Evening journal., 1915-11-02
TUESDAY NOV. 2, 1915
RURAL SCHOOLS AND CONSOLIDATION.

Ne
II the interest the improvement of county schools
a pamphlet entitled "The Story of Rural school
consolidation in Indiana" Is being circulated In view
Of the fact that il shows how prejudice given way
and how better rural education has effected and
in view Of the further fact that Commissioner Wagner
Of our State Board Of Education and the three county
superintendents in State working for consol
dation, the showing made Indiana should interest all
Delawareans and do much them to the con-
soidaton idea.
The pamphlet shows that Indiana has set the seal of
doom on the one-room. one-teacher district school
In its stead has the consolidated rural
school with its slogan Of better health better society
better living conditions, better roads better men and
better womenhe crowning glory OF better educational
facilities.
Trustees who took advantage Of the laws and sue
ceeded in abandoning poorly attended schools soon
found that the combined schools did better work and
that there was greater interest displayed by both
teachers and pupils. There developed keen competi-
ton between classes and classmen. The smart child
from the abandoned injected new ginger into
the star of the augmented school The teachers caught
the spirit Of competition and began striving to make
both classes and pupils excel those In the next room
The humdrumness Of pedagogical toll vanished The
township trustees threw back their shoulders and point
ed with pride TO the achievements and the patrons
had TO admit that radical change for the better had
come schools and homes
Trustees in other townships heard boasts Of the
their weaker schools. Then they too began feeling
out their patrons for similar experiment
Probably the most effective work for school consoda
uon IN Indiana has been done by parents who wished
their children to enjoy educational advantages super
ior 10 those offered by the one-room district school
These progressves send their children TO
the nearby towns where the elementary grades were
better taught and there the additional advantage
OF high school This situation was well illustrated
IN jackson township Carroll county In 1900 the year
eiter indianas compulsory education law was passed
me trustee OF Jackson township interviewed his pa
irons on the subject consolidating several weak
schools But opposition developed with such force that
system. o'u
several patrons who had favored consolidation de-
eueo 20 obtain better school facilities for their chill
oren by sending them to Camden and Flora ,o,~h,
towns. They paid the transportation hr, .,,
and provided for other expenses incidental 70 ,b
ehanee The result Of the experiment was that thei
onloren displayed new interest in their studies ana
refused TO return 10 the old one-room one.teacber
style OF education In Camden and Flora thew eniovoa
STUDY and recitation because Of the larger classes ana
the competition for merit They became the envv ~
the other rural children because they went TO town n
school The result that there soon spread owe,
Carroll county juvenile discomfort that nro,
ed effective in creating friends for the consolidate
school movement All OF the children wanted tow,
methods applied to country schools. The result wa
that Carroll county became progressive educationa
center
In an editorial the report. as given above III
Louisville CourierJournal says Prejudice was grad
ualiy worn down by argument in Indiana. Nearly 200
one-room school houses been closed and replace
by 655 well-equipped consolidated schools The outer
against expense Of wellplanned well-ventilated well
heated school buildings developed competition anon
architects which resulted in reduction OF construc
ton cost and upkeep a point which the consoli
dated schools economical compared with the one
room school houses The children are taught in fire
proof buildings with the best sanitary plumbing
sanitary drinking fountains, modern heating systems
the right light for studying without injury to eye anc
other facilities undreamed OF in the days OF the one
room school Domestic science scientific agriculture
ano manual training emphasized in the curriculum
inolana farmers who at first sconed at the idea OF
'eacning farming at school, are not only willing 10
p 1per children with their lessons but also glad to
absorb some Of the education themselves"