The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1909-10-01
COUNTY SCHOOL NEWS.

NVONII SCdOOL NEWS.
Charles Nix 10 not the only county
in the state that ID short Of teacher.
Not . county in the state has any
tsacheu TO spare, and many counties
cannot secure enough teachers to sup
ply half at the schools.
About twenty teachers have been
secured from outside the state during
the last three weeks for this county,
but We are about twenty five teachers
short Eight or ten teachers are wait
ing TO hear from the last teacher ex-
mination before engaging schools, and
. many more are expected this week
from outide the state, % that IL is
hoped that most Of the schools can be
supplied soon.
More than 200 letters have been
sent out by the county superintendent
during the last four weeks to college
and normal school presidents, to
stateand county superintendent, and
to teachers' agencies, inquirng for
teachers, and the reply to almost ev-
cry letter 10, I'VE have no teachers
to spare" Every county superinten-
dent written 10 in this state, Iowa and
Minnesota has not enough teachers for
his own county.
The new compulsory education law
proves that every child over eight
and under fifteen years Of age shall
attend school regularly during the en-
tire time that school is held in the
district This law makes the county
superintendent truant officer for all
the country schools, that is, 1t 10 his
duty to see to it that the Law il enforc-
ed. School boards are given power
to reduce the time Of required attend
ance 1t school to sixteen weeks, but
no school board has exercised this
power up to this time. to my know
ledge.
An average child can easily finish
the common school course by the
time he 10 fifteen years old. il he It
tends school regularly until he reaches
that age.
In this new century when so many
worship at the shrine Of mammon. it
may be thought by some people that
there 10 too much paternalism in such
= law which compels . parent to take
hin children from work and put them
IN school. But let us consider the
wisdom Of the legislature in making
such . law.
Herbert Spencer. one of the great
est philosophers of the last century,
says that the knowledge or law or
xctivIty Or whatever it may be that
II most conductive to self preservation
10 Of most Importance to the individ-
ual or to the state. Our form of gov
ernment pressuposes intelligent
citizenship. 1t could not exist long
without it.
Therefore, our legislature was wise
and patriotic in making q law that
require parents to give their children
IN opportunity to become intelligent
citizen, by giving them common
school education, at least.
The parent ought to be. and usually
ID, the best friend child has in the
world, but the parent who attempts
to deprive his child of the rudiments
Of m education. 10 not 30 good friend
to the child ~ 10 the great state Of
South Dakota, which says to the
parent, "You must, keep your child in
school until he il fifteen years old.
It il . pitable thing to see . child
being derived of the opportunity of
getting . common school education,
even when it 10 his own parent who
deprives him Of that opportunity. The
child does not realize what he is los
ing until he has gr ,wn 20 large that
he 10 ashamed to attend the primary
school.
Judging from the interest shown in
the schools by the people of this
county, 1t would seem that there will
not be much work for the truant
officer to do this year.
The truant officer will proceed to
enforce the law in the following man.
or. whenever it 10 necessary:
Within ten days after the beginning
Of school each teacher 10 asked to send
to the county superintendent the names
Of al children in the district over
eight and under fifteen years Of age
who are not in school, also names and
addresses Of the parents Of such chill
dren. The county superintendent will
1t once notify the parents that such
children must be put in school and
kept there regularly. II the parents
| do not heed the notice from the county
ouperintendent. the case will be put
into the handsof the county judge,
who, after . fair trial, will impose
the hne. The fine cannot be less than
$40 nor more than $50 and costs for
each ofsense. The fine % collected ID
paid into u1s treasury Of the district
in which ths person lives who pays II.
It will not Be the grati6catiion Of .
desire to exercise authority that will
prompt the txuant officer TO enfore
this Law but Il win b higher mo-
tive. which, it 10 hoped, il sufficiently