The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1913-03-13

conduct the system OF education ac-
cording to the laws and patronize the
schools by sending their own children
for the training provided. In fact,
they rather resent the statements
that are made claiming that the coun-
TRY schools are inferior to the town
schools. They cannot believe that the
persons who prefer to live In the
towns and participate in that type OF
special civilization are notably quail.
fled to decide what the country people
should have and can afford and they,
therefore, deem themselves fully CON-
lpetent to meet the necessities that
arise without interference or distinc-
ton. They know from experience
that all these proposed reforms cost
money and they feel no actual asur-
ance that the better results supposed
to follow would be realized.
AS consequence of these social
and communal conditions, ii becomes
necessary for the state to prove by ac-
tual demonstration that there can be
organized and maintained a more eff
fectiye and successful country school
than the present methods allow. Until
1.-THE demonstration has been made,
conditions improved and the people
THAT would impose additional bur
dens and difficulties upon the farming
Communities. These people are ready
to be shown the real thing In educa,
ton that Is genuine and practical,
they are as progressive as are the
people of the towns in desiring i'm
provement, but they are unwilling to
experiment upon or to modify the
~, haxT unit
able prospects that they are sure to
have something better than they now
have in their educational work. II
there is anything better in organiza-
ltion, method, course of study or In
struction the state demonstration
school will establish the facts. Such
an undertaking could be realized by
1.-The state providing a part of the
money necessary to demonstrate the
new plans and offer such schools to
the counties and communities where
Incorporation can be obtained.
| The most prominent difficulties
now are identified with Q) the unit
IOf organization, CD the course of
study, CD the instruction desirable
the community. None of these are
reforms must come from within the
community rather than from without
the community.
There are at least three distinct
units in school organization that must
be recognized as important and they
are such that they are not able to
be identical in country school under
Itakings. These are the unit of taxa
II H. 4. - ft-tz hn
unit of attendance. The unit of taxa
ition ought to consist of as much ter
ritory as can comfortably work under
the same system. This could be the
county as it is now the taX-collecting
unit established by law. Such a unit
to secure as large part of the money
that would be possible so that the most
capable school should be smaller than
the county since actual supervision
requires at least weekly visits to in
sure any adequate helpfulness from
such direction. The attendance unit
should be decided by the population
to be served and the pupils that can
reasonably be collected in any one
school. There should be efficiency at
tanned even if money was required for
transportation of the more remote
pupils and money thus used would be
wisely expended. The most serious
handicap that country school organ
,iZation now suffers is due to the mis-
tax endeavor of having these units
'of taxation, instruction and attend
ance cover the same territory.
The country school teacher should
be country.bred, country trained and
country interested. Such a worker
would comprehend country life, coun-
try ideals, country standards and coun-
try enterprise and hence be factor
in all undertakings social, literary or
industrial that could be maintained.
This having a teacher that is in har-
mOny with the uplift of the people OF
the country is of the greatest import
ance. This does not mean that those
reared in the city may not be adapt
able and may not become happy in a
country environment, but the tenden-
cy Is the contrary and the consequent
ices are easily recognized. Ii may
be said that this is not true demo
,cracy as il recognizes classification OF
society, but il should be remembered
that they who would work efficiently
with the masses must be themselves
common people and in sympathy with
the experiences, the conceptions ana
the undertakings of the simpler life.
There are no better people than those
who live close to nature and secure
their living from the soil. There are
no more promising boys and girls than
Those who come from the farm. Their
schools should be in sympathy with
their undertakings, their employments
and their ambitions as this relation.
ship is all powerful in leadership
that the teacher should show.
The country school does not have
today this kind of teacher with an
latitude toward industry, with a schol-
Iarship that Is adapted to practical en-
Ideavor and with a spirit of confidence
in country life. There is too much OF
the artificial and the conventional
where Their should be the real and
natural, too little of true life and too
much of imaginary life. This sugges-
ton would modify in many respects
THE so-called standards of common
leducation, but it would be in the d.
ERECTION OF better standards OF personal
value and of nobler ideals OF active
eryice for humanity.