The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-04-08
TEACHERS AND
OFFICERS MEET
ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL MEETING
OF BRookINes COUNTY is
HELD SATURDAY
SEVERAL STRONG ADDRESSES ARE MADE
Meeting is Attended BY Representa-
tives From Practically Every Rur-
al School in the County

The annual school officers and
teachers meeting was held at the
opera house in this city last Saturday.
Two sessions were held, the morning
meeting commencing at ten-thirty and
the afternoon gathering at one-fifteen.
The afternoon meeting was of course,
the important one and it was attended
by representatives from practically
every rural school in Brookings coun-
ty. County Superintendent Blakely is
to be congratulated upon the splen-
did success of his first meeting.
The morning session was an inter
esting one. 1t opened with music by
Prof. C~hristensen's orchestra, which
was much enjoyed. A teachers and
officers round table was cosducted by
Prof. Stivers of the State College and
this occupied the entire time of the
session. The teachers and officers
brought up many questions upon rural
school matters and these were thresh-
ed out, making the session a very bene-
fetal one to everyone present.
The afternoon meeting was in
charge of County Superintendent
Blakely. The first number was music
by Christensen's- orchestra, followed
by a vocal solo by Dean Hedge and
later in the program the high school
girls glee club gave a number. The
musical numbers were fine and added
greatly to the enjoyment Of the meet
ing.
The first address was given by Prof.
B. E. McProud of the State College,
his subject being, "The Rural School
as a Social Center" Prof. McProud
said that the boys and girls Of the
future must be more efficient, for So
ciety is becoming more complex and
industry more intricate, and to be sue
cessful the mar and oma of the
future must be better trained than
were their fathers and mothers. The
greatest need of South Dakota at the
present time, said the speaker, was
tn reorganization of the rural school
system. The many problems of rural
life cannot be successfully solved
without the aid of the rural schools,
and they must be organized to do this
work. The rural school, said Prof.
McProud, should be the social center
of the community. 1t should organize
and vitalize the activities of the COM
munity and should organize and direct
all rural problems. Prof. McProud
said that the opportunity was in every
neighborhood for such a social center,
but the people themselves would have
to take the initiative in order to make
it the proper kind of success.
Prof. E. E. Arnott of the Volga
schools, talked on Bricks Without
Straws." Prof. Arnott's talk was a
good practical one, dealing with every
day problems of the schools. He urg-
ed the school officers to give the teach
ers every assistance in the way of
equipment, and only by the aid of
these straws could the brick be com
pleted.
Prof. Atherton of Madison, was on
the program for an address, but he
was unable to get here and Prof.
Stivers took his place. Prof. Stivers
gave a short but good talk on rural
school matters.
One of the best addresses of the
afternoon was given by Prof. Brown
ing of the Brookings schools. We give
his address in full:
Tennyson could take a worthless
sheet of paper and write a poem upon
1t and make it worth Sc, 5O0-that's
genius. Vanderbilt can write a few
words on a worthless sheet of paper
and make it worth $12, 600, 000-that's
capital. The u. 8. can take an ounce
and a quarter Of gold and stamp an
eagle bird on it and make 1t worth $40
that's money. A mechanic car take
material worth IS and make it into
pen-knives worth $1,000-that's skill.
A merchant can buy an article for 75c
and sell it for $1.00-that's business.
A ditch digger can work 8 hours a day
and remove several tons Of dirt and
receive $3.00-that's labor. A lady can
buy a hat for $3.50 but she prefers one
that costs $27.00-that's foolishness.
A teacher who can keep sweet under
every trying circumstance incident to
her work in the school though she re-
ceive less pay than half the tips Of q