The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-11-01
GRADE SCHOOLS
DESERVE MOST
OF TAX MONEY
Youth of N. ID. Should BE Ed.
ucated For Life and Work
of This State

Common schools Of North Dakota
rather than institutions of higher
learning should be favored in distri-
button Of tax money, according to
Thorstein H.. Thoresen, state tax
commissioner, who discusses the sub
ject at some length in his annual re-
port to the state legislature.
I'VE cannot do too much for our
common school SYSTEM Thoresen
sand. II do not think we are invest
ing too much money for public
schools but do think we are not
spending we'll the money used. l be.
lieve every child IN NORM Dakota
should have common school cduca-
ton. II we can succeed in doing
that we are making wonderful pro-
grcss. Giving an education to the
youth Of our state does not mean that
we must spend hundreds Of thousands
Of dollars each year in education
frills which are Of no definite value
to the people Of the state.
I'VE must not forget that North
Dakota is an agricultural state and
that the function Of any public enter
prise financed by the people of the
state is to equip the future citizens
for the life and work Of this state
and not educate them away from our
life as seems too much to be the case
at present.
Program Not Practical
I'VE are building our educational
system upon the theory that every
child will obtain Il university educa-
tion. Such "a program, of course, is
not practical or necessary. It would
be fine thing if every child could
obtain such education but it would be
and is essentially detrimental to pro-
vide such education if the purpose
thereof is to educate the people away
from North Dakota so as to render
them useless in the life and upbuild-
ing Of the state.
II believe it is a good investment
to make proper provision for the COM
mon schools and the high schools of
our state. Let our slogan be-'For
every boy and girl in North Dakota
a high school education adapted to
the needs of the state When we
proceed beyond this care and re-
trenchment must be exercised. In
fortunately for the state, in its early
history, our higher institutions Of
education were scattered all over the
state. There seems to me to have
been two reasons for this-selfish-
ness and politics. We have so far
continued to suffer under the load Of
duplication and its looks very much
like we will have to SO continue in
the future.
ing up miniature universities all over
the state. This increasing' tax bur-
den must be borne by the already
overburdened taxpayer. Beginning
with the Southeastern portion Of the
state we may enumerate the follow
ing institutions of higher education
supported by taxpayers Of the state
and located within the radius of 10l
counties: The Normal and Industrial
school at Glendale, School Of Science
at Wahpeton, Agricultural College at
Fargo, Normal School at Valley City,
Normal school ut Mayville and the
University at Grand Forks. In addi
tion to this We have other recognized
colleges in the same territory:
Jamestown College, Concordia Col
lege and Moorhead Normal.
Too Much Duplication
"The greatest waste Is that much
Of the work done in all these institu-
tions mentioned is duplication-and
such duplication results in wasted
money. In addition to these men,
toned we have three more state edu-
cational institutions, one at MinOt,
one Mt Bottineau and one at Dickin-
son. Verify, North Dakota is well
supplied with institutions Of higher
education and most Of these are edu-
eating the youth away from the state.
It is easily ascertainable, by one
glance at the course Of study. offer