The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-11-01
new STYLES
IN SCHOOLS
Those in Country Districts Are
Coming to Be Meeting Places
for Farmers

districts. has been revolutionized
| within the past few years. Waking
up at last to the idea that the world
needs few scholars, but many bread
winners, educational directors have
been gradually broadening the course
to take in industrial training. 1t is
inevitable that something on the old
curriculum must go, and it has gener-
ally been the foreign languages. That
the failure to teach French and Ger
man in the schools, the cutting out of
Greek and the teaching of only ele-
mentary Latin, will have its effect
eventually in lowering the culture of
the people of this country is perhaps
true; but if it results in increasing
their general efficiency, tn, loss Of
culture will have paid for something
which counts for more in world in
which mems essential problem is
what we shall eat.
Direct Answer
Since the farm is a direct answer
to the eating question, it is of prime
| Importance that agriculture continue
| to be a profession followed extern
sively. How to farm intelligently and
| how to make farm life pleasant and
attra ctive are points demanding Sc
| rious attention and getting it. Be-
cause there has been a radical change
| in farm methods, and in the life on
| the farm, the high school, or even
the grade school, of the country dis
tricts, has evoluted into a community
center possibilities for good can
hardly be overestimated.
Different in Cities
In the cities people are not drawn
| as closely together by community of
personal interests as in the country.
All the carpenters do not live in one
school district, nor all the bankers or
grocers. There Is a belief generally
shared that the school buildings
ought to be enjoyed as the property
lectures, entertainments, concerts,
neighboorhood meetings be held in
them, in order that the tax payers
get something more out of their
property than by having 1t used
eight hours out of the twenty-four
and nine months out of the twelve.
In crowded tenement districts, the
use of the city schools as social CEN
tiers has proved successful. In North
Yakima where nearly everybody has
comfortable home, it isn't likely
that the schools will be SO used ex-
cept on special occasions.
Fine Buildings Here
In the country, however, where
everybody is farmer, it is different.
There are splendid school buildings in
laL Of fN
penish and all the lower valley towns.
| There are grade schools in all the
subvalfeys, and these schools, accord
| ing to Dick j. Crosby of the United
| States Department of Agriculture,
ought to be teaching community
work" These rural schools ought to
teach, he says, the boys and girls ag-
riculture and domestic science and
manual training, but they ought to
teach more than the boys and girls,
they ought to reach the people who
don't go to school. In Maryland,
/ Wisconsin, Virginia and half a dozen
other states the experiments have
been tried successfully. Ranchers
have been asked to come in and talk
to the boys and girls on how they
raise corn, or grow melons, or some
of the common everyday practices of
farm life. Sometimes they have
brought their best cattle or horses to
school and pointed out to the pupils
why they were good.
Winter Courses
Winter lecture courses in the school
house on practical agricultural topics,
advertised by posters and through the
newspapers, have brought out fine
audiences Corn shows, potato shows,
seed and milk tests, lessons In pur-
chasing improved live stock and farm
machinery have proved attractions.
The farm women have been brought
together to talk on sanitation. house.
hold devices for Tightening work,
gardening and poultry culture.
1t is suggested that each school
have a rural improvement field day
This field day has thus far been con-
fined chiefly to tree planting on Ar
Dor day, but might we'll be extended
to other forms of rural improvements,
such as Kidding the neig'hborhood of
flies and mosquitoes. Here in Yaki-
sible for spreading information about
sdhltdtloH, tiit Vi lypHOlU IeNeT
and what must be done to prevent it.
Attractions for Women
One of the eastern schools which is
orking out this plan. allows the wo-
men of the neighborhood to volunta-
rily divide themselves into four de-
partments. II really makes of the
neighborhood a big department club.
There is a short general session at
which some good speaker talks for
about fifteen minutes, after which
the women go to their self chosen
classes. One studies domestic science,
the second does manual training
make chicken coops; the third has
instruction in home crafts such as
rug weaving. chair Gaming. Indian bas-
kerry and stenciling, while the fourth
takes up study of modern literature.
1t is argued that it is putting a
burden on the shoulders of the rural
teacher to direct such experiments as
these, but the results brought about
by getting into personal touch with
the children's parents, by building up
interests in common and by helping
the farmer to practical solutions OF
| problems which he didn't realize. per-
| haps, existed, make the teaching
work in general easier. II is said. The
teachers may know nothing about
agriculture to start with. but they