The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-01-25

VI llIC nAAA III INV SSoSS
| interest in a way that can never be-
reached by one-room, six-to-ten-pupli
school 1t can do the work that il
undertakes to do as efficiently as any
of the graded schools in the cities
and in addition it can have its gar
dens and it's laboratories, access to
the fields and livestock, and other
means of connecting up the school
work with the life and problems OF
the country.
There is also an urgent need for
country high school. This need not OF
necessity be located in the country,
though for many reasons it would be
desirable to have it located there.
Here again we may as we'll face the
unpleasant fact that the average high
school has not served its purpose in
the sense of meeting the present day
demands. It has tended not only to
direct the country boy away from in
dustrial life, but it has lost its grip
on the city boy to such an exent that
graduating classes are often made up
mainly of girls. The city high school
has not afforded a satisfactory con
Meeting link between the rural school
and the college. Some form of coun-
try high school must be evolved 1t
must serve the needs of the country
boy and girl. 1t must fit them for
college if they want a college educa.
! ton, and it must train them for the
farm, the shop. and the home, for
useful and honorable citizenship If
their education is to end with the
high school.
1t would be better than some Of
these vocational schools be estab
lished in the country, for two rca
sons: First, they will find there the
right environment and the right pur
pose and spirit for successful work;
and, second, the country sentiment
and interest will center about such Il
school and it will more strongly at
tach the country people to the farm
instead of taking them away from
the farm as is the tendency where
the country is dependent upon the
city for schools. The contention on
the part of some educators that the
city schools can furnish all the voca.
| tional ed1cation required is a short
sighted policy and an educational fal.
lacy. The proper place for the coun.
try school is in the country and it
| n ont - no y,,a1o of 40
there will be no need of the pupi!
leaving the country until he is ready
| for the higher grade work than the
country school offers. There is no
| cause for alarm over the proposal to
establish few special agricultural
high schools in the country for the
country's needs These schools will
help to work out the vocational edu.
cational problem more rapidly and
more efficiently than would be posi-
BILE without them
The country agricultural high schoo,
has been tried out with good results in
Wisconsin for period Of five or six
years. In Minnesota the policy OF
state aid to consolidated rural schools
and to special high schools for main
tanning agricultural instruction, is
strongly endorsed. In Nebraska and
in several other states, state aid is
given to certain high schools 70,
maintaining instruction. especially
adapted for the training of teachers
for the rural schools,
Our government has no greater
problem than that Of providing the
right kind of education for its people
President Roosevelt said: 1T is a re.
proach to us as nation that we have
permitted our training to lead chill
dren away from the farm and shor
instead of toward them" A represen
tative of the German government said
in addressing a meeting of American
educators a few weeks ago: Every
farmers boy in Germany, whether
rich or poor, and every hired man,
has the opportunity of studying in
the public schools the principles un.
DERIVING the successful practice of |
agriculture and the trades and indus.
tries" The investigation of Ger.
many's trained scientific men, coupled |
with the national policy of vocational
education in the public schools, have
given to that country the foremost
place among the Industrial nations of
the world. It is not the competition
of ignorant labor that the American
farmer or manufacturer need fear. 1t
is the competition of the intelligent
laborer and the educated farmer and