The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1909-04-16

Tue WOTh luCluQeQ study OF one vi
the different breeds of sheep, cattle,
horses, hogs, or poultry; at other
times, corn, potatoes, alfalfa, sugar
in the grain or vegetable line received
beets, peanuts or some other article
attention. The primary grades had
a school and home improvement clud,
under the direction of the two pri-
mary grade teachers. This club in
the spring time secured the use of
some vacant lots on which they
raised flowers and vegetables. Nearly
all members of each of the three
above mentioned clubs had home gar
dens in which they cultivated flow :,
ers and vegetables.
The Pawnee plan-District No. 20,
the Lower West Branch School, is a
rural school in Pawnee county, eight
miles southwest of Pawnee City.
From twenty to twenty-five pupils
are enrolled and class Of from
one to four pupils graduate from the
eighth grade each year. The school
building is the ordinary box car form,
but kept in good repair. The school
children collected stones and made
borders for flower beds in front and
at one side of the building. They
also trained vines over the outbuild-
ings and maintained small expert
mental garden. At intermission
periods the teachers and pupils talked
over plans by which they might learn.
to cook and sew, to make various ar
ticles, and to cultivate certain plants.
Recipes we're sought and distributed.
each girl experimenting In her own
home, Results were reported at
their little informal meetings, and
when desired, samples were submit
ted. In this way the girls learned
to make bread and other common ar
ticles of diet, to can fruit, to sew
and to cultivate flowers and vege-
tables. The boys took especial in
terest in corn and potato growing
and other agricultural lines that es-
pecially appealed to the individual.
At the county corn contests and at
the state contests this school is al
ways represented by creditable ex-
hibits in the various lines of work
and by delegates sent by the school to
attend the meeting. The teacher,
Miss Lulu Wolford, was re employed
each year at an advanced salary. Her
school ranks among the very best
in the country and in the state in the
quality of work done in the regular
branches. The community has been
much benefited in the interest taken
by the young people in the work of
the home. The school had been much
benefited by the interest awakened
among the patrons of the school.
The examples just cited give the
work done in these particular city,
town, village and county schools.
These results have been repeated in
other schools and in other states.
am led to believe that the results
gained are in some instances better
than results in this same work where
funds, equipment and trained teachers
are providing for carrying on the
work as an organized part of the
school course. The work has this
virtue: A child learns to make the
best use of his opportunity; he learns
that efficiency is the aim and that
individual effort wins. In all the
above mentioned instances the work
has been encouraged by the existence
of the school district, the county and
the state organizations of boys and
girls, which have for their purpose
the development of individual eff
cheney; the object being to provide
suggestion and direction rather than
instruction.
Departments of mutual training
and cooking have recently been es-
tablished in the high schools at York
and Geneva as a direct result of the
interest taken in the work of +the
county and state boys and girls as
sociations. In other localities. both
rural and urban, through the activity
of the young people, the communities
have been led to a higher apprecia-
ton of the value of education in agri-
culture, home economics and manual
training as encouraged by our 5000
active members scattered over the
state.
Agricultural and domestic science
clubs throughout the United States
are doing the same work of spreading
the inspiration that comes from indi-
vidual effort along lines ofactivity
that bring the school, the home and
the community into closer COM
munion and recognize the necessity
of all-round development.
Referring again to the thought
suggested at the beginning of this
paper in the discussion on the con-
solidation of schools, let us make APP
plication to the subject under discus
sion. Inasmuch as we should make <.
the best possible use of the one-room
rural school in our work of evolution
toward the consolidated school, so is
it necessary to make use of the facili-
ties at hand If within the present gen.
Grafton we see the establishment of
the work in agriculture, manual
training and domestic science in our
schools where most needed. The ex-
tension work in agriculture and home
economics which is being rapidly de-
now by many of our leading
the organizations of
boys and girls working through the
public school system; the reading
courses made popular because of
tfteiradaptation to the real conditions
as found In the homes of the people;
the travelling schools of agriculture,
which may later bring travelling
schools of home economics; all these
movements which stimulate the ac-