The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1915-12-23
CAMPAIGN FOR BETTER
RURAL SCHOOLS.


and education another. They
should always be the same, with
the one objective of leading the
thought and activities of the ris-
ing generation to a plane well
above that of the preceding.
In some respects Lewis county
schools are well to the front with
advanced educational methods,
particularly along the line OF
community interests, but other
wise, as elsewhere, we follow the
beaten paths, the lines of least
resistance.
In his forthcoming annual re-
port Secretary Lane Of the U. S.
Department of Agriculture sug-
gests the need for national cam
paign for a better rural school.
He speaks of young America, our
22,O00,0O00 school boys and girls,
as the chief resource of the ma
ton, and asks, care we doing
all possible to develop this re-
source?" His report continues:
If there is any one Of our in
situations in which the American
people take undisguised pride and
of which they feel justified in
boasting, it is the public school
system, for this is "the greatest
Of American Inventions" and the
most successful social enterprise
yet undertaken by the people.
The American people are not
indifferent to their schools. Quite
otherwise. They pay for their
support almost as much as they
do for the support of the entire
federal government; in round
numbers, three-quarters Of a
billion dollars a year, which
keeps an army of 100000 teach
ers at work. Education is in
deed our foremost industry, from
whatever point of view it may be
regarded. Yet | am assured that
it has made less progress than any
of our other industries during the
past 80 years. With all the mar
velous record Of what the mind of |
a quick people may produce to
make life happier and nature more
serviceable, how little can be |
shown as our contribution to the |
methods Of improving the mind
and skill Of the young! We have
gone to Europe-to Italy, Swift
zerland, Germany and Denmark
chiefly-for the new methods
with which we have experiment
ed, and Japan has found a way to
instruct through the eyes and the
hands that will make these very
practical people still more dis
Yet here and there under rare
leadership may be found in this
country the most striking proofs
Of what can be done to tie our !
schools to our life. The hope is
eventually to make the school
what it should be, the very heart
of the community-social club
and cooperative center as well as
school. l.
There would seem to be moth {
ing visionary in such hope. To t
effect this evolution there is need II
I'd primarily leadership, and this a
he government must give ii it is e
@ realize it's desire for a people t
Who are both skilled and happy. t
The spirit Of our people is against n
paternal government. We do S
lot take with kindness to an e
that is mandatory. a
There is sound belief that Il
,eople who make their own way G.
re in the end ripper and of strong k
r fiber than those who accept W
yhat is not the result Of common il
But this spirit Of tc
intense individualism does not fs
lake us Independent Of or in OF
ifferent to useful methods and m
elpful standards. And it is these ii
nat we can reveal. 1t is these in
nat we should find and place in OF
,rvice, rather than force the dis
schools Of the land to su
eel their way out or "muddle
rough. " We may not command tn
1T we may show how" This tn
democracy's substitute for alb We
luteism in the effort to secure
The country is dotted with ex-
farms which prove an
i values and the farmer of to- We.
y is learning from the govern Gu
mt how great and all-embrac- bri
, must be the knowledge neces- era
y to the carrying on of his toy
rk, for he must know Of chem mo
y, mechanics, markets, finance the