Morris tribune., 1911-06-16
GOOD SCHOOL.
Districts 46 and SIS Plan to Con-
solidate.

A goodly number of the leading
farmers of the western part of Ever
glade attended the meeting at the
school house in District No, 46, last
Saturday afternoon to consider the
matter of the consolidation of that
district with District No. 55, which
lies to the south. This would be a
good place to, build a consolidated
school. and if one is built, it will be
the first one in Stevens county.
County Superintendent Roberts
opened the meeting and spoke of his
desire to help the pc ople of the dis
trict start a consolidated school.
County Attorney Beise explained the
new law of this subject, explaining
the method by which a consolidated
district was formed, and pointing
out that the state paid $3.50 as spe-
cial aid to two-room scho ool, $1,000
to three room school and 81, 500 to
a four-room school, and also would
pay one fourth of the cost of the
school building.
County Commissioner Devenney
spoke of the benefits Of education,
and of the satisfaction there was in
giving the children the best. and ex
pressed his willingness to help in
every way.
Supt. E. C. Higbie pointed out a
new ideal for country school. He
showed how in the training for their
life work, the country boy and girl
does not get the school advantages
which come so easy to the city boy
and girl. He was in favor of square
deal for the country bred child. and
the only way to get it is to build up
stronger schools in the country. One
trouble with the country school to-
day is that the teacher carriers to it
the ideals of the city high school from
which she comes. The city high
school is good school, and is grow
ing better, but the teacher coming
from it and going to teach a country
school cannot bring to the children
of the country the proper ideals of
respect for the soil. and love for
every living, growing plant and animal
which she should. Too often she is
thinking of the Friday night coming
when she can get back to the city,
and unconsciously the children become
imbued with the ideal of the city as
the desirable place to be.
This is not as it should be.
The ideal country school should be
in a district large enough to furnish
pupils fer two or four-room school,
and that school should have not only
the school rooms but large fase-
ment where the use of tools could be
taught to the boys and sewing and
cooking to the girls. Besides that
there should be an audience room
which would be the center of the
social life of the community. and a
few acres of land and principals cot
tage, where the head teacher could
reside and make part of his living
from the farm. This head teachershou]d
be retained long enough in place
to become a leader in the community,
but not long enough to become fossil
ized-say in fve-year tenures.
Mr.. Higbie stated that of course he
did not expect these districts to build
such school all at once. but that
whether they even built consolidated
school must depend upon their own
judgment. He did, however, wish
them to carefully think over this
ideal of what a country school should
be.
His address was most highly ap.
preciated. and a number expressed
themselves as in favor of consolida
tion. 1t is probable that a petition
will be filed and the matter take def
mite shape very soon.
District No. IS, of which Fred
Graffelman is teacher, now is, by the
way, one of the very best of the pre-
sent type of country schools in the
county, if not in the state He is
one of the pioneers trying to give
the country boy and girl square deal
in education