The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1917-05-18

will not be much better or wiser imam
the teachers. The School improve
ment Associations should help raise
the standard for teachershlp.
Think of the contrast between the ;
city and the country school teacher
in point of organization ana super
visiOn,-the aid rendered the CITY
teacher Gy superintendent, prlhclp-
ais, etc, the country teachers rract-
ical isolation, visited only seldom by
the County Superintendent 10 pc
come a city teacher,-One must be d
graduate of a high school and OF
normal school. and in some places
have a year OF practice sometimes
on the country children before tax
ing the class And yet the teacher
in the country school, who must DO so
many more and different things, must
render SO much more in the way OF
service of all kinds, has less prepara-
ton than the city teacher for her I'M
portant work At the tender age OF
eighteen, often, with very little pro-
fessional knowledge, she is supposed
to have the power OF leadership In the
community, to be able to teach all
subjects in all grades and to be her
own Board of Education, Superinten-
dent and Supervisor. The teacher
in the country school should have as
good an education and as much siren
9Th and power as those anywhere
else.
There must be high schools within
reach of all country children. We
must set our faces towards the goal
OF a high-SchCol education for every
country child. In the city there are
ether means of education and develop
ment offered, classes in the Young
Mems and Young WOmen's Christian
Associations. continuation classes,
night school, etc. AS regards in
dustrial and vocational education there
is far more need for scientific training
in the country than in the city.
There must be information as to
the chemistry of the soil, the plants
Ito cultivate and those to destroy, the
life history of the various
animals that help feed the population,
etc Courses are needed in book
keeping, banking, buying and selling
if the man in the country, especially
the farmer, is to carry on his business
intelligently. City men can accom-
plish much be mere imitation; count
ry men must know the underlying
principles. Besides, in the country
conditions change from year to year.
The course of study should be fit
ted to the needs of those that live in
the country. Some things the city and
country child have in common
the cultivation of reason and 1magi-
nation, and of aesthetic appreciation,
everybody needs; the things pertain
! ing to citizenship do not diner very
largely in city and country. All men
must make a good honest living by
good honest labor. You cannot be self
respecting and live off other people
This means that the country schools
must undertake q vocational educa-
ton different from that of the city
The country boy must have the kind
of education that will make him take
hold on the life he is to live and the
work he has to do.
There is time only to mention brief
ly the physical things for improving
the schoolroom-pianos pictures and
the like, and the opportunity for the
School Improvement Associations to
help the teachers select them. If the
teacher does not know how to make
the school the community center the
Association should help. President
Wilson has said that we must send
the people to school to themselves
In the multitude of counsel there is
wisdom" Let me urge that the work
of the schools and the teachers be up,
held. We are fighting for the free
dom of man; there can be no free.
dom without the education of man
Pestalozzi said: Would God thai
some angel would fly through the hills
and valleys of this country and pro
claim in thunderous tones-'Thert
can be no freedom without the edu
cation of man" What will it amour
to if we conquer. if at the same time
we lower our own ideals and our OWL
possibilities of attaining that free
dom?
Let us then see to it that there i!
no lowering of the efficiency of the
school system. Whether the war b.
long or short the children in thu
schools must be prepared for life:
responsibilities. We must be read,
to teach the lesson of lifting up hui
manity, by giving to every unit o
population the fullest possible devel
opment, the best possible preparation
for the work which lies before US
BY Dr. p. p. Claxton. United State
Commissioner of Education.