The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-01-12

Will do much toward building up a
good school spirit. Clubs, in which
the older pupils can take part, may
be organized to good advantage.
Some athletics can be given, even
in a one-room rural school. Play is
a legitimate part of the child's train
ing AMI an essential factor in physi-
cal development. Of course the coun-
try child gets plenty of physical ex-
~ercise, but he doesn't get the genuine
joy in going through the pasture,
alone, after the cows, that he does in
a game of baseball or basketball.
Two or three neighboring schools
might easily have a play festival once
a year and matched games of dare
base, base ball and basket ball could
be played. Literary and debating con-
tests between neighboring schools
might also be made profitable.
Any school car afford to take at
least n or two copies of Current
Events" Pupils may be assigned
certain topics to be found in the pa
per. Reports can be made by such
pupils to the class. Such work often
leads to interesting discussions.
A good speaker who has a message
of value to the community, may oc-
casionally be obtained by the dis
tricts paying his expenses. A little
effort on the part of the teacher and
patrons, in this direction, will make
brighter the life of the whole COM
munity and give the people some-
thing to think about, outside the or
binary routine of everyday life. 1t
will also tend to build up a progress
sive spirit in the community.
The teacher should be one of the
leaders of the community and should
understand the social, economical and
agricultural conditions of the people
among whom she works. She will
then be able to discuss intelligently,
with the parents whom she meets,
questions outside OF the school and
will be regarded as knowing some
thing of the practical affairs of life.
In a farmers institute report we
find the following: A man well
along in years, living on a ranch in
the west, one hundred miles from a
railroad and twenty miles from a
neighbor, was asked how he could en-
dure such solitude. II am not lone
ly," he replied: Have | not nature
all around me and close to me every
where?. Besides | have the best of
company. Thorean comes and talks
to me of Waldron Pond, Boston, its
environments and people. Burroughs
and Audubon make trip with me to
the mountains and the woods. Chas.
Dickens brings his friends and &C.
quaintances to see me and they have
become my friends. When | feel the
need of a change l explore Africa
with Livingstone and Stanley or talk
with George KEENAN, about the hard
ships of Siberia. The travellers from
the wayside inn drop in and recite
their tales to me anew. / have re-
served seats for S~hakespeare's plays
for any night in the week. ! awaken
every morning to the matin song SER
vice Of the birds and am never lone
ly. But | pity the poor fellows in
the city, who r crowded by people
everywhere, and yet have no time
to know any one, and who do not
read good books" That man under
estimated the value of the best side
of life, the human side. But he In
derstood and knew how to use books
Alright. Our work, Is teachers, is not
done until we have installed into our
pupils a love of good books and the
ability to use them. To rightly d.
rect the reading of the pupil We
must love our work, love u pupils
and love good books. Good books
give high ideas. They teach morals,
facts and fancy and if illustrated at
all are we'll illustrated. They often
change the whole course of life. The
books for the rural library should
consist of a Bible, books of science,
fiction, history, poetry, myths and
fairy tales. A few choice picture
books are an invaluable addition. Fai-
ry tales and myths give free, joyful
play to the imagination. They also
teach the reward of right doing.
Books of science should teach facts,
therefore accuracy and correctness
should be their chief characteristic.
But scientific books should also ap-
peal to the imagination. 1t is a fact
that the tiny humming bird migrates
from New England to Central Amer
lea. A child could not we'll know
this however, without having his i'm
aginatfon q%uickened. Books of fic-
ton should be strong, true, rich in
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