Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-10-20
HON, v, |. STOCkWELL
CONTINUED from page 81

4 (Co1tinued from page 81
so long as matrlmony is the ultimate goa
of most young women.
| When we come to the question OF
supervision of rural schools, we meet
an exceedingly difficult problem, ye,
there can be no doubt that, upon the
! question of adequate supervision does
the ultimate solution of the rural school
question depend. Have we done any
! thing here to make this supervision more
effective. The laws of 1908, which gave
to every county of fifty schools dep
uty, raised the maximum of salary from
1900 to $1,000 year and county
! superintendent mileage from seven to
ten cents mile, were steps i'll the right
! direction. The law of 1905. fixing a
! higher standard of educational qualif-
| cation for county superintendent, has
had it's proper influence for good. The
laws of 1907 and 1909, which recognized
the principle of supervising or field dep
uties, was in my judgment based upon
! sound wisdom. Much has been done to
make it possible for county superin-
tendent to be real supervisor and |
! know that in most counties this has
worked great changes for the better in
rural school education. Yet there is
much to be done. The political nature
of the county supcrlntendency and the
short term Of office are drawbacks which
will continue to keep down the stand
ard of efficiency Of this really important
Office, and as result materially hinder
! ~, IS <1,a r,,r,t cr1,/,l.
The efforts to standardizc the rural
schools through the agency Of a small
state subsidy have as yet proved fruit
less. However, have faith to believe
that the time is at hand when the i'll
situations of higher learning and our
secondary schools ought to join hands
in demand upon the next legislature to
say what really constitutes good rural
school.
There have been those who have felt
and sometimes said that our rural
schools have been neglected, yet if we
know anything about the situation as
it has obtained in our state during the
past ten years, there has been a con-
slant effort to raise standards. meeting
with reasonable success, and, more than
that determined effort to arouse Il
public sentiment among the people Of
our rural districts to appreciate the ne
cessity of better school conditions for
their children. 1t takes long time to
create an effective public sentiment, but
when once created it is a force irrcsist-
iblc Such, it can easily be seen, is the
situation in North Dakota today. and
my prophecy is that we arc on the eve
of the greatest things for our rural
schools
When it comes to consideration OF
the progress of our graded and high
schools, we arc prone to think, whether
rightly or wrongly, that that progress is
very largely attributable to the effective
ness of your State High School board.
supported by an enthusiastic and high
grade body Of superintendent and prin-
cipals and the ever increasing high
school aid from the state. A detailed
account of what has been done for the
high schools in our state would be too
long story, yet their progress has had
two-fOld inhuence-on the graded
schools below and on the normal schools
and higher institutions of learning above.
The figures in connection with the i'll
crease in the number of classified high
schools are eloquent testimonials Of
what has been accomplished through
state aid. The rapidly increased attend
ancc also testities in the strongest man
ner to the value Of high schools OF
high grade, but these figures, however
interesting, are Of little consequence
compared with the increased quality and
efficiency of the teachers III our high
schools and our principals and superln-
tcndents. | he well equipped laboratories
for science, the equipment for the work
of domestic science and manual training,
the recognition of the value Of music
and drawing, are all due i'll great
measure to the fact that the state has
been able, through the means of the
high school subsidy, to bring to the at
lcnton OF the local boards the need of
these things as parts of a properly Or
ganized system of public schools.
The influence of the high grade STU
alton upon the grades has been most
potent. 1t has meant better prepared,
stronger superintendent and grade
teachers of higher qualifications; it has,
as result of the first two. meant
stronger courses of study, more effective
teaching and supervision; it l1a, resulted
in infinitely better physical conditions i'll
our graded schools; in fact, the intiu-
cnce of the high school upon the grades
has been the strongest factor in their
bctterment.
The normal schools have received
each year an increasing number of high
school graduates. 1t is safe to say that
two-thi-ds. if not more. of the gradu-
atcs from our normal schools during
the past FIVE years have come from the
high schools. where they have received
all their academic training and so, i'll
the work of supplying the ground work
for the trained teachers of this state,
the high school has played great part.
The entrance classes of our university
have each year shown a larger percent
age Of high school graduates. and each
wear has seen lesscning number of
students. In similar way,
though not in such great numbers. have
the other higher institutions felt the
effects of the growth of Our high
schools
In this connection, desire to call at
tenton to the quiet, but not less effec-