El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-12-02

have before me photographs Of soma
OF these new country schools. Here
IS one at Kinsman. Ohio. 1t is built
OF brick, with slate roof and it has
two stories and q basement 1t has
five classroOms, a laboratory and
library 1t cost $4,000 to build, and its
pupils number about 100. Here is an
other at Twin Falls. Idaho, in a dis
tr1ct Of Sc square miles and a pOpula-
ton Of 1000. This is a finer building
than that at kinsman, and very much
larger. The school there has an en-
roIment of 726, of whom 200 are
brought in daily in wagons. Four
years ago the ground on which the
pudding stands was covered with sage
brush It has now been turned into
school farm, and the school has two
acres Of Fairgrounds. At the Ohio
school ii costs s cents a day per pupil
to bring them to school. Another pho
tograph, 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 $4,000 Each keeps eight or ten
wagons to bring in the pupils.
1t is found that more children are
going 70 school in the districts where
the schools have been consolidated.
There are now about 100000 children
in the country schools, whereas there
shQuld be six or seven millions. When
this new movement is well under way
education VIII probably be compulsory
everywhere, and every country how
and girl will get an education.
Farming In the schools.
These new schools are especially
adapted to the farmer and to farm
life. In addition to the regular courses
as taught in the city schools; thev
nave some special studies bearing
upon crops and home economics
have before me an outline OF the work
or one Of the schools. In the first
and second years nature study forms
a part and in the fourth year the
geography is to large extent phys
lcal showing the work done by nature
IN preparing the soil for US 1t also
includes the distribution of our farm
products all over the world The
higher grades have lessons in agrf-
culture, and among the studies of the
seventh and eighth years are coODera-
tive enterprise in farming and mat
tiers connected with the farmstead
and home. The children learn all
about animals, and the boys are taught
how to judge a horse and cow The
girls learn all about sewing and cook
ing as well as how to make the house
beautiful and the home pleasant
In some of these schools the work
begins with the kindergarten and ends
at the high school
Take Lima township, Ind The con-
solidated school there contains 269
children, and Of these 80 are in the
high school The teachers of the high
those Of the grades are normal gradu-
ates The building has a reading room
and library, and adjoining the school
grounds is school garden of 200
plots. The children have a school pa
per, an orchestra and a band, and a
bOys-and- glee club. They have
athletics and also a lecture course. /
That school is made UP Of a CONSOLE
dalton Of a number of one room coun-
try schools each Of which had but
one teacher.
School Gardens and School Farms.
Nearly all of the new schools have
school gardens and little farms con-
nected with them. In them the chill
dren raise vegetables and flowers. /
They study the soil and learn how and
why plants grow. They are taught all !
about the work of the roots and stems
and leaves. They are shown how to
grow fruit and are taught budding and [
grating by being made to do these I
things themselves. The agricultural /
department sends out a great number I
of bulletins for these schools, with 4
the intention that they be used by the |
pupils and teachers. One of these is I
entitled School Lessons on Corn" /
which shows just how corn should be I
grown. Another bulletin deals with I
plant production and school exercises Z
therefor. In this the children are /
taught all about plants by growing I
them themselves according to the di- 4
recuOnS. another paper shows now 1
to test farm seeds at school and at !
home. BY means of this child learns I
whether the clover or alfalfa seed his Z
father is using is pure or whether It 4
is mixed with weeds. He learns to |
know what good seed is and how well 4
it pays to plant it. These school gar I
dens are now being introduced into 4
the city schools. A space as big as a I
hall bedroom sUffices to make one
Upon this half dozen vegetables can
D
these can be changed from time to