Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-01-04
Year 1915 Marks New Rec
ord in Development of Rural
Education in BernaIiIIo
County.
ONE GOOD BLADE WHERE
TWO BAD ONES WERE
Consolidation of School Dis
triCts and InceSSant Striv-
ing to Elevate Standard the
Secret of Success,

Reams have been written on the
history of the year 1916 and the adj
vancement that has been made by
the state and the nation during the
last twelve months Almost without
exception what has been written has
had to do with the financial condi-
ton of the country-with what has
been accomplished in the direction of
making two dollars appear where be-
fore there was only one dollar It
was a great old year, and of course
nobody begrudges anybody else the
prosperity that has been enjoyed, but
in the midst of rejoicing over the ac-
emulation of dollars and cents there
has been tendency to forget that
ether things besides business have
prospercd in the last year.
Take the matter of education and
take especially the matter of rural
education in Bernalillo county for
illustration While finaneiers have
been making two dollars appear
where only one appeared before
Atanasio Montoya and the teachers
under his direction have ben educate
ing two children where only one was
educated before. Long after the dol
lars accumulated by the financiers
have been squandered and forgotten
the children educated in the Bernalil-
10 county schools will be furnishing
the state and the nation with their
very life blood.
A Problem Solved.
When Mr. Montoya assumed office
some four years ago he found him
self face to face with a problem
with many problems in fact. one Of
the greatest Of his problems WAS to
supplant the struggling huts that
answered for schools with modern
buildings aud modern teachers that
would constitute real schools Mr..
Montoya argued that it was better
to have one good school than two poor
ones. Reversing the comparison Of
the blades of grass, it was his theory
that while it is all right to make two
blades of gress whore one grew be-
fore it was still better 10 have one
good blade of grass than two bad
ones.
Acting on this theory. Mr.. Montoya
set about to secure a consolidation Of
school districts and to establish in
the consolidated districts schools that
We're real schools Look at the pho
tograph which accompanies this
story and Judge for yourself how well
this theory worked out in practice
The small pictures in the corners
show the school houses in districts
and as they used to be. The
large picture in the center shows the
present school house built by dis
tricts and s, combined with district
%. Well lighted, we'll ventilated
well managed it is doubtful if there
IS rural school in the United states
that is its superior
Mr.. Montoya's plan was simple, but
II involved a lot of hard work. 1t
consisted in arousing the enthusiasm
of the people of the various districts
IN behalf of the education of their
children and seeing to it that their
enthusiasm took q practical form. In
the case of the school represented in
the picture referred to, an acre Of
ground was donated by J. Martin
Hayden, public spirited citizen of
the district. With this as a starter
II was easy TO get the citizens to vote
$f,500 Of bonds To erect the building
Other SCHOOLS Built.
This is only one school that has
been built within the last few months.
Since he has been in office Superin-
tendent Montoya has been instrument
tai in securing the erection of seven
others involving an average eXpendi-
ture of 50, 900 each, and of two small
er ones. He has now turned his at
tention to the mountain districts, aud