The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1913-05-02

Visits the East rs Representative Of
y North Dakota School

VASltS tuS EASt - q NcpicSCutoSlSO VI
North Dakota School
The following interesting letter from
Prof. A. l.. Schafer, former instructor
in the high school in this city, and
graduate of the school, will be of in
terest to his many friends. Prof
Schafer is now superintendent of the
agricultural high school at Caring
ton, N. D., and a couple of months
ago was sent to Philadelphia by the
board of Education Of Darlington, to
attend the national educational as
sociation meeting in that city. In
speaking of Darlington he says:
We are nicely located here, have
fine school, 20 teachers. four buildings
and nearly 500 scholars. This is one
of the five State Agricultural schools
and we operate demonstration farm
in connection with the school just
now we are putting up fine seed and
storage house on the farm. We in
tend to produce seed of the better
varieties in order to have them for
distribution to the farmers of the
vicinity. Also intend to have few
COWS and operate a model dairy in
connection with the regular class work
of those taking the agricultural course.
| am very enthusiastic about this work
as there seems to be a great field to
develop and there is almost no end to
the good which school of this kind
may do in a community. We also
have a fine manual training depart
ment and are enlarging that to include
farm engineering. forge work and
wood turning The domestic science
department includes the work in cook
ing and sewing and Is given through
all the grades above the fifth. In the
high school we have training in every
branch of home economics, thus pre-
pairing the girls for every duty Of the
home. used to think the South Da
kota schools were good. then |
thought that Minnesota was in the
lead, but | have not seen "a school in
either state that begins to give the
complete industrial work that we give
here.
had a Aery pleasant trip to Phila-
delphia during the month of February.
The National Superintendent divi-
sion of the Educational ASSOCIATION
was in session. Next year it is to be
at Richmond. Va These meetings
are very helpful the topics discussed
are Just the problems which we as
school men meet every day. met
men from every state in the Union.
Ontside Of the regular sessions. we
had a delightful visit to the old his
toric places in Philadel phia. The re-
serve fleet of the l. 5 Navy was in the
navy yards and we got permission to
-, IT, ugh the battleship, Wisconsin,
i"3x's he flagship and one of the
mos rGrCeln battleship. Thi, was
certainly great treat. Then | vlsl-
ted the Old Betsy Ross House, the
Il; nf Ina
table on which Betsy cnt out the first
American flag, the same chairs she
used. the little cupboard in the corner
and large fire place This wa, in
tensely interesting. Then just around
the corner was the meeting house of
the friends. where the quakers held
their meetings. with it quaint pews
and plain rni.hings. Just behind
the meeting house was the cemetery,
filled with old and crumbling slabs,
among them being the burial place OF
Benjamin Franklin. Then down just
couple of blocks is the old church
where Washington used to attend.
We went in there and sat down in the
pew where he used to sit and worship
and if ever felt patriotic 1T was then
Not far from this church stands the
old independence Hall, the old liberty
bell stands in the hall as you enter.
on either side are large meeting rooms,
in one of which the Continental Con
gress held its sessions. There we saw
the very table on which the Con>titu-
ton was signed. the chair occupied by
Washington as first President, also
the chair he occupied as Master Ma
son of the Masonic Order. Covering
the whole front wall was large
painting of Martha and George Wash
ington. Up stairs is the banquet hall
the full length of the building. with a
large six foot fire place at either end.
In this room all the state receptions
were held Walls are covered with
paintings of all the generals from
France who came over in the Interest
of the cause of the Americans during
the Revolutionary war. In the tame
block stands the National Museum
which contains relic, old govercmen
documents, musketS, swords, anC
many things of historic interest.
was very sorry that my time was sc
limited as one could spend weeks there
and never grow tired.
Well | must stop now. we expect t6
visit at Milbank some time this sum
mer, will 60 first to Lakevile. where
my folks are and then perhaps come
to Milbank for a couple Of weeks.
ALFRED l.. SCHAFER.