The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1910-06-09

Education
is AIM OF EDUCATORS OF THE
STATE
POLITICS AND THE SCHOOLS
SHOULD BE SEPARATED is THE
SLOGAN OF THE CAMPAIGN.

Most of the leading educators Of
South Dakota have joined hands in
the movement for the betterment of
the public schools and they have
adopted as their campaign slogan, ITO
remove schools and school appropria-
tions from politics and to create a
state school commission for school
improvement" They have asked the
cooperation of the press and the fol-
lowing is the first of a series of
articles outlining Their plans:
We are all friends of the public
schools. No tax is paid less grudg-
ihgly than the school tax. No one
will deny the vast Importance of the
work which has been done by the
schools, as a fundamental cause for
the marvellous progress of our people.
Yet, the schools have acknowledged
shortcomings. They do not seem to
meet the needs of the. mass of the
children and the mass # the children
therefore, drop out before completing
more than half their course. Scarcely
five per cent survive until the gradu-
ating season.
Students of the question tell us
that our curriculum is at fault. Pure
~ academic subjects and book study,
lead to the learned professions, and
not all children, have the aptitude nor
the desire for professional careers.
But this kind of an education is
the most easily furnished. 1t requires
hut a school room, a teacher and some
books. The procedure thus far, has
been to give every child as much of
this kind of education as he will take.
When it could not or would not take
more it was allowed to drop out of
school, and no other kind of training
was offered.
OF late years, the rights Of the
many to the kind of education they
need, have begun to be considered OF
as much or more Importance than the
rights Of the few. This means a
broader curriculum. 1t means better
equipment. It means training in do
ing things; for the majority of the
people are and always will be, work
ers-manual workers. It means manu-
al training, cooking, sewing, agricul-
ture, as we'll as algebra, Latin and
history.
Will this pay? Secretary Wilson
has estimated that the increased re-
turns from the farm lands and from
live stock, in the state of Iowa. due
to the instruction given at the State
tutes, in the subject of seed selection,
soil treatment and live stock breeding,
have already paid q hundred times
the cost of the agricultural college
to the people of Iowa.
If, through an agricultural high
school or a we'll equipped agricultural
department in an existing high school
in every agricultural county in the
state, the farmer boy could learn
to use the known facts which science
has to offer, the returns from the
farms in South Dakota could be doub-
led in less than ten years. In the
same way, through a development Of
the manual training idea, the eff
cheney of skilled workers in all lines
of the industrial world, would be
/ vastly increased. Girls who were
properly taught sewing and cooking
would not only be better workers, but
better housekeeperS. And If to this
were added courses in household san
~itation, decoration and economics,
there would come an uplift to the
home in increased health and happi-
ness, far outweighing the cost of
maintenance.
All this would not mean the neglect
of the time tried academic subjects.
The declaration of "auld John Knox"
that "ilka scholar adds to the riches
Of the commonwealth" is as true to-
day as when it was uttered. In our
! belief, it is the first duty Of the state