Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1921-01-28
FRIDAY, JANUARY %, 1921
THE SCHOOL. QUESTION:

state. The question has so many an
giles that 1t is impossible to do the
subject justice in the space "f II SIN
gle newspaper article. nor viii any
attempt be made 10 do so
So far as the legislature has to
do with the question II is mainly
matter of dtJiars and cents, and the
dollars and cents part of the question
is really at the base Of the whole mat
ter for without adequate financial
support any spstem of schools what
ever must be more or less OF failure
Oklahoma ranks very low among
the states in the matter Of public
schools. and the two leading reasons
for such IA condition are the fact that
never In the history Of the state have
sufficient funds been devoted to the
schools and what has been spent ON
them has not been spent in the best
manner for the good Of all
Between the State institutions Of
learning and the common schools there
has always been a rivalry when II came
TO the matter of obtaining the neces-
sary cash. Probably oheither have had
sufficient money for their needs. In
stead of finding out what was actually
necessary for the support Of each and
then voting II. there has been and is
now a condition OF pulling and hauling
Of politics and trading. in the midst of
which the true merits Of the matter
are lost sight of.
The state Of Oklahoma is well able
10 support as fine and efficient a sys-
TEN Of schools az any state in the
Union and that she does not do SO In
a matter that should bring the blush
Of shame to every citizen who has n
voice In shaping the pOliciesl of the
state. There In no reason why her
schools. from the district school in the
backwOods districts to the state uni
versity. should not he amply financed
and then should he made to give IL
good account Of themselves.
There has not been too much money
spent on the institution OF higher
learning and not nearly enough ON the
common schools. They thc common
schools) should come first because they
are the foundation stones To the
great majority Of the children of the
country the common schools are not on.
ly the foundation of their school educa-
tion but the superstructurc an well
and as such are of primary Importance
to the well being df the state They
cannot long he neglected with i'm
punity.
Among many people. even many
schooimen. thee In misappr"nsion
as to the true function of the common
schools. and Of the higher institutions
too. for that matter The function of
the school is NOT to teach the pupiI
how to make IA living 1t is to teach
him to live. II iS to lay "a foundation
upon which the special know ledge re-
CURED in any particular sphere of ar-
tivity may he quickly and securely laid
The proper function of the school is
TO make men and womrf,. not rarp.n-
ters. lawyers. St"noEraphrrs or train
ed nurses.
After the foundation is laid tn.
special training is easy. whether II h."
acquired In the machine shop. the trade
school, the law school or the office
There are some old fashioned pru-
pie in the world and the writer is per
haps one of them. AT least he has an
abiding faith In the three RS as u safe
foundation on which to rear almost
any Kind OF II supcrstrurturc desired
and grave doubts AS to the stability of
superstructure resting ON ay other
kind Of a foundation
Too much stress has been laid ON the
ability to acquire material wealth as
though II were all there was in life
worth living for and that it's immediate.
acquisition were the one thing to
strive for.
state Press in last sundays Dallas
News took IA stand on this very point
that IL at variance with All the teach
iWgs ana experience of the human rae.
in the past. The writer was discussing
the case of some children who had re-
mained ont of school to pick cotton
ana had placed their earnings in the
hank fOr the bank to make u profit
On) and he said:
THE Inference is that IN pi,kinr
the cotton. tn" children were missing
school. ana granting that ,nfrrrnr. To
be "a reflection of the fact. state Press
VIII he entirely frank and say h. be-
lieves the children benefited rather
than lost by til" plan that was pursued
There is by far too great AN emphasis
upon the drSirahiliiy Of mere s,huulinr
schooling is necessary certainly. as
education is not only a fundamental
requisite of modern civilization. hu,
powerful stimulaut /" personal
ambition Nevertheless SrhunIinu
can u" oN"rionr. frequently Is oyer
done, and is hrIug n,rrdu,r ,uor,.
and more as Srntimrntalists and
theorists impress their opinions anon
pubic practice. \ college cdu,u,ion
ruins farmer, not that farming d"rsn't
respond Ia rdu"atrd men hut they do
not respond To farming Thrrr is no
sense in covering this situation with
lot of third reader porlirs The
schools are. and have been ever sinr,
the little log schooih"us" reared it's
ramparts On the frontiers. s,huoliur
away from the farm rather than to.
ward the farm. Is this a good thing
State Press will say il is not The
farm boy and farm Iirl who STAY ON
the farm. marry ON tn. farm and re-
main farmers for life are by and large.
the most successful OF all our classes
in point of genuine contentment. the
major objective THOSE San Saba
County children who missed two or
three months OF school. but who have
money in bank and the experience of
earning II, the compa nionship Of their