The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1908-current, 1916-01-11
PROBLEM OF THE
RURAL SCHOOLS
DISCUSSED BY Mr.. DOYNt
NORMAL SCHOOL PRESIDENT
WRITES ON HIGHLY I'M
PORTANT QUESTION.

One OF Ine most logical and care
fully-prepared studies of the rural
school problem in this state which
has recently appeared in print is a
paper on the subject by President j.
j. Doyne of the Arkansas State Nor
NAL School, which is published in the
latest quarterly bulletin of the Nor
NAL. Inasmuch as the subject is one
of vital interest to almost every one
of the Log Cabin Democrats readers
and as the circulation of the bulletin
is limited mainly to prospective stu
dents of the Normal, this paper is
republishing President Doyne's ar
ticle below:
Much has been written of late on
this most important question, and the
efforts of those who are vitality in
terested inl its solution have deem di-
rected toward awakening those whose
cooperation is necessary, if condi-
lions are to be improved in the
schools for eighty per cent of the
children of our commonwealth.
The basic aim of education, adap-
tation to environment and prepara-
ton for relatively complete living,
demands that the training of the
child shall, as nearly as possible be
of such character as shall fit him to
become a useful member of society
Hence the tendency to develop the
practical along with the cultural has
grown rapidly of recent years es-
pecially. The city child rarely has
an ambition to become a dweller in
the country, making living off the
soil, and identifying himself with the
yeomenry of the land. Unfortunate
ly the reverse is too often the case
with the country youth. The drudg-
cry of farm life, the monotony of his
daily activities, the poor returns for
his labor, the lack of social inter
course and the lure of the city, as
he learns more and more of its gar
ish attractions and fatuous opportu-
mites, prey upon him and make him
more and more discomfort with his
lot, till finally the city claims him.
Ere long he realizes his mistake yet
hope that all may yet be well.
If these things are to be corrected,
it must be done through the agency
of the schools. Their courses must
be re-organized, their relation to!
home and community life must be
established, and their influence must
be made potent for bringing the
lives of the community into closer re-
lationship, awakening community
pride, arousing latent powers, and
pointing out the possibilities that
their surroundings afford for develop
ing progressive, prosperous and
contented rural citizenship,
Considering conditions as they OBJ
tain in many rural schools, the fol-
lowing may be mentioned as some of
the most serious apparent defects:
WASTE OF TIME.
In many schools pupils are re-
quired to go over the same ground
too much. The teacher who has
cargo of a given school fails to leave
a definite report of the advancement
made by pupils, and the teacher who
follows must make his own classif-
cation of the pupils. Too often he
takes it for granted that his prede-
cessor has not done his work well,
and hence the ground must be gone
over again and pupils thus are re-
quired to mark time in many of their
studies. Again, too little attention
is paid to a definite program of reel
tation and of study, and time is
wasted in aimless work on the part
of both teacher and pupil 1t may
be the teacher has his pet subjects
and they are emphasized, to the neg
lect of other subjects more impor-
tant. The study of English, for ex-
ample, is made secondary to mathe-
matics; yet who will concede that
most of the work done in the later
subject is comparable in its after
value to the work that should be re-
quired in the former subject? In
many other ways, such as change of
classes, interruption during class
work, leaving the room, too much
talk on the part of the teacher, too
little attention to assignment of reci-
tations, and too much thought about
getting over certain amount of
ground within a specified time, this
waste goes on. AS a result, the days
go by, the pupils become dissatisfied,
and the school ends with far less &C
complished than was anticipated by
either teacher, patrons or pupils
WASTE OF MONEY.
To say nothing of the waste of
money owing to the employment of
an inefficient teacher, in most cases
there have been purchases made of