Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1910-02-03
THE RuReL SCHOOLS,
How Can the Institutions o, higher
Education In North Dakota Solve
the Rural. SCI ooi Problem?-.
An Interesting Letter by
State Supt. Stockweil.


State Supt. Stockweil.
To the Editor
The most important result of the
recent State Educational Associa-
ton meeting At Minot was the een-
tering Of the attention + all cduca-
tors upon the Importance II the rural
school III the educational economy If
this state The county superin-
tendents. at their conference last
August, sand, We believe that the
most important single educational
interest in North Dakota Is the
rural school The, State fduca
tional Association al Mnot SAID.
We recognize the rural school as
the most important factor in the
education Of the state. That he
ing accepted it would appear that
the rural school deserves larger con
sideration at the hands Of those VIM
determine the educational dcstinics
of this state. who mould the eauca-
tlonal thought and train the cduca-
tlonal leaders Of this state There
Is an lnsistcnt demand fo, our in
|stitutions of higher education to
grapple with he problem If the ru-
raj school and solve ii We do not
mean To SAY that these Institutions
are moi doing much 10 help tins
great work Our normal schools
are providing special courses fer
rural school teachers. Our agri
lcultural college is pushing the
teaching of elementary agriculture
in the rural school. The university
men are giving much time and
thought to the consideration of this
problem. The committee Of seven
| is made up of men taken largely
from those who teach IN the higher
institutions. These things are good,
| but the do not reach the seat of the
difficulty The rural school needs
many specific things We hall not
recount them here but, most of all.
| it needs stimulation This stlmula-
ton can come only. in my Judgment,
through state aid State aid for the
rural school means first, Standard
cation. second, closer supervision !.
third, stimulation of Interest, in the
rural school and, as "A result of
these three things, there will come
all the other improvements which
are 81 essentially and vtalY neccs
sary.
Ten wears ago our high-school sNs-
tenn was scarcely worthy the name.
To-day, as a result of the stimulus
of state aid, our high schools rank
among the very best in the north
west We have earnestly petitioncd
for little aid for rural schools at
| the last three sessions of the lcgls-
lature We have met with bitter
Opposition always in the upper
house The committee on approprla-
tions i'm the senate is composed, with
| few exceptions. of men who live in
our towns and cities, and who repre-
ent special interest which IS nsu-
| ally some state institution We
readily recognize that the demands
| for these institutions during the
past few years have been heavy
| but. witha, these demands have
generally been just We have been
proud of our growth as d tate. We
have been gratitied By the wonder
full development Of our state cdnca-
tional institutions, Yrt ! firmly be
lieve that the most pressing de
]mands at least for heavy appro-
priations for permanent improve
Ilnents have been met for the pres
Ient that there Is not now any valid
reason why the state educational IN
stitutions should absorb all the
funds available for appropriation
| for educational purposes \ careful
study of appropriations made by the
legislatures of 1907 and 1909 shows
THAT 81 ,3i5, 600 were appropriated
Ito eight state educational lnstitl-
| tons, namely the nnlNersltN, the
agricultural college lvlth its export
ment stations and work). the two
normal schools. the normal and in
dustrial school the school IF fores-
TRY, the science school and the'state
high-schools. This vast amount vas
largely for permanent improve
ments. Add to this practically 500, Z
LOCO more raised BY direct tax for
maintenance for the year 1907 %
'o9- 10, and you have s. 2s-5 600 ~
pended by the state lpon higher ed
uca,ion in fonr years This Is prop
er. 1t is not a cent too much HOY
ever, let us not forget ffta' The rural
school is the Foundation upon which
this superstructure must rest If
the rural school IS &eak he whole
educational system @eak The
institutions Of higher learning can