The Southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1895-1909, 1909-07-31
Our Rural Schools.

as one oI ti' pressing needS or country life:
"A new kind OF schools in the country.
which shall teach the children as much out
doors as indoors. and perhaps more so that
they will prepare for country life. and not
as at present mainly FOR life in town"
When shall Nc have such schools? what can
bring about the revolution? How can we hasten
the day when a rational system OF preparing
country children for llfo will be inauguratcd in
our schools what progress are we making to-
ward such a condition?
\ careful survey Of the work az the last nfteon
or twenty years must convince any one. not too
optimistic that have made substantially no
progress toward the desired goal during this po-
Rod.
There has been n chage in sentiment. which is
spprcciablo; but there has been change IN
action. which means that the profcssod change
In sentiment is not genuine when those in
authority do something toward giving "schoos
tn the country that will prepare for country He.
then shall be justified in accepting their
loud declarations OF good intention something
Of real consequence Let ia look little moro
closely into this question OF tho changes NO have
not made during the last twenty years.
Are NC using readers In th" country schools
that viii prepare for country no" any better
than those In Ne" twenty year, ago. We mad
tho same old readers based fiction and every
thing else except those things with which the
country pupil Will come in contact during hts
Nfo In the country.
We are told that this is necessary because #
Is tho only real literature. II ia reasonable TO
suppose that II Is the only real literature Judged
by the ideals Of those city people who make the
selections. But are all willing 20 submit 10
this Judgment that rural facts and truths arc for
cisu 10 good literature. Can not good literature
DO found which deals with outdoor hfo or which
treats nature In n scientific nay? 1t seems
ua.
We still find the same old arithmetic The
Same in Kind II not actually tho same. The
same impossible problems. or ~ rational. having
no relation whatever 10 country llfc Every
child has occasion 20 work problems ~ home
and tho farm. but 10 his utter aetonKhfrrn'
and permanent disgust he nnds the arithmetic
81 the schools fl not the arithmetic Of lite-of
farm life
For instance. tho attempt has been made TO
teach him percentage BY requiring him 20 md
the interest on s.. 900 al per cont Neither no
nor hts parents bad 81 900 out Mt interest
hence neither he they Interested In the
matter. and the boy naturally falls To really
learn anything about percentage II the attempt
had been made TO teach him percentage by ask
Ing him 20 ascertain how many pounds ot nitro
gen there we're IN n ton Of fertilizer containing
per cent nitrogen. he would hare been inter
cficd At once. because he knows bcrn and handle
fertilizers ND home and ia Interested. and through
that interest would have learned percentage.
Wherein comes tho reported progreaa7 Do
Nc not s,lil have State and county ruporln-
icndeu's ~ education. mcnbcrR directors
ot school boards. as pr"sid"nts and trustees OF
agricultural colleges. mon who were educated To
believe. and do believe. that the only literature
IL fiction. or that which deals with ancient. re
mote and unknown conditions and subjects:
that arithmetic must not touch the problems OF
tho farm and country life; that geography. to b"
real and of value. must deal With conditions on
the opposite side OF tho earth. that dead Ian
guage has more cultural 90 value than live
one. and NAT the cultivation OF the imagination
X ma IN he tired or n knowledge
Of the facts aud conditions OF country life?
II behooycs everyone Interested In the deVel-
oument Of country ife which shall be In Keep
Ing with modern progress and development IN