The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-01-20
THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF
TEACHING YOUNG N. DAKOTANS
Professor Abbott Of the A. c. Delivers Mastery Address To-
daY-Dlany Valuable Facts and Figures Which He
Has Gathered Through Own Efforts

told 1t will during this session, We
might begin by recognizing for aid
and classification only such school ais
can meet all other necessary require
rnents as to teachers and course OF
study and besides can show an average
daily attendance for the past year OF
at least twenty. That would be low
enough and from there on up the aid
might be graduated in amount Such
a scheme at present would meet the
needs of only S.3 per cent OF the
schools OF the state but with this in
ducement ahead, the number would
grow rapidly.
Important Data.
Another line of inquiry that is equal
ly suggestive must convince you that
something is radically wrong in our
scheme Of affairs. A body of facts
was gathered relating to fifty-six
school districts containing, in all, min
ty-eight schools. These districts rep
resent statewide conditions as they
are located in the counties of Cass,
Grand Forks, McHenry, and Ward.
The data thus obtained shows that
these districts enrolled total Of 1883
pupils and kept only 1927 of them in
average daily attendance, or 54.3 per
cent. Twenty-Five cities and villages
located in the same counties and
ranging from the largest of the state
to some of only two departments show
a total enrolment of $3.50 and an
average daily attendance of 1921, or
S7.2 per cent. Applying these same
averages to the whole state, we find
that the total number of children en-
rolled in rural schools is IS, 500 and
of this number 4S,69S are absent from
school every day that it is in session
In their districts. In the cities and
villages we find an enrolment of 43,S3S
and of these only 5,611 stay out of
school daily. That these approxin1a-
tons represent the typical state wide
conditions may be ascertained by foot
ing these figures up and comparing
them with those given as the actual
enrolment in the superintendent an
nual report. we find that they fall
only little over 800 short of the fig
ure given.
We are used to hearing 1t said that
IL our school conditions and other
conditions are not all that they might
be it is due to the fact that much OF
our state Is in q comparatively I'M
settled condition as yet, and I venture
to say thatsuch was your thought
when I told you of the low daily at
tendance in the average rural school
OF the state. You would think, per-
haps, that any generalization based
on the statewide conditions is unfair
in that it does an injustice to tho
eastern section. While this certainly
was true at one time, this contention
has now pretty we'll lost its former
force. AS a test ON this very point
the state was divided up into two
sections using the 9Th guide meridian
which is the western boundary of
Ramsey county, as a convenient line
of division. This division cuts off in
to the eastern section about fourth
of the area, AZ per cent of the popula-
ton and 4S per cent of the rural
schools, that is when all of the coun-
ties lying wholly or in part west of
this line are included in the western
section. The following table was made
up from the data already spoken of
which was obtained direct from the
county superintendents. -Four of the
counties lnaL Ialeu 10 report are IN
the western section, but the facts from
the others are thoroughly typical, and
from these facts we can safely draw
the conclusion that, so far as school
conditions in this state are concerned,
either there is no longer any unset
tied west or the eastern region is
making very poor use of their OPP
portunities.
1t will easily be noted that the vari-
Gus percentages relating to average
daily attendance compare very closely
in the two sections and tally very
we'll with the same percentages rep
resenting statewide conditions. And
these facts stand out with still greater
prominence when we consider that in
the western section they have only one
rural school to every 1873 square miles.
Either they have too many schools in
the eastern part or they patronize
what they have exceptionally well in
the western part.
Comparative Statement of Average ID