the Inauguration OF dis
trict supervision in six OF the ten dis
trlcts of the county. We approve this
forward movement and are eager to
speed its ends and purposes, and we
respectfully urge the other four dis
tricts to join the advance at the earl
lest possible moment, and we as an
institute and as individuals. pledge
our support to hits new phase OF our
work.
Third. We have observed that in
many localities of other states, dis
tricts have consolidated their one
room schools. The physical environ
ment and financial resources OF these
districts are not any more. favorable
for this plan than are those of many
West Virginia districts. In consoli-
dated districts they have commodious
modern central school buildings in
which are housed high schools OF the
best courses, sustained by the best
blood of the community, and to which
buildings the pupils from the remot-
est sections of the districts are trans
ported free.
We are in sympathy with this
movement and promise to make a
most careful study of all conditions
for and against the ultimate consum-
nation of the plan in our respective
districts.
Fourth. We feel the need OF uni
form courses of study for the entire
state, especially uniform course for
the one-room school, and we recog-
nize the difficulty in planning such a
course by years. We believe 1t will
not be impertinent to observe thas
the child in the first years Of school
has cross section view Of all the
subjects taught in the elementary
school. We hope for a course Of
study for the one-room school that
viii carry all the elementary school
branches through all the divisions OF
such schools, as generally marked by
four grades OF reading books, carry
them in such a way as to give the
pupil foundation for home study
after he passes out OF this, possibly
his only school.
In this connection We would re-
spectfully refer to the course OF
study for one-room schools in force
in the vsyious provinces in the Do
minion OF Canada, most of which
mark out FIVE departments, or FORMS,
the fifth being in effect country
high school course.
! Fifth. We recognize the divided