El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-08-25
LIFE passing of the 1i+t,a

~ot eAc NAHUM owes 10 1t Tor the nu-
, merous great men who have passed
through its portal, marks one of the
most noteworthy features OF setiroa ton
al progress in America. The wonder
ful advance made, in rural efiues ton
during the past 10 years is due in .
large degree to the consolidation OF
two or more, small, poorly equipped
scnoois into ione larger one, provided
with all the} latest aids for modern ed
ucational work. The new rural school
mas practically every advantage of the
city school. so that, with the uniform
course of study which now prevails
over'the country, it is no longer neces-
sary for parents living ON farms to
move into town to secure educational
advantages for their children.
Consolidated Rural schools.
Thirty-two. OF the, states now hae
consolidated rural schools, MassacH-
sets being the first to make the *
pertinent Last year the legislatuI of
indiana passed a bill abolishing all
township schools having less thh IL
pupils and providing that these fupils
| should be transported at the public
expense TO other schools. TheEchool
trusteesiare authorized to prop5e SAN
itary wagons to transport pup7s from
idated buildings This law Probably
Will result this year in the losing Of
Thousand small schools and the gain
On added educational faciliti4 afforded
1.-THE children viii more thai eompen-
: safe for the additional cost In most
instances, howeveras the Consolidated
<schoei really mems smaller expendi-
tHre to the community, desfte its many
additional advantages Tie expense of
providing a properly heked building
and a teacher fer II or b. children is
VERY much more than ppviding much
more literally for the sane number OF
children in a consolidate school
One Room Schools abandoned.
There are 10000, 8De farm folk now
residing on the 100000 farms of the
United States. Under former methods
at least 300, 900 one-robm school build
fngs would be required to provide the
children from these fahns with COM
mon school education. During the last
10 years. at least o1e-third of these
schools have been Consolidated into
three. four, five OF sk-room buildings.
At least one-ha1f of these have been
organized into the typical consolidated
rural school Drivers are employed at
public expense to either up the chill
dren in the morning and convey them
to the central school building and to
return them to their homes in the
evening. Special Tehicles are provided
for this purpose Most of them are
covered to protect the children from
the rain, and in some districts, in the
winter time, theF run on sleds so that
the children emily lively sleigh ride
TO the accompaniment OF gaily tinkling
bells instead of having to wade through
the deep drifting. snow which country
children formerly encountered when
attending wint<r school
A model consolidated rural school, of
which there are now thousands in diff
ferent parts Of the country. provides
for an area of % square miles The
school building contains five or six
rooms and resident cottage for the
The school grounds include
not lsae <fhan 10 acres of land, embrace
ing playground orchard, gardens and
planting. Five or six acres
are devoted to experimental crop rails
Ing of the products which the patrons
Of the school grew for commercial pur-
poses. This school provides for the
needs Of 100 farms. accommodating
from $50 to $50 children. About two
thirds of these children are in the six !
grades. The balance are
doing the work OF the grammar school |
In the seventh and eighth grades and |
Of the first and second year high school |
work. For, by consolidation, it is pos |
sible TO place at least this amount of |
higher education within the reach Of |
every farmers child. The cost to the |
government is no more in proportion to |
the increase in other conditions than |
was expended in the primitive one /
room school building with its limited /
range of study
Advantages Are Many.
These larger schools make 1t possible [
'or the children to receive more effect !
We help from the county superintend-
INT, the state department of education,
he United States bureau of education |
Ind the department of agriculture, all |
If which are cooperating in their eff
orts to improve the educational faci1-
ties of the country. The advantages of
consolidated school also include a |
better trained teaching service than |
ould be provided for the small individ-
lal school. The principal of a consol-
dated school is a trained specialist in
griculture and each of his assistants
as special training in agriculture
nd home economics in addition to
ther requirements. Consequently the
Consolidated school gives the farmer
he advantage of having his sons in
tructed with special reference to their
ONE work, while the course of do
nestle and household economy provided
or the girls makes them valuable as
cts in the housework Of the farm
At least a dozen states, having al
eady profited by the system of con-
rural schools, are now in adj
ition equipping special agricultural
Ugh schools for the farm youths
hose who are intending to return to
he farm and who yet wish TO secure
ONE higher degree of general culture
nd vocational training than the COM
ION school can give them. These agri-
ultural high schools are being de-
Igned to affiliate perfectly with the
Consolidated rural school, and will
i've a two years course to supple
lent that already provided in these
chools- The agricultural high school !
Ill also prepare students for admis- |
on to colleges or universities. 1t is
that about 10 percent of the |
tudents from the agricultural high |
hools continue their studies in normal |
chools, colleges and universities.
Teachers Institute to Go.
The consolidated schools have called |
n special supervision and 1t is thought
lat this, to a large degree, will take