The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-09-01
PRIDE IN SCHOOLS
Dominant Feeling Among Settlers
in Western Canada.
Despite "Newness" Of the Country.
There Are No Better institutions
Of Learning Anywhere.

There is frequently hesitation cx-
pressed by those whose minds are
almost made up to move TO the agri-
cultural lands of Western Canada,
that the children will not enjoy the
school privileges afforded them in
their present surroundings. This is IA
reasonable doubt. The country is new.
1t is within the memory OF many who
Will read this thai the bison roamed
these prairicS at will, that there were
no railroads, no settlements beyond
that Of So a. = Ino Hudson Bay posts,
a few GO ~ u" ranchmen and IN
dams. II WI, "-untry of unknown
quantity. ii Is different today, and 1t
has been made different in that short
time because Of the latent stores Of
Wealtl. hidden in the land, which has
been made TO yield bountifully through
the daring enterprise of the pioneer
anu the railways that had the courage
to extend their enterpriSing lines of
steel throughout its length and a great
portion of its breadth. Villages and
hamlets have developed into towns and
towns into cities, supported and main
tanned by those who, coming practi-
Cally from all parts of the world, and
many, yes. thousands, from the neigh
boring states TO the south, have taken
up land that cost them but a tritlc rs
compared with what they were able
To dispose of the holdings upon which
they had been living for years. These
people brought with them a method
in life that electrified and changed the
entire Canadian West. Today things
are different, and Il trip to Western
Canada will show 4 country new but
old. New because changes have been
wrought that give TO the newcomer
the opportunity TO become part of a
growing and developing cOuntry-it
gives the chance to say what shall be
made Of il old because there has been
brought into its life those things
that have proven useful in older cOun-
tries, while there has been eliminated
everything that would tend TO n back
ward stage. a writer, dealing with
social matters, treats Of the schools,
and says:
Everywhere the school follows the
plow. Cities which q few years ago
were represented by scattered shacks
are proud today Of their school build
ingS. The web of education is being
spread over the prairie. Lately,
however, 4 new policy has been adopt
ed. Instead Of many rural schools,
big central schools are being c.tab-
liShed-oach serving an area of Atty
square miles or so, and children who
live Il mile and Il half away are con-
yeycd thithcr in well-warmcd motor
cars. In the summer, Of course, they
come on bikes CT ponies.
and the young idea is taught to
shoot in many directions. The instruc-
ton is not limited TO the three RS,
but nature study ana manual crafts
are taught, in order that the future
agriculturist may have his education
al foundation laid. Many rural schools
have pleasant gardens attached, with
flower ami vegetable beds, and the
visitor to one such school deep il the
country says she will never forget the
pride with which q little lad showed
her the patch Of onions in his plot.
Thrift is also taught i'm the schools
by means Of the dime bank.
"FolloWing the primary schools there
are secondary schools, where training
is free. This includes classics, modern
languages, science, mathematics, ad-
vauccd English, and often agricultural,
commercial. and technical subjects,
and-but this concerns the girls
houscholI economies. For three years
this lasts, and tlrn matrlcula.
ton into thp university, a matricula-