The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-01-30

hardship or travel over country
roads all but insurmountable. es-
pecially when the weather is In
clement? And what is the attitude
OF the teacher toward the scholars
and the school work when the
morning journey TO the school house
is made under conditions that induce
mental vexation and physical ex
haustion?
Then think of the little boys and
girls OF the farmers OF the school
! district trudging their weary way
to and from the country school over
roads that are all but impossible
to man and beast. tired out IL not
worn out with their exertion. with fire.
quent absence necessity. and all too
frequent nj health and sickness a
result of their exposure. When we
think of the severity OF the condL
tions that so often attend country
school life Is Il any wonder that
Il often becomes TO the scholars an
experience that is trying and irk-
some. one from which they escape
whenever they can and wholly as
soon as possible?
Experiences of Teachers.
Then think OF the contrary ex-
perience OF the teacher and scholars
whose good fortune II is TO reside
in districts served by good roads.
No bad read tax Is levied upon their
dispositions. their energies. their
health. or their ambitions. They are
present with far more regularity to
1 do their work with courage and
spirit The zest OF rugged life and
the cheer of social natures increase
the zeal and pleasure of thorough
end worthy work. Under such
conditions the plant of character
grows and blossoms and blooms into
! strong and wholesome manhood and
womanhood.
President Waters of the Kansas
State Agricultural college says that
all the progress we have made in
education I'm the last quarter of n
century has been made In the city
schools and I'm our colleges and uni.
versities. The country schools.
where more than sixteen million
OF our future citizens are studying.
and where the farmers and farmers
wives of tomorrow are today receiv.
/ ing all the education they will get,
are on the whole less efficient than
they were twenty-five years ago. A
rart OF this loss of efficiency and
much OF the lack of progress may
be directly attributed to poor roads.
Good roads have always been close
ly associated with and a necessity in
developing a good system OF rural
schools. In the FIVE states Of the
union which have the best system
of public roads the average length
OF the school year Is $50. In those
states which have given least atten,
ton to road Improvement the school
year is less than half as long. OF
equal significance Is the fact tina,
In tie states with improved roads
the average attendance OF the
scholars Is IS per cent, while In
the states with unimproved roads
II Is 50 per cent"
Heaviness Of Burden.
when we think of the heaviness
OF the burden OF bad roads upor
country school life, and OF the i'm
portance OF country school life ia
the citizenship OF our country. we
realize that bad roads are a tax
upon a nations manhood and won
anhood which no nation that Il
not struggling for the very life
and liberties of its subjects can afford
to overlook or neglect and thai
good roads are an immense factor
In the development and conserva
ton OF national character.
And we venture the opinion tina
the prejudice against rural life ant
In favor of city life which has
caused thousands OF country boy,
and girls to leave the farms oil
their fathers to take part In tn,
'city's mad race for money, plac,
and power" Is often due to In,
abominable roads they had to trave
In going TO and from their countr,
! school.
Then think of the social life o
rural communities with roads s,
bad as to make frequent meeting
for social pursuits a difficult o
impossible thing. especially at thos,
; seasons of the year when 'socia
diversion may be INDUCED withou
neglect OF the farm. Do not ba,
roads impose conditions that max,
| for isolation and lonesomeness
! conditions that make the work o
, the farm a goadlng monotony,
hard struggle for existence, so tie
c dious and wearisome as frequently
r to induce melancholy with IL
; attendant mental and physical ali
Z ments. conditions that drive thou
: sands to seek in the abandonment
e OF agriculture an escape from IL
) resented solitariness. Glittering gol,
e may satisfy the longings of
: miser's heart from human sympathy
d interest and comradeship. but tn
$ boy or girl whose life has beef
+ lived IN touch with nature Is NJ
K mlser. Rural social conditions mus
I give to agricultural life somethin,
I more worth while than hard mod
!. OF life with a reward OF cold gold