Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1912-09-04
THE PUBLIC SCHOOL.
State Superintendent Deyoe Receives
Many Suggestions for Improvements
TEXT BOOK REVISION IS FAVORED

tEAI DUN nEVlolUN 10 rHVUnIO
Letters Received From All Over Iowa
In Reply to Inquiries Asking
What Was Most Needed
Nearly 1000 Respond.
e Des Moines.-Lack of normal train
ing, practical text books and compe-
tent teachers have been assigned as
the principal reasons why the public
schools of to-day are not entirely
satisfactory in letters received by
State Superintendent Of Public In
struction Deyoe in answer to circu-
lar letter which he sent out recently.
Nearly 1000 Of these letters con-
tanning fourteen questions in regard
to the work being done in the public
schools were sent to persons in
nearly every walk of life. Responses
to these letters show a startling uni
formity of opinion that the schools
are not accomplishing the purposes
for which they were created. In
variably consolidation of the is nam
ed as the solution of the problem.
The first question, Are the schools
in yourecommunity entirely satisfac-
tory? Do they offer satisfactory
preparation for the occupations which.
most of the boys and girls will fol-
low?" is met by the almost unanimous
answer, mo. w.
Ineffectiye teachers because of the
poor salaries offered, irregular attend
ance, poor schools and poor equip
ment,. monotony, uninyiting surround
ings and failure to consider the inter
ests of the pupil are named as some
Of the common defects existing in the
rural schools. The same deficiencies
are assigned to the town schools with
lack of practical text books and lax
ity of moral training combined with
loose discipline and too short time
for high school work named in addi-
ton.
Consolidation is the one solution ad-
vanced for the betterment of the rur-
al school. Moral and physical train
ing, practical work, and literary So
cieties are most frequently named as
the way in which the town schools
might be bettered. Consolidation Is
again the answer to the questions as
4 to how the schools might be made So
cial and educational centers with the
formation Of Farmers clubs also
named as an aid for the latter pur-
pose. The question whether the
teaching OF agriculture, home econom-
les and manual training is advisable
brings the invariable answer, Eyes"
Fl Asked what suggestions they have
to offer that will make the schools
more practical, most Of the CORE
spondents cite one or more of the fol-
lowing: a revision Of the text books
to- make then more practical, more
practical work, vocational training,
less text book work. a, I. 5.a
The negative reply in answer to
whether the one room school provides
all the education that boys and girls
are in need of, was received from all
correspondents
Extradites Escaped Prisoner.
III For the second time this year Gov.
B. F. Carroll has issued extradition
papers for w. p. Clancy, resident
of South Dakota.
Clan cey was wanted early in thu
year on a charge of attempting .
criminal assault He was found In
Iowa and arrested Governor, Carroll
issued the papers for Clancy to be
returned to answer the South Dakota
charges. t$a sit
@ But Clancy did not propose to go
to trial. He was placed in Jail in
Yankton and at once began scheming
how to get out. He took two fellow
prisoners into his confidence and the
three prepared to break Jail. They
managed to get hold of an old saw
and set to work one night. They
got out OF the cell and managed to
get the jailer's revolver and keys.
State Fair Rates.
Decision by the state board of
railroad commissioners that the rail-
roads had insufficient notice of the
hearing on proposed reduction Of state
fair rates will satisfy no one in Iowa.
1t rather serves to emphasize the
fact that the board itself is respon-
sible for the insufficient notice.
When the department OF agricul-
ture asked the board to compel The
rail- Dads to give excursion rates for
the Iowa state fair, Commissioners
Ketchum and Palmer officially as.
sured the railroads that the board of
commissioners had no authority to
act.
Sues States Board.
The suit against the State .\gricul-
tural association, which was filed by
w. NJ. Corbett recently. will be tried
this week in Justice Aylesworth's
court. Corbett is suing for the value
Of two heifers which he had pastur-
ed in the state fair grounds. The
heifers died, and are alleged to have
been poisoned.
State Should Have EpidemIoIogist.
The fourth biennial report Of the
state meteorological laboratory to the
state board of health contains among
other recommendations one for the
employment Of an epidemiologist.
The work of such an individual would
mean not only an enormous saving
in time of epidemics of infectious d.
seases, says DR.. Albert, but also
would be instrumental in preventing
the occurrence of such. The report
covers the period beginning on July
1, 1910, and ending July I, 1912, and
is very complete.
1t says that during the two years
27,O78 examinations were made and
preventative treatment given in the
meteorological laboratories of the
Iowa state board of health. OF the
examinations, 1894 were for diph-
iberia, 5,611 for typhoid fever, 6,127
for tuberculosis and 4,667 miscellan-
eous, including APO examinations of
water az of milk So for presence Of