Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1909-11-18
Judge Ben B. LINDSAY ~ a. fRERA Resa|Az FSgSE E9z =
SCHOOL INDUSTRIAL CONTEST
--~,.. At GERMANTOWN.

Germantown, Mimi, Nov. 10, 1909.
Editor Warren Sheaf:-In view of
the fact that the Marshall county
schools' industrial contest held at Ger
mantown Nov. 9Th, was one of the
greatest and most successful events
that has occurred here of late years,
I deem it a pleasant privilege to act
on the suggestion of parties interest.
ed in writing you regarding the mat
ter in hopes that space may be found
in the columns of your valued paper.
As stated, the affair was an aston
ishing success, seen from every point
of view, as to attendance of scholars,
teachers, school officers and patrons
interested in the industrial develop,
ment of our schools, and as to exhib-'
its which in all were 179 in number.
The exhibits were all excellent and
could not but be a great surprise to
anyone who may not as yet have rea.
lized the fact that the rural young
boys and girls can and will, under
proper direction, take live and act
i've part in the practical things of
life. s
AS the boys long line of grain and
vegetable exhibits was show in it.
self. 50 was in no smaller measure
the girls display of work in sewing
and baking which was, undoubtedly,
the most admired by all who saw and
tasted.
, Three prizes were awarded on each
class of exhibits as provided by the
rules of the contest, besides a large
number of special prizes al" recon-
mended by the judges on miscellane-
Gus articles brought in for exhibition,
and which contributed largely TO. the
beauty Of the display. '
Nels Lee and Emil Hanson acted
as judges Of the agricultural exhibits
and Miss Adelaide Holden and Mrs.
Carl Edseth judged those of sewing
and cooking. all satisfactorily per-
forming their arduous duties with
painstaking care and accuracy.
The claim is very often advanced
that the common schools are educa-
ting away from the farm and toward
the cities, though such claim can not
be allowed to pass undisputed, be.
cause of the very apparent fact that
the schools in the great majority Of
cases up to the present time have
been strictly neutral in the matter of
Offering instruction only in such
branches of study as are useful and
necessary for good citizens anywhere,
whether, after leaving school, they
choose for their field of usefulness
either the farm or the city. .@
But these industrial contests within
the rural schools Ia distinct step in
one of the two directions and Supt.
Mithun, Is deserving of great deal
of credit for his tireless efforts in
arousing the necessary interest and
enthusiasm in this work on the part
of the teachers and patrons of the
schools, work which so far as the
rural population is concerned is so
certain to bring about good and last
ing results in the future, when the
growing generation shall be summon
ed to take up the work upon which the
welfare, or very existence of man, is SO
materially dependent.
Although there is or can be no
fault found with the Germantown con
test, it was the first experiment of it's
kind in this part Of the county and for
that reason it is unquestionably safe
to predict that with the idea more
thoroughly understood by teacher and
pupils and with more prize money
available-which we are practically
sure to have-next years contest
here will show both attendance and
exhibits at least trebled.
OSCAR HOVELSOS.
NOTICE.