The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1911-11-30

HIGH SCHOOL


tween the eight elementary grad
es and the college or university.
The rural high school differs
from the city high school in that
the course of training OF which
it is the elimination is arranged
so as to be of most benefit to
students in rural communities.
The test of any subject suggested
for a place in the curriculum of
such school is "Is it practic-
al? Is it true without question
that in the study of the subject
suggested the student can most
profitably spend his time?" AL
though rural high schools can and
do prepare students for higher
education the latter is secondary
to their principal function Of
making better farmers, better cat
tie raisers, better truck garden
ers and better housekeepers.
In order to better suit the great
. iy varying needs of the many diff
ferent localities the curriculi of |
the rural high schools of the Unit
ed States must greatly vary also.
In localities where Embarrassing
is the leading industry, as in
western Michigan, the courses
would include many lectures on
the planting and cultivation of |
orchards. Should an enterpris
ing community in the state of |
Louisiana decide to establish a
rural high school, careful atten-
ton would doubtless be given to
thorough study of the best meth
DDS of cultivating rice and sugar.
Suggestions would be given as to
the proper way to equip a sugar
mill with machinery, and as to
the most practical and econom-
zeal manner of managing the
same. In Iowa corn Judging con-
tests are a notable feature of the
work. In the dairy sections the
merits of the rival breeds of the
Shorthorn and Holstein cattle are
discussed. In short, the courses
in each particular rural high
school are arranged so as to be
of most help to the particular
community in which the school
is located.
Like all other institutions the
present-day educational system
has its history. 1t may be fairly
said that the introduction of the
rural high school idea marks an
epoch.
A hundred years ago the notion
was prevalent that person, in
order to be considered educated
must know both Latin and Greek
and must be well-read in the lit
creatures. This idea still survives
in England, and, to some extent,
IN the eastern part Of our own
country.
But times have changed. This
is a wOrk-a-day world. It soon
became apparent that a knowl-
edge of these purely ornamental
subjects, would not keep a person
from starving. The necessity for
knowledge of practical things be-
came more and more evident. |
And again, the school must not
merely give knowledge, but it
must train the students to work.
That this new idea is swiftly gain
ing ground is witnessed by the
fact that the number of students
enrolled in the engineering and
the agricultural courses in the col
leges is greatly in excess of the
tol ha al a
courses. The colleges themselves
are accommodating their courses
to meet the new demand.
However. there is the notable
example of the single eastern col
lege, Amherst, which is still cling
ing to the old idea of placing the
ornamental before the practical.
With regard to our city high
schools it is contended that liter
ature and the dead languages are
looked upon more favorably than
other more practical and useful
subjects. But conditions are
changing. OF late manual train
ing and domestic science have
been given a place, even if small,
in most of them.
In the city Of Cincinnati, there
is an institution which by many
is considered an ideal school This
university provides that the stud
ent spend every alternate week
during the school year in ma
chine shop, railroad switch yard,
with gang of masons or carpen-
q tc.s al. IN Gonna otha. situa ION