Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1914-02-06

the end of that period.
Under such a condition, the teache
scarcely learns anything of the chill
or its home, of the needs of either, Q
the community in general or has mad
any headway in the true advancement
of the conditions that were found a
| first, until the work, the child and th
school is turned over to the new Sc
lection to start all over again an,
receive neither sympathy, encourage
ment, or promise of a term Ions
enough to make much of his or he
influence felt.
The pupils of our rural school!
have learned that the Professor o.
school mistress, will be in charge OF
them for only a time to be invariably
replaced by another, and they expect
that criticisms, slurs, fault finding
and other abominable ruinous customs
will prevail; until what have we?
No possibility of cooperation; moth
ing resembling or answering to the
name of cooperation; little or no in
fuence for good by the teacher in the
community or with the growing minds
in the school.
A halting, lame, weak, and diseased
system in our rural districts, that
forbids blights and kills all that
schools and teachers are for, viz
an uplifting, purifying, a satisfy
ing, and a holding together system in
our country that breeds noble mind
ed, intelligent, clean, and enterpris-
ing, thrifty, and home loving patriotic
men and women; who respect their
honor their homes, their
community, and their teachers.
Our country school houses are,
many of them, set on land unsightly,
and deserted.
We know we have schOOlhouse. we
know there is teacher, we know our
children attend the school. Often
times this is all we know about it,
and too often | fear our actions do
not indicate we care.
The teacher has all the responsible
lty, all the care, and all the ridicule,
all the blame, and sometimes very
little else. We know he is supposed
to interest the pupils under him in
agriculture, aud we lidicule again.
In Denmark the rural school is the
home of the teacher and the teacher
is the life of that home The school
has well kept grounds and grounds
well kept by pupils and teacher. The
love of soil and soil possibility is
considered as essential in the life of
every boy and girl as is knowledge of
grammar, history, or algebra. There
is no need of "back to the soil
in country where all
are so vitally interested in it and have
learned to be by learning to love it
IN the excellnet Danish Rural Schools.
Every teacher in Denmark, grad
rate of one of their Normal Schools
md especially trained in agriculture
1t school for that purpose is not
'ecured to teach for limited time,
,ut is expected to remain indefinate
v, as a part of the life of the
community, molds the character of
he child from childhood to manhood
II womanhood, is at once the engine
or good in the school, makes of it
social center, encourages athletic
ports, strives to fashion the life, and
N example of purity and intelli-
.ence and is recognized as one of the
rmest parts of the foundation on
which is builded and rests one of the
most remarkable, one of the thrift
est, and cleanest nations on the earth.
A teacher so treated, respected,
ppreciated, and trained is a spring
f knowledge for good at which every
10Y and girl in his community drinks
eep and often; near which and of
which they grow, develop and become
len and women who are proud of
heir homes, love their teacher. and |
train their children.
Such children in such country
ave a genuine love for school, re-
pect for their teacher and develop
sincerity, purity and character that
annot obtain, that cannot eminate
rom our present system of disrespect
areless diregard of our school center
4 community life and inclination to
ave home and farm for the city.
No use to cry "back to the soil"
ere until a greater knowledge of,
aspect for, and satisfied condition on
ne soil is had; and Denmark has
hown that such is obtained at the
Duntry school where the teacher has
lifetime TO develop it
The call for trained teachers with
S was never so great as now. The
eed of teachers who are not only
osessed of book knowledge, but who
re pure minded, moral men and wo-
zen, who have a reverance for God
nd nature. and a soul filed with
esire to impart all of that to our
lildren and a hope of remaining in
lr school and community indefinate-
Z, is a need and a crying need that
ust require a change in our school
istoms.
Until We can bring ourselves to see
lat the custom of changing teachers
rery year, until we settle down t.
,cepting none but absolutely moral
en- and women, and until our rural