The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-07-28

marry in the future IL half of the in.
come from their labors Is to be wasted
by the housewife?
Primary Object of School.
Let us now turn to the school. The
primary object Of the school is to teach
the students to become competent and
intelligent citizens is 1t not? From the
economic stand point, IT is claimed
that education increases earning power
or producing power and also improves
the knowledge of how to consume to
the greatest advantage. II these are
not the purpose for which schools ex>
list, they certainly ought to be.
Everyone Is aware that the schools
of the present day have in view these
ends, but 1t seems to be near sighted
view, which overIooks the IS per cent
and sees only the Is per cent.
Now, believe the present course to
be inadequate and Impractical. Nor
am alone in this belief. All the best
talent OF the educators of the state
have been studying the situation with
a view OF lettering 1t. And If this
comes about we must admit that the
Bankers association was instrumental
IN bringing 1t about.
The course to give the best practi-
cal results to the IS per cent should
contain things of a practical nature
which the student needs in his voca >
tional life and since the primary vo-
cations of this state are agriculture
and the things which are related to IL,
the subjects pertaining to them
should be taught. The boys should be
taught elementary agriculture, includ-
Ing soil composition, crop rotation, fer
tilization, farm weeds, economy in
harvesting and marketing, animal
husbandry, ETC., and manual training,
including woodwork, handwork and
bench-work.
economy, including domestic science
under which comes cooking, choice of
food, preparation of food. utilization
Of food products, etc, and domestic
art, sewing and home decoration, etc.
Some claim that these things should
be taught in the home. Let me sug-
gest that the home cannot teach what
1t does not contain. At any rate the
fact remains that they are not taught,
and since we are dealing with the
facts and not theories, the only course
remaining is to teach them in the
schools.
Should Know "Three RS"
Besides these both boys and girls
should be taught the common school
subjects but not as they have been
taught.
The course in arithmetic should deal
with practical measurements and as
much of the general work as pertains
directly to the VOCATION of the student
and no more. The knowledge of how
to extract the cube root will never help
the farmer to increase his yield per
acre. Nor do see how it can possibly
help him in any way. 1t Is claimed
and as / believe well founded that
many of the grade students go out
of school with the knowledge Of cube
root and the like and cannot even
figure the price OF load of coal on
grain, Nor will the knowledge7of the
number of grains in a karet and the
apothecaries tables, tables of foreign
money, etc, etc. teach the girl TO bake
good bread. All this should and must
be cut out of the course. In fact 1t
is predicted that the arithmetic texts
OF the future will be remarkable for
what they do not contain.
Reading, writing and English Ian
guage together with spelling, should
be taught with view to giving the
student taste for literature, by which
he can broaden his mind better than
by any other method. Endless dia-
granting and Analysing of sentences
and conjugating of verbs and declin-
Ing of nouns and such impractical
things in grammar will never help the
student to appreciate the fact that the
world is depending on him for food
nor will 1t qualify him for citizenship.
On the contrary think it would tend
to make the average boy rebellious
and unruIy. To show that the world
Is depending on the producer and the
future producers economists claim
that the world Is living within a few
weeks of the food supply, and that if
the production of food products were
to suddenly stop in the United States,
we would probably starve in few
weeks; we could not live more than
two months.
Some Necessary Things.
The matter Of dropping or raising
the voice, pausing at the proper place,
the proper length Of time and the like
In reading Is not so material as wheth-
er or not the student gets the mean
ing Of that which he reads. The very
definition of hygiene is the preserval
tion Of health by observing natures
laws. Therefore such things should
be taught as simple rules of health;
caring for the body, bathing, proper
care Of the teeth and eyes and such
as that. The teaching OF the compo-
sition Of the body, the number OF
bones and the scientific name of each
to the grade student is not only USE
less, nonsensical and impractical but
also insane. They belong to physiology
and anatomy and should be entirely
from the grades.
A comprehensive grasp OF the sub
1ect of civics as will better qualify
the boy and. girl for better citizenship
Is sufficient.
The subjects of history and geogra.
ply should be taught altogether diff
ferently from the way they have been
taught heretofore. History should all
so be comprehensive grasp OF the
subject dealing with the facts con-
corning the growth OF the nation. and
cutting out the everlasting details. The
student should only get that part OF
history which win give him an intel
ligent view of the questions Of today,
from the standpoint of the citizen.
Study Local Geography.
Political geography which has been
taught In the grade course should be
supplanted by local physical geogra-