Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1924-01-10
CHAPTER XIX
1b
A school District Held Up.

ttcufcHf bhlu ne anu uOfc liidl W
hear from him as TO what we can d.
to meet the offer Of our friends In Pot
taWatomle county; but before yiel'
the floor, want to say that thii
meeting has been worth while JUS
to have been the occasion Of our al
becoming better acquainted with OuI
friend and neighbor, Mr.. Slmms. What
ever may have been the lack Of under.
standing, on our part, Of his qualities
they were all cleared up by that speech
Of his-the best have ever heard In
this neighborhood.
More applause, In the midst Of
which Old Man Slmns skunk away
down In his seat to escape observa-
ton. area the chairman said that II
there was no objection they would
hear from their well-known citizen.
whose growing fame was more re-
markable for the fact that It had been
gained as a country schoolmaster-he
need not add that he referred to Mr..
James f. Irwin. 9More and louder ap-
plause.) ~
Friends and neighbors," said Jim,
you ask me to say to you what / want
you to do. want you TO do what you
want 10 dO-nothing more or less.
Last year I was glad TO be tolerated
here; and the only change In the stu
alton lies In the fact that / have an
other place. offered me-unless there
has been change in your feelings to-
ward me and my work. hopeethere
has been for know my work IS good
now, whereas ] only believed ii then"
Sure Il isW shouted Con-Benner
from a front seat. thus signalling
that astute wirepulIer's definite choice
Of place II. the bandwagon. Tell US
what you want. JIM"
What do want?" asked Jim.
More than anything else, want such
meetings as thfs-often-and place
to hold them. II stay In the Wood
run District. / want this meeting to
effect a permanent organization to
work with me. | can't teach this dis
trict anything Nobody can teach any
one anything. All any teacher can do
Is 10 direct peoples activities In teach- |
Ing themselves You are gathered here
% decide what you'll do about the
small matter Of keeping me at work as
your hired man.
IF I'm 10 be your hired man, want
a boss In the shape Of civic organiza-
ton which VIII take in every man and
woman In the district Here's the
place and'no the time to make that
organizatlon-an organization the OBJ
lect Of which shall be to put the whole
district at school, and to boss me 10
my work for the whole district"
Dat sounds gnod" cried Haaknn
Jefferson. even do dat!'
"Then I want you to work out a
building scheme for the school," Jim
vent on. I'VE want place where
.irIs can learn to cook. keep house,
AXE care OF babies, sew, and learn
o be wives and mothers. There's
omebody right I'm this neIghborhood
bic to teach anything the young peo-
lie want to learn.
"And ! want physician here once
D while to examine the children as
0 their health. and a dentist to look
fter their teeth and teach them how
D care for them. Also an Ocullst to
xamlne their eyes. And when Bettina
Jansen comes home from the hospital
trained nurse, want her to have a
,h- as visiting nurse right here Ia thu. +,
Woodruff District. ,
II want a counting-room for the
eeping OF the farm accounts and the :
scord Of our observation In farming
want cooperation In letting us have
lese accounts. I
Il want some manual training equip Q
ent for woodworking and metal a
orking. and a blacksmith and wagon v
Top, in which the boys may learn to
l0s horses, repair tools. design build q
gs, and practice the best agricultural b
igineering. want to do work I'm .
)ultry according to the most modern I
'eeding discoveries. and l want your j
cooperation In that, and a poultry
ant somewhere in the district. p
II want a laboratory In which we
N work on seeds. pests, soils. feeds K
ID the like. For the education Of
'ur children must come out Of these g
ings. " I,
II want these things because they
. necessary II we are to get the cul- t,
re out Of life rye should get-and e
body gets culture out OF any sort OF b
hool-they get II out Of life, or they Il
mt get II at all.
$50 l want you to build as freely 81
+ your school as for your cattle and W
rises and hogs.
The school win make for you--thIs
" kind OF rural school, social life 80
lich viii be the social center. be Il
use It win be the educational center. n
d the business center OF the coun- j.
Tpide. 81
Il want all these things. and more b
4 / don't expect them all at once
know that this district is too small
do all OF them. and therefore.