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THE CORNELL RURAL SCHOOL HOUSE 



In a letter referring to this new building described below Professor 

 Bailey explained its purpose as follows: "I have built this schoolhouse 

 primarily for the purpose of raising the whole question of the rural 

 school and its efficiency. Whatever the merits of this particular build- 

 ing may be, the question is up for discussion. One may go from Maine 

 to Minnesota and see practically the same kind of rural school build- 

 ing, and it is the same type of building as was in use fifty years or 

 more ago. In cities and towns the new ideas are expressed in new 

 school buildings, new churches, new residences, and new kinds of 

 stores and shops. I think it is quite useless to talk about the reor- 

 ganization of the school curriculum without talking, at the same time, 

 about the reorganization of the building in which the work is to be 

 done." 



The New York State College of Agriculture at Cornell University 

 has erected a small rural school-house on its grounds, to serve as a 

 suggestion in school-house architecture and to contain a real rural 

 school as a part of its nature-study department. 



The prevailing rural school-house is a building in which pupils sit 

 to study books. It ought to have a room in which pupils do personal 

 work with both hands and mind. The essential feature of this new 

 school-house, therefore, is a work-room. This room occupies one- 

 third of the floor space. Perhaps it would be better if it occupied two- 

 thirds of the floor-space. If the building is large enough, however, the 

 two kinds of work could change places in this school-house. 



