Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1915-10-22
GAVE TALK ON EDUCATION
MISS MARTHA WILSON OF ST.
PAUL ADDRESSED LITERARY
SECTION OF ART CLUB

PAUL ADDRESSED LITERARY
| SECTION OF ART CLUB
At the meeting of the literary Sec
tion of the Musical Art club Tuesday
evening at the library the members
had the pleasure of hearing Miss Mar
tha Wilson of the office Of the state
superintendent of education give a
talk on "Education.' Her talk last
ed about an hour and was very instruc-
tive. Before the talk by Miss Wilson
the club held parliamentary drill for
ten minutes. Mrs. L. D. Brown pre-
sided over the meeting and introduced
the speaker.
In opening Miss Wilson expressed
her pleasure in being in Little Falls
and at the club meeting and said that
she was here "to do something's but
that it also seemed that she was here
"to talk. " Following are few ex-
cerpts from her talk:
| "The school of tsday is wonderful
in many ways-in curriculum, equip
ment, etc. One Of the greatest criti-
cisms is that the school of today is
usurping everything in home instruc-
tion and home discipline. Perhaps
they are taking some Of the discipline
away from the parents and to GER
tain extent perhaps the school is TAX
ing the place Of the home.
"Now the plan is to make the school
fit all people and all needs and the
subject of vocational guides is being
introduced. The matter of vocational
guides is rather new just now; it's
chief exponent is the Central high
school at Grand Rapids, Mich. Most
schools offer nearly everything in the
way of industrial instruction and prac-
tical arts, thus making the school a
practical thing. Old subjects are be-
ing taught in new way and some
people who have been out of school
for few years can hardly help the
children of today with their school
work. The schools have also changed
much as to equipment. They are now
planning different departments, rooms,
etc., and the buildings must be en-
larged and changed to care for the new
departments. On visit to the schools
one is surprised to see the COM
plete equipment. Some of the city
high schools have botanical gardens,
blacksmith shops and even mushroom
pits. They have auditoriums as large
as small theatres and fitted elaborate
ly. The text books are also greatly
changed. The New England Primer,
published in 1890, was quite different
from the primer in the grades today,
The new England Primer contained
poems as lessons for the BEGINNER
which are hard for the average grown
person Of today to fully understand.
cone department of the school
! which is not complete in its equipment
is the school library. It is queer that
lso little attention should be paid to
what the children read after they have
once learned to read. The library
should he made practical as well as
other departments IN the school. An
effort is now on foot in this state to
: put the school library on better basis.
There are now million and half
| of books on the shelves Of the school
libraries and this department should
therefore be efficient. A new rule re-
quires that the library in every school
lmust be taken care of by some teacher
in the school and beginning with 1916
teachers must have special training for
this work. In the past there has been
great waste Of money by duplicating
many books. In one library there were
found twenty-eight books of the same
kind, where only one or two were ne
cessary, due to the lack of system
, in caring for the library. An attempt
will be made to remedy this waste Dy
putting the library on business basis.
The school is the beginning Of instruc-
: tion and the library shows that there
is no end. The library must round out
the education and therefore it's i'm
portance is great and it deserves as
much support as the school.
"Outside Of the regular school cur
riculum there are some things which
have bettered conditions. In many
places the school is the social center
for the social life Of the community,
/. and students and their friends use
them for parties, etc. In some places
school plays are very popular while
. others the gymnasiums are open and
, accessible to the young people.
"Work in the rural schools is being
watched with interest as wonderful
change is taking place there. There
, are now $500 country school houses
in Minnesota. They are Of consldera-
BILE Importance in many ways. The
consolidated schools are increasing SO
fast that no accurate figures on the
number are obtainable. The CONSOLE
dated school has come to stay because
it has gotten into fiction, Herbert
Quick having written a book called
<The Brown Mousse which deals with
. the consolidated school. In Minneso-
ia there are 221 high schools and $50
graded schools, of which number 20
give high school work.
''The school is trying to get into
closer touch with the home and to this
end teachers and parents leagues are
being formed which result in much
good. In one place the league helped
beautiful the city and fly swating
!, campaign was conducted last sum-
mer.'
At the next meeting of the literary
section Of the Musical Art club, to be
held in two weeks, Mrs. s. e. Belts
. will read a papeyaoTs t.The AWaf1ning