Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-12-23
variety to the m@onotony of the life on

variety to the monotony of the life OF
the prairie.
This, as stated, implies that II Is
matter of more than ordinary import
ance to a community what kind O.
teacher It employs. Probably thu
teachers influence outside the schOo
for the uplift of the community II
more valuable than her work in the
school room. can best illustrate this
by quoting a speaker at the confer
cnce He related an incident in
meeting in Illinois when an old rugged
farmer arose and in inelegant English
said: 81 am q delegate from Rose
hill District; Bill Casey Is our teacher:
You fcllers haven't got money enough
to take Bill from u.s." Bill taught in
the rural school and received $125 per
month. He evidently was the right
kind of a teacher such as we find once
in a thousand. He mods the charac.
ter OF his community socially and in.
dustriaIly. lie lives there twelve
months each year, thinks, feels and
sits at the table with his people. DO
YOU think that kind can be had for
fifty dollars Il month for seven months
each year broken into two or more
separate school terms? Think this
over.
The country school house should
have n district fair each year where
the products of the farm, the kitchen
and the school arc exhibited. 1t could
also be q market place for the com.
munity where sales and purchases and
exchanges could be made. The farm
cr's wife sh ruld be along in all this
Just as much as the farmer himself.
Let all these things come on stated
days and it would not take long be-
fore the school house became a center
for many interesting activities. The
hight kind Of teacher will be too glad
to promote such moves and the farm
crs themselves must be public spirit.
cd enough to lend their encourage
ment and cooperation. Farmers clubs.
debates, discussions, picture shows
and numerous other things could be
arranged for and wonders could be
done. These are not the dreams of a
dreamer, because the idea is carried
out in other places-why not here?
Why must the country boy or girl
20 to the city to find amusemeats?
Questionable amusements at that?
e are told that seven out of ten
boys leaving the farm to seek
their fortune in the city 90 to the
dogs. First we find them hanging
the street corners, then in liv-
cry barns playing cards and listening
to all kinds of profanity, drinking,
smoking, swearing, then around the
in the pool rooms and finally
in the sutter-a record to be proud of
indeed! Three out of the ten become
manly and develop into useful citizens.
Think this V carefully before you
decide to leave the farm with your
boys.
Another thought that was strongly
emphasized at this conference was:
What about the farmers wife? The
of today can do nearly all of
his tasks with improved machinery,
md a accomplish as much work in
one day as his grandfather could do in
three. Has the work of the wife been
correspondingly turned over to ma
chinery? 1t las generally agreed that
her work could be much reduced if
the farmer himself would give her
more consideration. There is no rea-
son why water could not be taken from
!, f,uoot in , form homo Tho cap,o nc
in the city home and it need not cost