Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-11-06

lGALHLNo AM YvUNL WA
Iowans Listen to Latest Theories on
Instruction Of Youth.
CONSOLIDATION OF THE SCHOOLS
Assistant secretary Of Agriculture
W. VI. Hays Speaks Mt Des Moines-
state superintendent RiEgs
Gives Address.

DIES MONIES. Nov. 6.-"Consolidated
village and rural schools bearing three
fourths Of the burden OF formulatinE
country life education. are the greatest
factors I'm the establishment OF virile
morality and high ideals Of everyday life
in this country" declared Assistant secre-
tary w. NJ. Hays OF the Department OF
Agriculture before the Iowa State Teach
ers' convention yesterday.
Continuing Mr., Hays said that as the
whole educational and moral structure OF
the country rested, finally. on the coun-
try's rural life, the development Of prac-
teal education in rural districts was the
quickest and surest means Of raising gen
eral standards OF intelligence, morality and
competence in the United States. In uni
versal vocational education for adults as
we'll as for youth, he saw the means for
greatest capacity Of development.
Practical training In the vocations the
pupils expect to enter is come to be recog-
mixed as one more profitable than cultural
education" he said. Consolidation Of
rural schools permits broader scope OF
work and more social development, which
we now acknowledge as efficient in general
education Cooperative associations aris-
ing from this idea awaken men 70 the need
of their fellowmen.'
4ne eldle l6dCuGIH hbsotldllon IOudN
heard the annual address Of the state SUI
perihtendent, John f. Riggs, which was
referred to q committee for action, and
also listened to an address by Henry Wal
lace on the life of rural school teachers.
John Collins Of st. Louis also spoke,
after which the convention divided into
sections and many of these were held at
different places A proposal will come
before the association tomorrow for
change in the bylaws constituting the
educational council a legislative commit
tee to engage in work for better laws for
| Iowa schools A committee from the Ne
braska association waited on Colonel
Roosevelt today to induce him to come
to that state
Speech by Riggs.
| In his annual address to the teachers OF
the state OF Iowa State Superintendent
John f. Riggs today said in part:
The number of state certificates Issued
/ In Iowa for the biennial period ending
5 JUNE 80 1910 WAS S0 snr gain rs Of LS
ten years ago. For the last two years
81 per cent Of all the state certificates
| written were Issued to the graduates or
Iowa colleges and normal schools We
are getting many more college graduates
! to engage in teaching than formerly and
| training of good quality. on the whole,
they are well prepared, both in scholar
have said that within the last two
years we have issued 1856 state certifi-
Gates. But, within that period, few teach
ers bearing state certificates have sought
or accepted work In the rural schools, or
in the intermediate grades of our town and
village schools. 1t is we'll known that pro-
fessionally trained teachers in these POSI-
tons are the exception and also that COM
parauvely few OF them have had very
extended scholastic training. Here we
need trained teachers just as surely as
anywhere else and, the foremost eduee-
great and urgent need may be supplied.
Many will answer that II should be sup
piled through the creation of additional
normal schools. But we must have many
such schools, widely distributed, II all
parts OF the state are 70 De e9aagh S5e
can be speedily secured, well and good.
II they cannot be secured or II we must
secured, let the state utilize some OF the
schools already established by providing
n them for definite teacher traiinlng , ana
easy reach OF the great body Of students
from which the teacher supply must come.
Normal Training.
} There Is perhaps not county in the
state that does not have within It's borders
at least one strong high school With
proper announcement many of the cities
where such schools are located would be
a one year normal course beyond the
completion Of the regular tour-year high
. Let the general assembly authorize the
| State Educational Board Of Examiners to
| commission q limited number of high
schools as teachers training schools. Let
! the board prescribe the standard "a
, faculty, equipment and other facilities toI
efficient teacher training. Let the course
of study be formulated by the state board
and let 1t include a thorough review OF
, the common branches as well as a study
Of elementary physchOlogy, school manage
! ment, agriculture and home economics. Lei
! the course cover one years work and lei
? the condition for admission be certln
cate OF graduation from a full four years
secondary school course, and upon the com
pleton OF the work offered let uniform
, county certificate be granted without ex
animation. one such school in a county
8 would within a very few years double tho
{ efficiency Of our common school teachers
, We now look largely to the high schools
: for our supply of teachers for the common
: schools But the high school is not
teachers training school and should no
be so regarded. The high school should
give q general culture rather than specific
q training for q profession. In only tn
z large schools win Il be found practicable
= TO subdivide the senior class Into groups
, OF students-some fitting for college, SOM
. for business and some for teaching, ant
I give each group course Of study differen
from the others,
Advance tn n Decade.
The advancement I'm educational affair
| Is so quiet and so little observed that tn
~ a. Of 4 inn ~