Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1913-12-18
IS THE COUNTRY
SCHOOL In SUCH
A BAD WAY?


Especially for The Republican.
The following is taken from a
bulletin, issued by the Department
Of Public Instruction or Tennessee. Is
the Indictment true?
1T is universally agreed that the
rural school is the most backward of
all our educational agencies. While
city schools, normal schools, colleges,
universities have been going forward
steadily, the country school has been
marking time, that it is today lament
| able lacking in efficiency and vitality.
Another speaks OF the little red
school house as a ragged beggar
] summing"
Now from another direction, we are
told that it is lamentable fact to be
acknowledged and faced that the aver
| age high schools are in large degree,
| failures and that not until they have
thrown off the incubus of the present
absurd college requirements viii the
| high schools be able to work out the
problem that is especially theirs-the
problem of how to educate pupils to
be true citizens and effective workers.
From still another source, We are
! told that the high school found its
voice at comparatively recent meet
ing the National Educational Associa-
ton in Boston and spoke its emphatic
| protest against the longer domination
of the college.
Yes, a change has come; and the
outspoken protests made at Boston
were significant, chiefly because they
gave expression that has already
taken place in some communities and
is fast taking place in both our city
and rural schools. The public schools
are coming really to serve the people |
1t was a great thing when the COM
mon man first lifted up his head and
said: II, too, will be educated" II |
was then that the era OF universal
education of all sorts of people for all
sorts of purposes. II means the edu-
cation of all the children of all the |
people.
| And this means that 1t is the first |
| business of the elementary and high |
schools, both city and rural to remain |
close to the needs of men and women, |
who constitute their natural constit- |
tuency. Nor in saying this do we wish |
to reflect upon our institutions OF
higher learning; far from it. No liber- |
| al-minded man or woman can fail to |
recognize what We may call the SUI
preme service of the colleges and uni |
versities in our national life.
We turn to the country school and |
| to country life in general and ask what |
are their most urgent needs in this |
| twentieth century. At least a part of |
the answer is found in the Country !
Life Commission; effective co-opera-
| ton among farmers in business and |
community interests. A new kind of |
schools in the country, which shall |
| teach the children as much outdoors |
as indoors and perhaps more so that |
! they will will be prepared for country |
| life and not, as at present, mainly for |
| life in town. A better sanitation in |
the schools-refering to heatinng,
| lighting and ventilating schools--for
easily preventable diseases hold sew
eral million in the slavery of continu-
Gus i'll health. Especially is co-opera-
ton of the people urged along all
lines for Better industry, better bust
ness and better liyingH $50
| Upon entering the work of the Of
fee, the present county superintend-
| ent was some what at a loss to decide |
in her mind the most pressing need
&C the country school. But after the
first days visitation of schools, the |
mists cleared away and the point of
attack in her opinion was obvious
better health conditions mHst prevail
In the country school. The general
| prosperity We are experiencing must |
come to the country school in modern |
buildings and equipment, better heat
| ing and ventilation, better Lightning |
and seating.
! AS the teacher, so is the school, has |
been a trite saying, but let us take for |
our slogan, for awhile at least, "As is |
| the director, so is the school,, placing |
emphasis on the latter, for the larger |
majority of difficulties that are con- |
stantly up to the county superintend- |
| ent are, We are sorry to say, nothing |
more or less than neighborhood quar- |
! rels.
AS regard better sanitary con-
ditions in our schools, we find that |
many of our school boards are anxious |
70 do what the people want, If they |
can only get an expression from the |
people. In case \ director is indiffer- |
ent to the needs of the schools, then |
elect those who will give school |
worthy of the name and needs. But |
too often school officers, who are pro-
gressive are not, appreciated. If
there be patron, who reads this who |
is undecided as to what steps to take |
TO secure a better school, we would |
make him these suggestions:
First--Visit school In a modern
building and with reasonably good |
| equipment--this county has some OF |
the best in the state-so you may have |
standard by which to Judge.
Second-Visit your own school and |
note how your school measures up |
with others.
Third-Go to the Annual School |
Election and use your vote in behalf
OF a director or a school board that |
will make your school as good as the
! best
Think of 1t, fully third of our dis
| tricts hold no elections. Shades of |
our departed fore-fathers that fought
and bled for government ''of the peo- |
pie, by the people, for the people.
Fourth--If you will not act on this
third suggestion, then do not complain
! to the county superintendent.
Now, after more time for studying
conditions, we are convinced that the
second great need is an increas I'd CO.
operation on the part of the people for
"Better industry, better business and
better living. And again, We place
the emphasis upon the last-better
living among ourselves. This Is not
needed so much in material way, as
that we live in closer bonds of sym
patty and along this line We will let
Bill Jones speak.
\ .
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