Weekly journal-miner., 1916-02-02

in at night, with plenty Of others to keep me warm. At first I slept but little. I was cross in school the next day. My head ached and l was home sick. Honestly now do you wonder why? I did not teach exceptionally well at first. I know that without any comment from my patrons. At the table I w" shaped my elbows and ate as good a meal as the woman could prepare from her scanty cup board. The average country teacher will not join in singing a hymn oi praise to the average country house keeper, especially the one that boards the teacher. I complained not. l faced my problem and finally the folks fixed up an old house for me and l slept there with only one boy to keep me company.
 That settled one end of my prob lem, but it doesn't settle it for hun dred thousand rural teachers, whose only solution is putting up with the inconvenience until the term ends. Putting up with the inconvenience for the term solves the question for the teacher, for the next year an application in a dozen town seldom fails of a return. Now, Mir. Farmer, the question of the school enters. If this years teacher is a success, then why not try to retain him or herr Why allow the teacher of experience to leave for town school? You can only answer that the teacher de sires to go and the present laws are such that force dare not be used.
 Country School Equipment I was a young teacher. 1 wanted, more than everything else, to make good. I was anxious to succeed in my chosen profession. l am sure that you will say that is an admirable ambition. Yet, when l entered my school. I found it horribly equipped. An old desk that was hopeless, an old stove that was even worse, a register, and a few scattered report blanks were included with the desk and building. The building was cheap and dangerous to the health of the children. I was downcast at my pros poets.
 The stove had habit of dropping its grate into the ashpan. Now do not laugh at the wrath of the teacher. Think only for a moment about the [ danger of allowing little children to sit in a cold school room while the teacher coaxes the hot grate to cool enough for handling, and get the same replaced, and fire started. 1 know or several severe colds acquired in this. manner. Some of the children were sick and were forced to remain at home from this cause The built ing itself was poorly lighted. This caused no end of inconvenience and waste of precious time.
 My first step was to ask the clerk to call meeting of the board, which he did. They were amazed at the case l presented, but owing to the fact that I vas .l earnest about teacn- i1g, arI had succeeded fairly well, they d.d their best and repaired the building as much as possible. How ever, the fear of expense and the an ger of their neighbors prevented them from finishing tine work started. Af- ter the term was half completed l could do nothing as they thought it would be another teacher next year so what was the difference.
 A Short Cut to the Main End.
 These were only part of my trou- bles. l was sincere in my desire to help those little ones who came to me l wanted to teach them to be good and useful men and women. I found the local congressman a worthy ally and he ordered big wall map from the nited States Department ot Interior. This helped me in geogra- phy. 1 nave fought the year through and the school has gained. I would like to stay, but if I wish to rise in my profession I must go where l can nave the tools to work with. l must go where the hand method of working has been superseded by ad- vanced machinery. The majority of country school teachers can tell the same tale of handicap, of impossible conditions, and no chance for sue cess.
 l realize this has an exception. Sev- eral places where enlightened boarls have made the effort, every one O. these handicaps nave been changed. Every advantage of the town school has been added to these schools and the same teacher has taught for e number of years. I asked one teacher why he did not go to town school