Milford chronicle., 1913-09-19
A CONSOLIDATED RURAL SCHOOL.


the consolidation OF the rural schools.
Fate worked a peculiar trick with me
when she transferred ME from Sussex
County. Delaware, to a superiutendency
In MiddIesex County, Massachusetts,,
where the idea of consolidation originated
and where It IS practically universal.
The summer after my arrival here, and
before I had had time to get familiar with
educational conditions, one Of my princi
pals came 10 me and said that II would
be necessary for him 10 have employment
during the summer vacation. He asked
nv advice as 10 what he should do.
had iust investigated new school-room
stove that ventilated a one room building
and heated il equally throughout. / sug-
gested that he sell this stove. Ii would
be profitable 70 him and q god-send to
the school children.
He returned in about a week very much
discouraged.
Mr.. Brooks there are no oue-room
school buildings in Middlesex County.
They are all consolidated. The commis-
sioners get indignant al the idea Of the
school-buildings being improperly heated
and ventilated They have the most
modern. up to date systems. %
One lady commissioner in the town Of
Lincoln was especially inceused and de
manded f he thought they were barbar-
ians enough TO keep their children IN one
room pens with insufficient air and i'm
proper heat
I determined to visit Lincoln. I was
all the more interested because I recalled
that the first experiment in consolidation
in the United States was in Lincoln
Mass. when they became one Of several
towns that conveyed their pupils to the
Central High School at Concord.
Lincoln. Massachusetts. has a popula
tion about equal in number 20 Green
wood. Delaware. Il was scattered how
ever over an area about half the size Of
Cedar Greek. There 5 practically no
central village.
I found the building a beautiful one Of
red brick. Nice walks bOrdered by flower
beds led up to It from the road. Back Of
II was about three acres Of Fairgrounds. |
This had a base ball diamond, a foot ball |
gridirou and various other play apparatus |
a part Of the ground was devoted 10 1
growing flowers and vegetables. Here /
the children were taught scientific agri-
culture in the only practical way The
school had an enrolment Of one hundred 4
aud fifty pupils classified IN eight grades.
About twenty 1--WE per cent OF the children
walked % school, the rest were convey Ell
bv three two-hOTse barges, and an auto
mobile which brought those most distant.
School called al S.45 a. III. and dismissed
At is D. III. on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday on Tuesday and Thursday they
dismissed at , Is p. III. Each day half
hour intermission IS given for lunch.
The building had five class-rooms.
There were four regular teachers and an
assistant The assistant had the hfth
room. To her were sent all backward
pupils. all pupils that by reason OF sick
ness Or absence or other causes were be
hind their grades. She gave them special
aid and instruction. When they got in
step with the grade work they were re-
urnrd to their regular classes. The build
ng had a neat office for the school COM
and for the superintendent
shen he visited the school. There was a
est room and lunch room for the teach
.rs Upstairs was a room fitted out 10
each the girls cooking and other house
lold arts, another room was used for in
tructiOus in sewing and third large
oom was used to teach manual training.
Every girl in the sixth, seventh and
ighth grades was given two hours in
truction weekly in these subjects. At
he same time the boys were taught
manual training The fourth and fifth
,rade girls were taught sewing, while
he BOYS wove baskets. The school en-
lloyed special teachers in cooking, sew
ng, music, drawing and manual labor.
they were able to do this at little ex-
tense, because one teacher served several
djoining schools, thus dividing the
ost. A well lighted concrete basement
xtended under the entire building. In
his were the heating and yenulating
pparatus and the toilet rooms for the
hildren. In bad weather this basement
1ade a splendid playroom. Beautiful
owering plants were in all the rooms.
While the community spirit is such that
has enabled them to provide pictures
nd statusry to adorn all the rooms. All
be teachers were normal school gralu-
tes. Ninety-five per cent of the pupils
-ere present every day. Fifteen TO
Tenty were sent each year from this
chool to neighboring high schools.
I looked at the beautiful building, the
ell organized, well taught school and
lie children happy and oontented, i con
-asted these conditions with some Of the
ltfts that 1 had known to bear the
anne Of schools, and rejoiced that some
1untry boys and girls were being given
chance.
Isn't it expensive? ?" asked one
other.
So are food and clothing, I would as
,on deprive my children Of food and
othing as to stint them in education
This district, by the way, raises every
0llar expended for school purposes by
cal taxation. and does not receive a dol
r from the State.
Isn't the barge Objectionable"
ked.
Il wouldn't allow my ten-year. old
RI to walk over the lonely roads with
crowd of rough, ill-spoken boys. On
e barge any ill-behayiour is checked
Z Mr.. Williams. the driver. compelling
e offender to walk for a few days.
I piled her with some of the silly OBJ
ctions that / had heard urged against
and consolidation. She
as either amazed at them or ridiculed
EN-. ! was really ashamed 10 suggest