The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1916-12-08
SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION.

SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION
The matter of general education in
this country has reached point
where more and serious consideration
will have to be given the question OF
consolidation of rural schools.
Of one fact there can be no ques-
tioI, our country has reached per-
iod in it's history when its people
must be given education. Ignorance
and illiteracy are no longer compati-
BILE with twentieth century life.
Every person at all familiar with
conditions under which these condi-
tons are maintained, knows that I'M
der these conditions it is absurd to
even hope that child may obtain q
competent education therein. With
school house to every two or three
miles of territory, dividing up the at
tendance and multiplying the num-
Der of teachers, two unavoidable con-
sequences result terms are shortened
and inferior teachers are employed.
1t is a fact, patent in all intelligent
observers, that to attain to any pro-
ficiency in teaching, the person must
choose this as his or her life work,
and must labor to equip themselves
for efficient service. To this end
there must be sufficient inducement.
The utter absurdity of three or
four months term at $25 or $50 per
month furnishing that inducement, is
plain to all.
One of the greatest possible detrl-
mentS to the proper education of
child is an incompetent teacher, and
that the conditions just described are
fast flooding the land with lot of
incompetents is plain to all. And
the child is the sufferer. Where he
should be rightly and thoroughly
grounded in all the different branches,
in reality he frequently has but an
imperfect, and sometimes even
wrong groundmark to build on, the
results of which are seen in the woe
fully inefficient lives of so many Of
our people.
Again, it is too plain even for ar
gument, that no community can edu-
cate its children on three and four
months terms of school. Practically
the entire accumulations of the short
term are forgotten during the long
vacation.
There are, then, two indisputable
requisites to the proper education OF
our rural population-competent in
structors and school terms suffic-
iently long. Of course, in the densely
populated districts, schools can be
maintained Of sufficient size to guar
antee the length Of term, as this de-
ponds almost entirely on the per cap
tia, and given the term, with an ade-
quate salary, the competent teacher
is easily secured and the children's
test interests conserved.
But in the sparsely settled dis
.tricts this is not the case, ard here
ariss the imperative need Of CONSOLE
acknowledging the number OF
schools, therby increasing the funds
available of each, thus insuring the de-
sired results Of longer term and
more competent teacher.
As to just how consolidation may
best be accomplished, must be left
almost entirely to local conditions to
determine. The public conveyance
plan is working well in many Sec
tons. The development of good roads
is also having beneficial effect and
aiding in the solution. But as we
stated, this is entirely local ques-
ton and must be worked out locally.
The important point is that the
people be brought to see the absolute
necessity for sufficient consolidation
Of our schools to accomplish the de-
sired results. Given this conviction,
we have no fears but the solution Of
the problem Of ways and means will
be worked out.