The Wahpeton times., 1916-12-07
SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION

: SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION
The matter of general educa-
!, tion in this country has reached A
piont where more and serious con
sideration will have to be given
the question of consolidation of
rural schools.
i OF one fact there can he no uucs
tion. our country has reached !,
period in it's history when it's peo-
pie must be given education. Ig
norancc and illiteracy are no
longer compatible with twentieth
century life.
i, Every person at all familiar
with conditions under which the
country schools are maintained,
knows that under these conditions
Lit is ahsurcd to even hope that ~
child may obtain IA competent ed
ucation therein. With a school
house To every two or three miles
of Tertiary, dividing uo the at
tendance and multiplying the
number of teachers. two unavoid-
able consequences result-terms
are shortened and inferior teach
crs are employed.
j 1t is a fact, patent to all intelli-
gent observers, that to attain this
as his or her life work. and must
labor to equip themselves for ef-
htient service. To this end there
must be sufficient imducement.
The utter absurdity of three or
four months term al S25 $50 per
month furnishing that induce
me 1t. is plain to all.
;; One of the greatest possible
detrim"nts to tn. proper educa-
t,on of chili is an incompetent
teacher. and that the conditins
just described are fast flooding
the land with lot of incompetent :
is plain tn all. And the child is
the sufferer. Where he should
ID" rightly and thoroughly ground
. ;"h in all the different branches,
IN reality h" frequently has but
an imperfect. and sometimes even
a wrong ground mark tn build on,
tHe results of which are seen il,
the worfully inefficient lives of so
many of our people.
Again. it is too plain even for
argument. that no community can
: educate its children on three and
: four m'',thS terms of school
Practically tl" entire accumula-
tons of the short term are forgot
ten during the long vacation.
There are. then. two indsput.
able REQUESTS to the proper educ;,
ti"n of our rural population
c"mp"'rn, Instructors and school
terms sufficiently long. OF course
i'm the drn>rly populated district !.
school can he maintained of suf-
ticrnt SiZ" to g,larantr" the lcngtt
of term. as this depends almost
entirely on the per capita am
given the term. with an cdrqlai,
, salary. III" competent teacher i.
ra~ily secured and the children's
) best interests conserved
But iii the sparSrly settled dis
tt lets this is not the case. and hcl
arises The imperative need of con-
I >olidatinn--rrducing the plumber
;. of schools. thereby increasing tho
: funds available for each. thus in
: surfing thr desired results of /;
longer term and more cnmortcn
l teacher.
AS t" just how consolidation
p may best b" accomplished mus
! h" left almost entirely to loca
| conditions to determines. Til,
public conveyance plan is workin:
5 well i'm many sections and aidin:
K ia the solution. But as we state,
I this is entirely a local queStio,
Il and must be worked out locally.
+ The important point is tina; tn,
= people be brought to see the ab.
+ soIutr necessity for sufficic I
|, consolidation of our schools to a,
.complish the desired results
J. Given this conviction. we have n,
$ fears but the solution of TIN
q problem of ways and means viii
q be worked out.