The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1912-01-06

| Similar action was taken in the legis-
lature Of Michigan, but in that state
Labor day is classed as q holiday.
New Subjects.
Additional subjects of instruction
placed In the public schools include
moral and humane education In Della
ware; first aid to the injured in Mas
sachusetts; and a special course in
state history in wisconsin.
Salaries and Pensions.
The salaries of school teachers have
been raised in number of states.
among them New York, Indiana and
Wisconsin.
Not only is the teachers salary
showing a tendency to rise, but her
prospects Of retirement upon living
annuity when her usefulness is past
are growing steadily brighter. On this
point, Mr.. Boykin remarks:
With each succeeding year it be-
comes more apparent that the super
annuation Of teachers past the period
OF usefulness is destined to become an
essential feature of the American
school system. The period of inquiry
and experiment is rapidly passing, and
the laws of 1911 disclose a degree of
uniformity which Indicates that the
lessons of the past have been needed,
and the disposition is manifest to place
the matter upon a basis Of perman-
ence and effectiveness.
1T has become apparent that salary
deductions within any reasonable limit
are not sufficient to maintain re-
tirement fund, and that contributions
and receipts from fairs and picnics
are too uncertain to form the basis Of
an enduring system. The logical solu-
ton is that the same authority that
pays the salaries must pay the PEN
sions. and the tendencies Of the time
are all in that direction.
"The most important legislation OF
the year In this connection was in
New York, wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsyl-
vania and Vermont, but other enact
ments are Of significance in less de-
gree only because they are less gem
eral In their scope.
For some time the practice has
been growing, especially in rural COM
munities, of consolidating a large
number OF weak schools In a given
district into a smaller number of
strong ones. Mr.. Boykin notes that
a number of state legislatures have
passed laws in 1911 which directly
facilitate this practice. Thus, ,addi-
tional provision was made during the
year for the free transportation of pu-
pills living at a distance from the con-
solidated school, South Dakota voted
to pay a child's own parents for bring
ing him to school, the amount Of this
compensation varying from 10 cents to
45 cents per day of actual attendance.
In Minnesota the school board of a
consolidated district was authorized to
pay a reasonable amount for board
and lodging in lieu of transportation.
Other states granting transportation
aid include Iowa, California, Kansas,
Missouri New Hampshire and Penn
syivania.
with the Capitalization of the
school district has gone a correspond
ing Capitalization of school manage
ment, as was evidenced by law pass
ed In Oklahoma, creating one state
education board TO take the place of
no less than fourteen other bodies
then existing. In line with the same
tendency, the proportion of school ex-
pense borne by the state tends stead
lily to increase. and the authority to
certify the competence of teachers is
gradually being transferred from the
local authorities to those appointed by
the state. AS another indication of
the growing movement to centralize
both education centers and their man
agement, Mr.. BoylSin notes that "The
former inclination to multiply the
of state normal schools has
waned perceptibly," only two new
ones being established in 1911, name
ly, one in Maine and one in Califor-
MIA"