Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-12-03

before me photographs OF some OF these
new country schools. Here is one at
Kinsman, o. 1t is built of brick, with
u slate roof and it has two stories and
basement 1t has five class rooms, a
laboratory and a library. II cost s9,0O
to build, and its pupils number about 100.
Here is onother at Twin Falls. Idaho, in
a district of thirty-slx square miles and a
population of 1900. This is finer build
ing than that at Kinsman, and very much
larger. The school there has an enrolment
OF 126 Of whom 200 are brought in daily
in wagons. -Four years ago the ground on
which the building stands was covered
with sage brush. 1t has now been turned
into school farm, and the school has
two acres of Fairgrounds At the Ohio
school 1t costs cents a day per pupil to
bring them to school. Another photograph
shows a school at Trumbull county, Ohio
and another one at Greene Center, in the
same state. One of these buildings cost
$1,000 and the other $1,000 Each keeps
eight or ten wagons to bring in the pupils.
II Is found that more children are
going to school in the districts where the
| schools have been consolidated. There are
now about 100000 children in the coun-
try schools, whereas there should be
100000 or 100000 When this new move
ment is well under way education will
probably. be compulsory everywhere, and
every country boy and girl will get an
i education,
These new schools are especially adj
/ apted to the farmer and to farm life. In
addition TO the regular courses as taught
IN the city schools, they have some spe-
clal studies bearing upon crops and home
economics. l have before me an outline
OF the work OF one Of the schools. In the
rlrst and second years nature study forms
a part and in the fourth year the geo.
Sraphy Is to large extent physical,
showing the work, done by nature In pre-
pairing the soil for us. 1t also includes the
distribution of our farm products ally over
the world. The higher grades have lessons
IN agriculture, and among the studies Of
the seventh and eighth years are CO.
operative enterprise In farming and mat
tiers connected with the farmstead and
home. The children lealn all about ami
mails, and the boys are taught how to
Judge horse and COW. The girls learn
all about sewing and cooking as we'll as
how TO make the house beautiful and
the home pleasant
In some of these schools the work be-
gins with the kindergarten and ends at
the high school,
Take Lima township, Indiana. The con
solidated school there contains 2G9 child
rem and OF these ninety are in the high
school. The teachers of the high schools
are college graduates and those of the
grades are normal graduates. The build
ing has reading room and library, and
adjoining the school grounds is a school
garden of 200 plots. The children have A
school paper, an orchestra and a band
and boys -and-girls' glee club. They
nave athletics and also a lecture course
Ihat school is made up of a consolidation
OF number of One-room country schools
each of which had but one teacher.
school Gardens and School Farms
Nearly all OF the new schools bave
school gardens and little farms con-
nected With them. In them the children
raise vegetables and flowers. They study
the SOL and learn how and why plants
grow They are taught all about the
work or the roots and stems and leaves.
4 4hey are shown how to grow fruit and
are taught budding and grating bv he
ing made To do these things themselves
Inc Agricultural department sends ont
d great number of bulletins for these
schools with the intention that they be
used oy the pupils and teachers. one Of
'hese Is entitled school Lessons on
Corn which shows just how corn should
be grown. Another bulletin deals with
plant production and school exercises
therefor. In this the children are taught
all about' plants by growing them them
selves according TO the directions. An
other paper shows how 10 test farm
seeds AT school and at home BY means
OF this child learns whether the clover
or alfalfa seed his father Is using Is
pure or whether II is mixed with weeds.
lie learns 70 know what good seed is
and how well It pays TO plant II. These
school gardens are now being introduced
INTO the city schools. A space as bic
As hall bedroom sufflces 10 make one
Upon this half dozen vegetables can
be grown and by rotation ~ crops these
can be changed from time to time. In
some cases vegetable and flowers are
grown upon such a plot.
TeR-Aere school GrOunds.
Connected with some OF the schools are
hotbeds and orchards as well as barns
for animals and pens for pigs The
ideal school should have about ten acres
for farms, gardens and other work. n
should have its poultry yard and It's for
est plot The boys compete at home as
to the tattening Of pigs and also in plow.