The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-01-12

But of all the legislative orphans,
did you ever see one more completely
deserted than bill relating to the bet
terment of the system OF country
schools? There are no alumni, no fac
u1ty members and no town boosters
whooping it up for it.
do you want to know how to solve
this most pressing educational prob
lem?'
TRY money-it is a great solvent.
eff Kansas had spent one-tenth of
the money which has been spent for
the development of your system of
higher education in an honest effort
to improve the system of elementary
schools, beginning at the bottom, in
the country and building upward, the
i rural schools of Kansas would now be
a complete dem OnStra ton instead of
i pressing problem.
1.-The future of your state and its de-
velopment isn't in the hands of high
ly educated minority-it depends upon
the average intelligence of all of its
citizens
zenship unless it spends at least as
much money and effort for the i'm
provement of the elementary schools
at the very bottom-the country
i schools-as it does to build UP the in
situations for higher learning at the
top.
Teach Farming and Cooking.
1.-THE country needs graded schools.
In them agriculture and domestic sci
enCS may be taught successfully 10 OH
of the boys and girls. And little OF
these taught to all is bound to be
vastly more effective in building the
agriculture of Kansas than the teach
ing of much OF them to a few and neg
lecting practically all.
Graduates of your agricultural col
| Iege may find, as principals OF sucn
schools, Jobs worthy of the best OF
them; there's no need of arranging to
care for them in positions called coun-
ty farm advisers.
'And when no child living on
Kansas farm has less of opportunity
for education while living at home
than the children living in towns of
Kansas now have, then homes will be
built and maintained in the country.
crop production will increase, ana
every line of business, including that
of dispensing higher learning. Will
prosper and expand
Mrs. Burton Given Vote of Thanks.
"Great dissatisfaction exists every
where with our schools" said MRS.
Ella s. Burton of Topeka, Thursday
afternoon, land more money is not
needed so much as reorganization and
efficiency on the part of those who lead
School men have failed to
render the service for which they have
accepted pay and are boldly demand
ing more money-even pensions for
life. Seven million dollars a year
ought to be sufficient to secure enough
service, to furnish the state with
few graduates able to use good Eng
lish, write a 1egible hand, make fig
ures easily read. and know how to
add, subtract and divide rapidly and
accurately. Business men every
where tell us they are not to be found
William Allen White said that 1t takes
our graduates too long to recover and
he should have gone farther and said
that a large per cent of them never
recover.
Farmer societies must insist upon a
fairer apportionment of all money
~
Enlistment of consolidated community
q agricultural schools on an experimental
farm furnished with necessary equip
ment. a modern building for teaching
domestic economy and hall for special
social meetings.
LET all such schools be branches Of
our State Agricultural college. see that
good roads radiate in every direction
and the question of rural uplift is
solved. Ample money is raised every
adjustment"
At the conclusion of Mrs Rurton's
paper Mrs. Cora Wellhouse Billiard of
Tonganoxfe proposed a rising vote of
appreciation. Later she moved that
Mrs. Burton be asked to prepare the
paper to be delivered as a lecture over
the state. The motion was unanimously
carried.
Value of Organization.
THE misconception that turks in
the minds of many of our farmers
said A. Sykes of Des Moines Ia. in
speaking Thursday afternoon on 1.-The
Value of Organization to the Farmer
concerning the value of organization |
to themselves I believe is largely due
to the lack of a proper understanding
OF the aims and objects of these asso- /
Citations, and a campaign of education |
must be conducted along this line of |
making known the benefits to be de- |
rived from organization and co-opera-
hn
business and labor organizations and /
combines, although in many instances |
Illegally, should serve as an object les
son to US and cause us to stop and |
ford to go on in the haphaz-
ard and Independent way of the |
past without any definite plan for
concentrating our efforts and our
strength in the direction that will
bring US the greatest results Had we |
not better take cOgnizance of what has !
been going on around US and organize /
ourselves to restore to the farmer
that were originally his, but have been |
purlofned from him through the for |
nation of trusts and combines, which |
have been winked at in the past by
many or the lawmakers of the land?
Farmers Should Advance.
The fact is that while the farmers |
nave been attending quietly to their own |
business and caring for their families ana !
thelr i've stock these other industries /
nave stolen march on them and have |
organized and combined until they are |
in a position to force almost any issue |
they may uphold to a successful term |
nation Their representatives infest |
state legislatures and the halls OF con- |
greSs for the express purpose of defeat |
ing anti-Tailroad and antitrust measures |
and seeing that no laws are passed which |
will adversely affect their peculiar inter |
ests; they, of course to be the Judges! |
What rare thing it is for the farmers to |
have special representatives in these diff |
ferent law-naking bodies to protect and /
promote their interests! And yet this is |
lust what ShOuId he done ana xvo,, rrvf1l i