The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-02-18
lst Trustees Convention
Continued from page 1

y
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the welfare of the community con-
sidered at these meetings, great In
terest would attach to them for peo-
pie of all ages.
The matter of keeping down weeds
In the community, road improvement
and kindred subjects could be part OF
the work, and Prof. Reed would Sc
cure the money to carry on these
needed improvements by bonding the
district. 1t would enable them to
forge ahead materially, socially, NOR
ally, and generally.
Miss Belle Shaw rose to approve
these sentiments, and to say that she
was tired of hearing teachers and
parents speak OF the bright boy as
being too bright to waste his energies
on the farm. That it is wrong to put
such ideas into young peoples heads:
that il we can supply the social pleas
ures which youth naturally Graves,
the farm is the place where they will
get the most out of life.
Miss Belle Chamberlain said she
met very fine example Of the coun-
try gentleman in trustees meeting
at Boise, and asked how 1t was that
he was living on piece Of sage brush
land which he was developing into a
farm, and he said his father wanted
him to be lawyer, but that he had
taken up piece of land after COM
pleting his education, his object be-
ing to make fortune on the farm SO
he could later move into the city
and be a lawyer; that he could not
afford to live out the weary years OF
the poor lawyer struggling in power
ty to get start in the profession.
He was a graduate of Harvard, and
was clearing up his land as the quick
est way to get into desirable posi-
ton in the city, and pupils should be
informed as to these advantages on
the farm.
Daniel Cutting of Yuma and e.
Clearey OF Riverside both spoke on
the lack of thoroughness among the
pupils. The country school with q
term of six Or seven months, sought
to keep up with the work done in
the nine months term in the town
schools, and the pupils are hurried
along over work they do not master,
only to be handicapped more and
more as they proceed Mr.. Clearey
thought the teachers too often want
ed the pupils to pass examination"
because it would be an assurance
that the teacher was all right, and
perhaps the teachers needed to be
examined or watched on examination
day as well as the pupils.
How to carry on longer term
in the country, brought in the ques-
ton of how to keep from having
them become still shorter. Cases
were cited where they have recently
erected fine large school buildings to
meet present needs, and as they sup
posed the needs of the immediate flu
ture, only to find that by the time
they began making payments on the
bonded Indebtedness, the schools
were crowded SO it seems imperative
to bond again to double the capacity
of the school buildings, and double
the operating expenses in advance OF
the income of the<district from taxes.
No solution was offered to cover such
emergencies, and they soon plunged
into the question of letting pupils
stay out of school to help in
The Beet Harvest
This subject took wider range,
including the harvesting of apples
and potatoes. 1t was suggested that
a short vacation might be taken for
October, but this was tabooed. Hav-
ing the schools begin in November,
after the harvest is over, and holding
later in the spring met with some
favor until somebody pictured the
boy looking out of the window at the
birds in spring. and not getting his
less because 1t was spring. 1t
was the embodiment of that old poem
When brother Jack and were boys,
Not many years ago,
We never feared to go to school
Through storms of sleet and snow,
But summer weather made us sick
The forest beckoned cool
Not sick enough to feel bad,
But too sick to go to school.
Through stormy days and seas of
mud,
Jndauntedly we sailed,
But when the pleasant weather came,
OUR constitutions failed.
We hunted up our fishing rods,
And sought some shady pool,
Not sick enough to feel bad,
But too sick to go to schools
One day our father happened home
rs we came straying in;
lie gently drew us DER the side
OF big potato bin.
That afternoon we sadly sat
Beneath our teachers rule,
Iot sick enough to feel bad,
But too sick to go to school,"
G. w. Hammond of Groveland was
nsistent upon conducting school as
first consideration, and making 9TH
r things conform to it, while some
theirs took the view that the COM
ulsory school law was made to reach
he shiftless families whose children
taid out of school without any prop
r reason, rather than to impose hard
hips upon people who find 1t diff
ult to make living for the family.
Iiss Shaw knew of instances where
he work would be deliberately plan
ed with that in view, but one thing
he always needed was the support
nd cooperation of trustees, which
no had not ALWAYS had. some of them