The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-01-16
CONSERVE THE
COUNTRY BOYS
SAYS MACDONALD
Superintendent of Instruc-
ton Declares They Are
Most Valuable Asset

A plea for better schools for the
girls and boys Of the country districts
of the state was made by State Supt.
| n. G. Macdonald, who spoke on Rural
| Education at the afternoon session OF
| the Tri-State Grain Growers con
| Vention on Tuesday. He said the III
| tie one-room schoolhouse belongs to
the day of the walking plow and the
ox-drawn wagon as compared with
| the school requirements Of today that
were likened to the gang ploW ana
| the automobile.
The country boys" said superin-
tendent Macdonald, <"are the most
valuable asset of the state" In this
connection the speaker urged the
formation of consolidated school dis
tricts wherever they can be anorded.
Only through the consolidated schools
can the facilities to which they are
rightfully and lawfully entitled be
brought to the children of the farm.
In the consolidated schools It is pos
sible to get and hold well trained
teachers. The difficulty of finding
teachers who are qualified to do the
primary and higher grade work was
pointed out and emphasized.
The consolidated school affords the
only opportunity to bring to the boys
and girls of the farm the high school
privileges when and where they Will
do them the most good; The boys ana
girls do not have to leave nome Dut
can help with the work on Saturdays
and between times"
An illustration was cited where the
enrolment of a consolidated school,
started last year, was ia per cent.
The students had come in from out
side districts to make up the extra IA
per cent In the 447 consolidated
schools of the state there are, the
sneaker said, $4,000 students enrolled
over 5000 doing high school work,
while not over 800 would be doing the
advanced work II they had to go away
from home to reach high school
Another argument advanced in IA
vor of the consolidated school is the
civic and social opportunities it at
foFds. Here the farmers clubs ana
the women's clubs hold their meet
ings and give the people chance to
things that interest them. The use
of the consolidated schools for mold
ing community schools, where young
and old may have the opportunity to
learn anything at any time, was sug-
gested.
II it is not possible to consolidate
the districts the schools should be
brought to the standard for rural dis
tricts The statistics quoted showed
that only 3 per cent of the boys in
the rural districts and 8 per cent of
the girls complete the high school
course as compared with "a per cent
of the boys and 81 per cent Of the
girls in the city and village schools.
At the present time only IL per cent
of the pupils in the rural schools are
enrolled in the high school grades
while in the villages and cities the
enrolment is COS per cent. The per
centage Of city girls enrolled who fin
ished the eighth grade last year was
"a as compared with 35 for the girls
Of the rural schools. In the cities 81
per cent Of the boys enrolled in the
cities finished the grades and in the
country only 25 per cent. Still these
boys will soon be the men who will
handle the business of the farm.