Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-02-11

state is spending almost, # not alto
gether, million dollars every two
years to maintain. These particular
nine counties are paying their pro rata
share of this large, and ever growing
biennial appropriation. The county
nearest the University at Grand Forks
within the above named is Towner
county, and it is about one hundred
and twenty miles distant from the uni
versity, and all the others are distant
anywhere from one hundred and twen-
ty-fve to two hundred and fifty miles.
This is not only true as to the univer-
sity in distance, but of every other
higher institution of learning i'll the
state. Hence it can be readily seen
that while our institutions were reason
ably we'll located when we had popu-
lation of but one hundred and fifty
thousand people, it is far from true
now, when we have population of six
hundred thousand, with one-half of
that population living today in por-
ton of the state that was not thought
of or considered by the trainers of the
state constitution and for the reason
that it was then only the home of the
big ranch and of the cowboy
Anyone who studies the possibilities
of our state knows, that the increase
in population will be away from rather
than towards the educational institu-
tons now in existence;~ and each year
of the states life will see this grave
question and this crying need grow
greater with each passing year.
Ward county alone today with its
FIVE hundred schools, and in two more
years will have seven hundred; with a
school population of twelve thousand
with a general population Of sixty thou
sand people, and an assessed valuation
of seventeen million, could of itself
feed and support, easily, a modern,
we'll equipped institution Of learning
if located at the point easiest accessi-
bic to all the people-Minot.
Taking into consideration, therefore,
the above facts and add to it the un-
fortunate fact already stated that as the
distance increases from. any institution
Of learning the per cent Of attendance |
for that people rapidly decreases. It
follows that in spite of the enormous
taxes this section annually pours into
the treasury Of the state, and must con-
tinue to pay, to help maintain all our
state institutions, there are probably |
not more than eighty-fve students rep
this great population from
this section in any or all of our six in
situations Of learning today. No legis-
lation can change this unfortunate fact
until an educational institution is To-
Gated somewhere within this splendid,
rich and rapidly growing section of our
state, and still the cry and need of its
thirty-eight thousand children.
In discussion OF this subject it is |
to note that Of the 1000
teachers now in the district and graded
schools of the state less than 800 are
trained. OF the Il ,661
teachers in the above named counties
less than POO have college or normal d.
plomas-, The state ccan no longer af-
ford nor permit this unfortunate con-
lition to continue. That all additional
normal school is greatly needed must
De admitted by every intelligent think
ing citizen who gives to this problem
out moments consideration. ,ta
Splendid buildings with an equally
splendid general system of education
we now have, but it is not enough. !
We still lack one great and all hnpor-
ant factor, namely: More-many
nore--well equipped and thoroughly
rained teachers. The battleship with
out officers trained to the hour would |
be money worse than wasted; a loco
motive without the guiding hand Of an
engineer would spell disaster; a horse
without skilled rider is doubly dan
serous. The teacher in any system of
education is the root to the tree; the |
pedestal to the statue; the foundation
o the superstructure.