The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-04-05
Fargo Pastor Praises
Barnes County Schools

Fargo, March 31.-Barnes county, of
which Valley City is the county seat,
, has the honor of having what is prob
ably the only strictly rural lyceum
course In the United States. Rev. E.
, C. Ford, Of Plymouth Congregational
church returned last night from a trip
through that county as lecturer on this
course.
There are six numbers in the course,
all of them Of good interest and sew
eral of frst-class interest. The num-
bers are as follows: Harry Davidson,
tenor singer, who was trained in New
York; e. P. Getchell, illustrated lee
turer on the Yellowstone park; Rev.
E. c. Ford, Fargo, lecturer; Mrs. w. T.
Craswell, musical number; Rev. C. E.
Vermilya, Valley City, lecturer; and
the Valkota quartet.
The course is proving a financial
success. Enough season course tickets
have been sold in most of the schools
to cover the cost.
This course is entirely an oren coun-
try course among the cOnsoli dated
schools Of the county. Barnes county,
by the way leads every other county
in the United States in the matter of
rural school consolidation. While there
are Other counties which have a few
more consolidated schools, there is
none that has carried the matter Of
large four-room schools to the same
extent.
Miss Minnie j. Nelson, the emerge
tic county superintendent of schools
for the county, is to be credited not
only for this matter of consolidation
but also for the initiation of the rural
lyceum course. In the matter of the
course she has had the hearty cooper
alton of the principals Of the various
consolidated schools. d., The schools
which are cooperating in this course
either in whole or in part, are Motif
mier township consolidated, Green
cons olidated, Grand Prairie CONSOLE
dated, Getchell Prairie high school
and community and the Svea consoli
dated. This course is conducted in
dependently of all of the regular ly-
ceum organizations.
The ordinary city dweller is prob
ably not aware Of the rapid develop
ment which is taking place in many
country communities with the advent
of the consolidated schools. In Green
township they have Farmers club
which has been in active operation for
four or five years and which is the
father of the fine $4,000 consolidated
school in which school was begun last
fall for the first time. The community
also has a first-class band of 10 pieces
which can hold it's own with any city
band.
At Noltimier consolidated, besides
the emphasis which is being placed
on athletics, an agricultural fair is be-
coming an annual event. Prizes are
offered for the various displays of
farm produce and this is sufficient to
arouse much interest among the boys
and girls and many Of the older peo-
pie also
At Getchell Prairie practically the
entire community gathers once week
in a joint meeting of the Farmers
club and the Ladies' Aid society, to
listen to speakers of various kinds
and to devise. things for the better
ment of the community For four or
five years this community has sup
poAlCu q oCHOO1 NY p11NdL0 ouU-
scription but now they are talking and
working hard for consolidation of
schools.
Grand Prairie, Baldwin township, Is
very proud of their schools and realize
what a vast improvement they are
over the old system. In each place a
wholesome community life is being
developed
Uxbridge boasts of having the old.
est consolidated school in the county.
1t has been in operation for eight years
and the people are becoming more in
terested and enthusiastic each year.
Now that they have the building al
most paid for they find that the ex-
pense is not largely in excess of the
cost under the old single room system.