The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-12-10
THE VALUE OF THE RURAL
SCHOOL TO THE COMMUNITY

East Grand Forks, Mimi, Dec. TO-
The following address was delivered
by Dean J. FL. Shepherd Of the North
Dakota Agricultural college before
the Northwestern Educational asso-
citation meeting at East Grand Forks
today:
I have consulted statistics and find
that / am safe in saying that the rural
school houses which dot this fair state
furnish the fundamental education to
more than one-half Of the school pop
ulation of this commonwealth.
In the rural school more than one
half of the rising generation receives
stimulating impulses or the lack of
them that last for life--which make
good, or bad or Indifferent citizens of
them as the case may be.
I have asked many successful men
what brought them the ambition, what
gave them the incentive which led
them to take this or that eminently
successful course of life and it has
always brought out the same answer
some individual kindled the spark
which sent them forward, such and
such friend turned them i'm their
course, encouraged them, showed them
the evil Of their life and in some
fashion changed their life current.
The rural school makes an indelible
impression on the mind Of the youth
who attends it.
can see it all today as look back
at my own experience, the games, the
spelling classes, the readers, arithme-
tic, the geography for the older pu-
pills and physiology and grammar
(my how hard they looked and really
were as given) which the ambitious
student, who hoped to try for teach
er's certificate some day, studied.
How receptive the mind of the country
boy or girl-how alert, how ready for
entertainment, how easily interested
in the subject presented if only com
mon sense and tact are used in the
presentation.
/ well remember the time when /
remembered the fact OF every person
met that had not seen before. Not
only that I could tell where / had seen
the individual before, whether walk |
ing or riding, whether in a wagon or
carriage, what king of a team he drove !
and many minor incidents and details
which occurred. We were hungry for |
new things. Our minds were whetted
to wise edge for excitement. infor- |
nation and stories. There was scarce
ly child in our school but knew and |
could repeat the best stories in every |
reader before he came to it himself |
simply by hearing the older people |
recite them.
Most Fertile Field
yEyI,o+ y,norn Forts1n ala e. II ars...-
ambition, for stirring pride, and strong
resolution con be found? The glamor
Of the shop windows, the passing of
nnumerable conveyances, the meeting
Of a stream II not sea of faces daily
has not occurred to dull the powers
Of observation of rural faces. The
the putting of two and
Two together to learn how to get out
1f tight place with a team, broken
bob sled or what not has taught the
power Of initiative and self reliance.
The rural pupil is the ideal material
'or the schools influence.
The late ]. p. Dolliver once said
that nearly all of our great men in
America walked into town from the
country and / believe that Minnesota
statistics will back up his statement.
am told that Theodore Roosevelt
n travelling through the state of Min
lesota surrounded by dozen of
men of this nation, saw a
'arefooted boy on a frosty morning
# early fall kick cow to make her
ret up and then stepped into the
warm place to bring the heat back to
lis bare feet. Mr.. Roosevelt turned
o his travelling companions and said:
How many Of you know what that
10Y is doing?" and every man of them
aid: "Tve been there myself"
The rural pupil is then acute. alert.
receptive minded with a keen edge for
lis work.
The School Room Facilities.
How about the school room facili-
les, the teacher and the course of