The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-03-23
MUST GIVE PRIMARY PUPILS RIGHT START,
BUILD UP RURAL SYSTEM, DECLARES BURRIS

We need to emphasize, more than
ever, the necessity of a systematic
primary course; then il pupils have
the right start, they will be able to
TAKE care OF themselves in the more
advanced classes later on" declared
Benjamin j. Burris, state superintend-
ent of public instruction, in his ad-
dress in the high schol auditorium
Wednesday night
Mr.. Burris gave a follow.up address
on his afternoon talk before the City
Teachers Federation. In his night
address Superintendent Burris stress
ed the Importance of the work which
the parent-teacher organizations could
do in the lower grades in school work
HE said: Health is outstanding
among the things which are necessary
to turn out real student II pupil
has i'll health, his efficiency will be
practically broken down and he will
be poor student.
Provision must be made for under
nourished children. These children
should have milk lunches and should
be cared for in order to build up their
bodies and make them fit for school
work.
Mr.. Burris Showed his audience 100
stereopticon slides on the primitive
and the modern school buildings which
exist In Indiana. He said that the
primitive system practically is gone
and that the modern school must be
insisted upon.
Speaks In Afternoon
Mr.. Burris carried fine message to
the members of the City Teachers fed
Grafton in the afternoon meeting. His
address in part follows:
The public school system in Indi-
ana is being discussed in many sec
tons and on the platform more than
, ever before. Things might be said in
this way which would set back and
seriously handicap the educational sys-
tenn in Indiana.
one can do damage to the social
conditions of the state by criticizing
the public schools. Many falsifica
lions about the state educational &C.
partment have been circulated. 1t is
a serious matter when false asser-
ton is made against the school sys-
TEN.
1T is the purpose of the state de
partment TO keep the people informed
foR the welfare of the school, If they
are led to believe these Qualifications.
the system will be harmed greatly.
The public school is a community
institution. and schools are just as
good as the social ideal OF the COM
munity in which they are located
The only method of holding tie
standard in your own community,
is to see that the standard in other
communities over the state are upheld
TO the utmost degree of efficiency.
Some in Sad Plight.
For instance, take the rural school
to which we have been paying a god
bit of our attention. We find that
some of the rural schools are in a
sad plight Often, we find that q
rural community has large fine homes
and barns, but that down in the midst
of all these improvements, the schools
are only a one-room affair, often hold
ing nearly SIS students under a girl
teacher II years old, who is striving
to educate the children to make good
citizens.
you have had good schools in Rich
mond for some period of time. Real
attention, however, should be paid to
the rural districts.
1--WE send two inspectors out into
rural communities to see the actual
conditions and they report the condi-
tions which exist The high schools
in the cities are all in fairly good
condition. but the rural high schools
many times are found inefficient
THE state educational department.
has nearly $1,000,000 10 spend on the
schools in the rural districts through
out Indiana and Improvements are go
ing to be made at once.
The best thing in which parents |
can invest today. is the broader educa-
tion of their children. If the people !
could only understand the great loss
caused by the poor system of rural
education, they would support the !