South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-08-22
Rural Students
Are Benefited by
Vocational Law

OF the many conspicuously pro-
gressive laws enacted by fhe dem
ocratic legislature under the adj
minIstrauons OF Marshall and Raj
ston and put into operation and de-
veloped by democratic officials Is
the vocational education law. In
fact there is hardly a law on the
statute books Of any state more far
reaching in its benefits To all class
es OF people in the cities and in the
rural districts. than that of vOca-
tional education Under the personal
direction of State Sup't Charles a.
Greenhouse and his assistants. In
diana has pushed rapidly TO the front
and is recognized as one OF the
model states i'm this as well as IN
her development of the consolidat-
ed rural schools
Indiana has made universal and
legal. vocational instruction in her
schools and is one of the states to
recognize home-making as IA voca-
ton and to provide for teaching,
not only the girls in the elementary
and high schools. but the girls who
have dropped out of school and the
women in the home who desire to
increase their present home eff
cheney. The state law itself reaches
not, only into the school room but
directly into the home. where in
struction is given in those things
that are Of practical use through
out the life of the student
Many Are Benefited.
According TO report just made.
during the past school year approx
mately 10000 girls in the seventh
and eighth grades Of the elemen-
tary schools of Indiana have re-
ceived instructions in home making.
while in the high school approx
mately $4,000 girls have so prof
tilted. In the special vocational
schools for ,nstructing girls and wo-
men out of the schools, there was an
enrolment of 256 girls in all day
hOme-making schools, 1870 girls
and women in part-time schools and
6,159 in evening schools. In the
rural districts the class of domestic
science and agriculture has been de-
veloped in the study of practical
topics.
OF the more than $4,000 girls in
the elementary and high schools
Of Indiana, who have profited in the
last year by school instruction in
home-making. gully 80 percent are
from the rural districts. These girls
are taking into their homes the new
scientific aspects of cooking. sewing
and household economy. and are
uniting these with the practical ex-
perience Of their mothers 10 improve
the farm home
Taught Crop Growing.
The boys and young men on the
farm have been taught in crop grow
ing stock raising and all features
| looking TO greater efficiency in ALI
parts of farm work. Feeding Of
stock has been reduced 10 science.
the testing of seed. preparation Of
soil for planting. care of crops dur
ing growth. marketing of the crops
and all essential features have been
given careful and practical attention
by instruction. not only in the schools
but on the farms. Glasses have been
organized in the districts.
In the department of vocational
agricultural instruction alone the
summer classes under date of June
I 30th. 1916 showed a total enrolment
| of 50. 765. September. 1915, TO June
/ 3Oth, 1916, completing the year. had
an enrolment Of 319.3S3, this max
| ing a total for the year of 373.14S.
! on this point the report concludes.
| should this instruction 10 Indiana :
I future farmers increase the yield
/ of corn one bushel per acre. there
/ would be added annually TO the
! wealth of the state. $l,SSO,OO0. An
/ increase of one bushel of wheat per
acre would add $2.5OO.OOO TO the
| farmers annual incomes The con-
| troll of hog cholera would save In
diana farmers $1,000, 600 annually.
/ Judging by results that have been
obtained We may confidently expect
a financial return to the farmers of
the state that would greatly exceed
these figures