Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-08

AEa.WoOkly Courier. yosA ''.,.-----
Office: li7-11s East Second Street:
Telephono. Boll editorial or businsss
sffiee) No. 4. a..
New telephone, bushes. ONCE 80
asw telephone, editorial onicS ~. So,n-
Address the Courier Fr1qt!nS
pany. Ottumwl Iowa.
Entered % second class MAYER n..
ESsoesr i "a as0. under a. IL. At Of Con-
grsss Of March :, 1879.
MAKINo OVER THE SCHOOLS.
- a article in the Saturday Even
,rs poat Henry M. Hyde discusses
i ZOE .nopulation loss, it's cause, and
remeiv that is being applied by intenl-
cent Iowa educators, "Iowa." ne sag,
:.ia the typical agricultural state. II
.tsrXa nrst in the production OF oats'
hav hogs. poultry and eggs; secono ~
enyr and cattle, and close to the TOP
n All other farm crops. me Wnols
state II one fertile and prosperous
Farm with no great cities within lts
horders and comparatively Few iarse
towns. Yet the population. o. :. Iowa
vas some seven per cent less IN is1o
than It was ten years ago.:
Mr.. Hyde says that me luIe
cheaper lands In the northwest aau
ina General Introduction OF laoor say
inas machinery do not account TOT .he
ioss ii, Iowa g farming population. Ilie
fa,iit. he declares. is iowa,s own anu
ha says Iowa is becoming to realize u
ana a seeking remedy In one or the
most ma, important and interesting expert
3nents "A the history Of education. ne
givas as an example the experience OF
PAGE county, IN the southwestern cor
ner o. the state, which is best told III
his own words: o,as
rive wears ago Miss Jessie Field
vas chosen county superintendent OF
schools. She took a horse and buggy
and drove over the country roads, Visit
inc and inspecting every one OF the
IA rnra1 schools. BY the existing
It andards many Of them were in fair
condition: some, Of course, much lbet-
Tar than others. School buildings
were implanted and more or less
d;lanidated. coal sheds and other out
houses we're conspicuous, inconven1eDt
md disheveled. Schoo1y were un.
fenced bare and cut UP by holes anu
ditchaR. where mosquitoes bred ana
scum gathered. There was no shade
ana little attempt at growing grass or
flowers.
The shrewd superintendent bought
camera and took photographs OF the
Nest and worst schoolhouses In each
.iocai}tv. both outside and interior
riaws, These pictures were printed
sida ~ side In the : little country
,weeklies. Under the photograph OF the
wen kept school was title wnlcn
[identined It. The contrasting picture
that accompanied it was, IN eacn case
left without label. 1t didn't need ":
All the patrons OF the rundown school
Recognized It at sight with sudden
thrill Of wounded pride. An epidemic
OF Improvement swept over Page
county. which, included; even the people
whose children attended the better
kept schools. In some cases new
buildings were erected and more
GROUND bought for the schoolyards. In
almost every instance the buildings
were newly painted and repaired, trees
and shrubs set out, grass and flower
beds planted, unsightly outhouses
moved and remodeled, the Fairgrounds
leveled and fenced. y
BY the aid .of the camera, also. the
interiors Of the school houses were
Transformed Soot-stained. walls were
tinted. sectional bookcases installed,
the dirty water bucket, with. It's TIN
c,ip. thrown out, and-in two-thirds OF
ali the rural schools fountain put
in. with individual drinking cups for
All the children. Soon more than three
quarters Of the pupils were using indi-
vidual drinking cups-a percentage
that, still puts Chicago and other large
cities to the blush.
All that was simply the start-giving
little Johnny Jones bath and getting
ready to tackle the real problem. The
course Of study in the rural schools
was the usual one, approved by years
Of experience.
aBound and give the principal pro-
ducts Of Bulgaria"
'sName the first SIX kings OF Eng
land"
III Johnny has twelve pineapples
and gives Willie three how many will
he have left?"
"spell metropolis millionaire,
business, opportunity and Chicago"
IN the "reader" there was always a
thrilling story OF now Marsnall Field
left his fathers farm at the age Of
thirteen, his only earthly possessions
being pair of socks and a stone
hruise: and how, after forty years of
Rife in great city, he was. Obliged to
Aire q dozen men with adding ma
chimes to keep track Of the increase in
his fortune. The whole course Of study
III forty-acre field, planted to corn.
produces sixty bushels the first year,
fifty the second year and forty-two
the third, what is the total value of
the corn grown in three years at forty
cents bushel?"
when children at a country school
have problems in arithmetic put to
them In that style they begin to prick
up their ears.
"suppose, instead OF planting corn
continuously, the same field were plant
ed to corn the first year, producing
sixty bushels an acre at forty cents
bushel; to oats the second year. pro-
ducing sixty bushels an acre at thirty
cents, and to clover the third year, pro-
dncine three tons an acre at eight dol