Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1914-09-25
HOW TO IMPROVE
OUR RURAL SCHOOLS
(By II. NJ. Culbertson)

causes and effects, gives to each new
born person more or less ability,
strength as well as weakness and
somewhat in the same proportion as
these are to be found in it's parent
age of one or more generations. Con-
sidered in a general way, the child
IS product of its heredity and en-
lyironment. Associate child with
abundance of that which produces a
smile and a smile becomes one of it's
individual characteristics, but a gen
Grafton or two of parentage, well es-
tablished by early culture of the
same, would probably be required to
establish this as a productive char
acteristic of the child. Certain
things are being developed in this
way by the breeder foods and enyir-
onment having been found to have
decided influences upon animal life.)
As a people we have left practic-
ally all, at least, too much of the
! training Of the child to what we term
school but today are beginning to
question the correctness of the Gus
tom. We even ask ourselves, What
IS wrong with our method OF de-
Veloping humanity, physically and
mentally?' We have not been asso-
ciating an organism with conditions
suited only to the development of
the desired traits or characteristics.
The manufacturer or merchant
wishing to employ an assistant of
unusual industry and perseverance
oftentimes seeks the country boy or
girl, because in them these traits
have been developed. The reason is,
! their association with that kind Of
life has established this within them.
| They possess no more natural abil-
ity, but have been occupied more
substantially. If book learning would
have best fitted them for life's work
this might not have been the result,
for the city youth has greater ad-
yantages IN this respect. Again, the
city trained man or woman too may
be the most satisfactory help in the
country, a narrowness may be pres
ent which it will be difficult to over
come.
City life, with its educational ad-
vantages, does not generally furnish
the best material for nation. Fur
nish every factor that the country
Child needs for his education in the
country and let his country home be
his home until he is developed, then
if the city must have him to develop
its future let him go. l am opposed
to giving the country boy or girl his
OF her early education in the city.
The child with a we'll developed
country life knowledge never needs
to take the second place for capabili-
ties. OF course he may not be way
wise in some things.
Give the boy or girl schooling that
! Is constantly associated with life's
problems. Keep them in the country
! in the midst of the field of activities
where original things and ideas de-
velop and prove out in practice. And
most of all give the farm boy an
abundance of the practices and sci
ences in agriculture, for it is the
! greatest and deepest of all industries
and studies, and dependencies of the
nation, but give it to him in most
| part when he is in his country home,
and in schools established for this
| 81 celtic purpose and in such way
that each days studies may be dem
onstrated in actual practice. Give
him an education that shall not
Wither and fade away with little
absence from usage and leave him
unprepared but that which will es-
tablish with him broad capability
for good common sense.
The rural school question is one
in which a great number of people
are deeply interested today and very
many realize that the present meth
DDS are unsatisfactory. Every day
some time in every school should be
devoted to the practical things of
everyday life; the soils and farm
crops and what becomes of them
commercially; that they have a value
and it is their value and transporta-
ton that produces the worlds bust
ness. The older enjoy short lectures
| in the lay Of the earth's surface and
formation, and the construction of
railway lines, and forests and their
uses.
Plant and animal life should be
two comprehensive studies in the ru-
raj school, but no subject should be
advanced too rapidly, because then
discouragement and a lack of inter
est follows.
Among the advanced pupils a plan
n