The farmer and mechanic., 1912-07-30


yet but one body.
and the eye can not say ans
hand, | have no need OF thee. a
again the head to the feet ha
need of YOU.
This is the Lords way OF 2~au
men, and the same method Is
trated in all the works Of cr..t
Men are Wisest when they foiloa
vine precept and example. Let ~ ...
have a system Of education that
be all feet or all head OF with f
diSprOpOrtiOnate to the head a.
body. Either would be as grs4
monstrOsity as a man all feet or L
head. Let all the parts be deNt4o3.I
proportionately and symme5rically IN
a complete and effective unit. e.ca
helping the other and all helping Ill.,,
whole. The man or men upon whoa
rests the responsibility of the de.,
opment Of an effective educatior.t
system must see things clearly
them whole and see them II th
proper proportions.
\ Sixmonths' E!ementar, Rural
School Term the Next Supreme
Necessity.
[ believe that a sx-mOnthS' terr i
the elementary schools is a neCeS>,
now, to maintain the proportion s,"i
~ iIIttIV W ti1C ittiI - u LII - t4At.+'
and to do equal justice to all Tia
State is, in my opinion, able t. Pr
vide this without decreasing IL gt
cheney the other important and n"ea--
sary parts Of the system. This, TT r
is the next prime necessity in tho dr-
velOpment Of our system, and towards
it's accomplishment all friends Of cd
cation should labor unremituE1.
| unitedly and uncompromisingiy
|
when compiled, taking into con.-ide'-
alton the increase of $350.000 in III
elementary school fund resulting from
/ the increase of two cents on the on.
/ hundred dollars valuation of proper
| in the regular school tax by the aet
Of 1911, will bring the average school
term Of the State to about hNa
months. The number of counties
needing aid from the second hundrei
thousand dollars for four months
school term this year has been de
creased by the increased school tax
and the increased assessment of prop
erty from 66 to 81 counties. In the
other 49 counties the length of the
rural school term has been largely in
creased. 1t is likely, therefore, that
we may be easily in sight Of mini
mum school term of six months al
the next meeting Of the General As
| SemDly without an unreasonable IN
! crease in the State appropriation Or
tax for the elementary schools
The three following methods of IN
creaslng the elementary school term
to minimum Of six months are sus-
gested for careful consideration:
|. The distribution Of he entra
public school fund from the STATE
treasury as State fund. equahzin4
the school term in every county. ana
a sufficient increase in that tax t.
provide a six-months' term in every
district Of every county.
2. A continuation Of the present
plan OF retaining in each county th''
school taxes paid by that county. and
sufhclent increase in the special
state appropriation for public schools
10 bring the minimum term in each
schooi district Of the weak counties
| to six instead of four months THIS
"oulu, OF course, necessitate an in
crease III the State revenues by taxa Il
tion or otherwise sufficient TO meet
this increased expenditure
). A special State school tax on ali
property and polls similar to the pen
SION tax IN addition to the twenty cent
scnool tax levied by each county II
provide a permanent equalizing State
schooi fund apportioned from the
state treasury, to bring the school
term IN every school district to at least
SIX months This would provide q
permanent fund, constantly increasing
WIN the increasing wealth and the
increasing school population Of the
state and would also provide the per
IEanent machinery for raising the
money IT would not, therefore. be
aHected IN any way by the biennial
scramble for increased appropriations
~ puphc institutions OF all sorts our
, u treasury usually depleted
ne hrst plan would Increase tn
scnooi fund by increasing the school
.i1 ana distributing the whole from
ele state Treasury as a State tax f.
school terms in all counties
70 SIX months; the second would in.
crease the State tax to increase the
: Ha'e revenue sufficiently to provide !
: speciai appropriation to lengthen the
sthoot term in all the weak counties
70 SAX months, the third would pro