Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-08-04

boring community. The comfortable,
now aged and dilapidated; while the
troop of hearty boys and girls his
Imagination sees have turned cityward
in search of a more extended course
than the old system can maintain, and
left but a handful of unfortunate
stragglers. The old country school III
the past has gone never to return.
Here and there are exceptional COM
munities where the highest possible
efficiency of the system is still real
! lied
Three Incurable Defects.
But under the most favorable cOndi-
tons three incurable defects remain:
1. With six to eight grades and four
daily recitatiOns to each, one teacher
cannot possibly do the work well.
II. Small enrolment. Children lose in
terest. dawdle and often drop out Of
school through the simple lack of CON-
panionable associates.
3. The fact that the system provides
no high school course. is perhaps its
worst feature The town high schools
interests. courses and tendencies are
naturally so arranged as to lead the
country child directly away from the
| farm. We shall never solve the farm
problem as long as the most energetic
and ambitious leaders of rural life are
being forced into the cities TO provide
educational advantages for their child
rem.
1t is evident, then, that the farmers
problem and the country school prob
lem are one and that the only direct
attack in its solution is TO make the
school system efficient.
| The Putnam People Did II.
| In Putnam county the people of
Magnolia township have found its
right solution Here one public spir-
tied old man donated "a acres of bean
| tiful wooded land for a school site. This
lpeople then combined three districts
into one. and built modern sanitary
$4,000 building with four good school
lroOms, library. two laboratories.
rooms for manual training and domes-
tic science, an assembly hall and water
and lighting systems. The children
lare transported in hacks.
Four teachers are employed, Offering
a course of study the equal of any
particularly adapted to rural life and
including a four year high schoo
course This school serves the whole
community; it is the social center fo
the people of the district. In it the,
hold their lecture courses. musical en-
tertainments and social functions. Tn,
children have their literary societies
clubs and musical and athletic organi
cations. A six acre university expert
rect connection with the state colleg,
lof agriculture
What has been accomplished her
might be attained in any other con
immunity of Illinois if farmers general
realized the possibilities of countr
life and appreciated the full worth u
the school,
No one person or group of person
can control the rural situation as Ell
phatically as the country teacher
IShe appreciates her advantage and br
knows how 10 attack her problem
She Must Accept the Conditions.
Her problem is that of acceptin
conditions as they new exist, phys
cally. educationally and socially. an
of converting the country school fro:
decaying, inactive thing into Twin
vital force for rural progress. Til
point to be emphasized is that 'sh
should become a leader. We need
federation of forces for rural progress
but the rural school is the chief poii
of attack in awakening a more Apr
ciative understanding of the trr
beauty and richness of farm life.