The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-11-01
English Section Election
OF Officers First at Big
State Association Meeting

teachers this morning on the subject,
General Teaching Methods.
Home economics more than any
other subject brings the home and
school into close relationship. 1t
strengthens the home lessons and en-
eourages higher standards of living.
We must look to this subject to teach
respect for labor and the laboreE. to
establi sh habits of cleanliness, order
Illness, economy and accuracy, to show
the the vital relation between food and
knowledge of foods, clothing. hygiene
and sanitation in order that they may
protect not only their own health but
the health of the family and expend
the income intelligently as regards
both food and clothing. The girls OF
today are the women of tomorrow.
and IL we would prevent the passing
OF the American home, we must teach
through home economies reverence
for the home, for the family and the
family life-for the family is still the
unit of civilization. The importance
of the home and its affairs has never
been so keenly felt as since we enter
ed this terrible war. It is a patriotic
duty to make our pupils familiar with
the terms of food conservation, thrift.
economy and elimination of waste.
THE call of our President is not
alone for the American housewife, but
for every teacher OF home economics
who is shaping the ideals OF the flu
turew omen of America. Let there be
no slackers!"+
Only in It's Infancy.
The American public school Is only
lin the infancy OF its usefulness, N. G..
Macdonald, state superintendent of
vised North Dakota teachers at the
first general session of the North Da-
kota Educational association, held at
the municipal auditorium.
The old American school as we
know 1t has served well its day. It
out of which we are rearing a mighty
and magnificent temple of learning
that shall be for America a crown of
glory to its long list of achievements
for centuries to come. But a new and
better and more efficient school is
coming in, and coming rapidly to do
better most of the things that IL did
once so we'll.
Our own temple of learning, repre-
senting the new American school, is
one in many of its aspects masnif-
cent structure. With its original land
grant of 100000 acres, soon to be
worth in the markets of the world
over $65, 1000, 900, with its 5000 teach
the 100000 spent annually upon its
maintenance, and with the temple
now In process of construction costing
S14,000,000, 1t represents an achieve
ment of which we may well be proud.
Other states OF the nation may have
done well, but none has done better"
R6raI school Problem.
Taking up the rural school prob
lem, superintendent Macdonald said:
"Seventy-five per cent of our chill
dren in this state live upon the farms
Seventy-nve per cent of the tax in
come comes from the farms, but less
than ~ per cent (11.S) of farm chill
nf F~h
grade, only 20 per cent complete the
eighth grade, and the disgracefully
low average of 4.6 per cent complete
the twelfth grade. The city children
make a showing that is bad enough,
but more than so per cent of the city
children are doing work of high
school grade, 81 per cent complete the
eighth grade, and 80 per cent complete
the twelfth grade. And when Ii comes
to normal schools and colleges, the
cities OF course make a much better
showing than the farms, and for the
major reason that their elementary
and high school privileges and oppor-
tunities are greater in every way; and
what is true in North Dakota Is true
of at least three-fourths of the states
in the American union, and that
makes It all the more a most seriout
matter" .-
The Country. Boy.
Consider. for instance, in our own
state the case or the country boy. He
is the states greatest single asset, be-
cause he represents in numbers the
largest Of any one of the four groups
of school children, for there are more
country boys than there are country
girls, and there are more country
boys than there are city girls and city
boys combined. and yet he represents
the smallest number and the lowest
per cent completing the eighth grade
and enrolling in and completing the
high school On the percentage basis
there are four times as many city
girls completing the eighth grade as
farm boys. There are six times as
many doing high school work as there
are farm boys; there are thirteen
times as many OF these girls complet-
ing the twelfth grade as there are of
these boys.
"The per cent Of farm boys complet-
ing the twelfth grade is just 3; for the
farm girls ii is 6. while that of the
city boys is % and that of the city
girl is 80. What waste there is
here, and what tragedy behind II
There are school teachers and
school administrators who remain ST.
lent, safe and secure in the enjoyment
of money wrung from country boys,
who are kept out of school to help
pay the taxes to help pay their salar-
les. They remain silent and inactive
when the actual per cent of attend
ance for country boys in their schools
is less than So; when the per cent Of
those completing the eighth grade is
the twelfth grade Is only 3.