The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-01-20
Continued From Page One.

Continued From Page One.
placed on the problem before her or
she will be thrust into embarrassing
conditions. 1t seems ridiculous to
think that America has practically
reached the point where she is no
longer an exporting nation of food
products but is actually becoming de-
pendent upon foreign countries for the
real necessities of life. There has been
a prodigal neglect of the wealth of the
land. To prove this, look at the fol-
lowing:
THE United States has a population
which is fast approaching the 95,-
100000 mark and an area Of land
wherein these people may dwell
Of more than 100000 Of square
miles. The average number
of people for every square mile does
not exceed thirty-one and this figure
ranges from seventeenths of l per
cent in Nevada to sos in Rhode Island.
In round numbers. the arabic land of
this country is 935, 900, 900 acres; AGO.
600, 900 of this is included in improv-
ed farms; 100, 900 600 is not so includ-
ed and is unimproved land; while the
remaining 1880 900 acres is listed
as farm land but consists of the I'M
improved parts. The secretary of
agriculture has stated that less than
40 per cent OIL LIllS ldllA Is TGdSODdDly
well cultivated, less thai IL per cent
of 1t is yielding maximum returns.
Surely such a status Of affairs should
be too sore a spot to dwell long up
on. Work and real hard work is the
only remedy, and the younger genera
ton must come in for their share of
work and also the honor.
Consider for a moment the situa-
ton Of the average child in a rural
district and see whether he is receiv-
ing a fair equipment to help the older
folk in this great work. Without
taking time to contrast the con-
veniences of the farm house to that
of the city home-look at the educa-
tional advantages and systems. All
that the average country boy has ac-
cess to is an ~ungraded school, usual
ly a one room school and this taught
by a teacher whose entire preparation
for her work Is a training approx
mately that of the eighth grade.
North Dakota has 1854 such rural
schools with an enrolment of S5,115
average training Is that of the eighth
grade. Thus if a boy attends n OF
these schools on the average OF eighty
and one-half days or four months of
twenty days each year, his equipment
for life will consist of 1,046 days or a
little more than five years of ten
school months which has been carried
over a period Of his life from the age
OFFS to IS. The North Dakota rural
school inspector found that out Of
every 100 pupils in the rural schools
Of this state who were in the first
grade in the year 1905-only seven of
these finished the eighth grade in 1913.
Less than half of the children in rural
schools ever finished the sixth grade
about one-fourth ever enter high
schedules than eight in every
100 do the full four years
work, and less than five from every
100 receive training above the high
school. 1t Is seIf-evident that such
a training is not very proficient for
the rural child. His skill in reading
is doubtful and he has read but little
outside of the school. His knowledge
and skill in the use Of spelling, writing
and numbers is small and a disgrace
to his manhood. He knows little il