506 FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



Under the present law we have in each county the secretary of the board 

 of school examiners, who acts as superintendent of the various schools. 

 We can imagine him passing through our fine farming country, noting the 

 beautiful farm houses, the fine horses and carriages, the cultivated farms 

 supplied with all labor saving machinery available, and then note his aston- 

 ishment upon entering the schools supported and controlled by the men who 

 own the farms. Many of these school rooms have very imperfect, if any, 

 ventilation, are devoid of dictionaries, globes, charts and maps. The super- 

 intendent of public instruction reports in 1887 that of 6,543 country schools 

 in our State but 3,519 have dictionaries, 1,773 have globes and 2,228 have 

 maps. Many have little to enliven or beautify within, and no attempt at 

 improvement or adornment without. Placed as teacher of a dozen or score 

 of children of all ages, the examiner finds a young, inexperienced girl, pos- 

 sibly a graduate from some high school, who wishes to earn a little money, 

 and review her studies, nevertheless sadly incompetent to train the suscepti- 

 ble minds of children. She is often allowed by the school board to follow 

 the inclinations of her own sweet will while she reigns therein, the result 

 being generally poor scholarship and time irretrievably lost. Would it be 

 at all surprising if the superintendent should sharply criticise the patrons, 

 even if he thought them ignorant, penurious, or what is worse, utterly 

 indifferent? 



We admit that all must begin their work as teachers somewhere, and that 

 one class of children may suffer as well as another. But we may reasonably 

 expect that candidates for teachers have some love for the work and interest 

 in it, and that they make some efforts to keep up with the times. We may 

 expect them to have a degree of judgment and discretion, and a loyalty to 

 truth and right, for a teacher's influence cannot be measured. They have the 

 children under their control six hours a day, five days in a week, and from 

 seven to nine months in a year. 



The impure air of the school rooms which enters the lungs cannot do the 

 incalculable injury to pupils that is done by impure morals of teachers. 

 One may shorten life, the other may result in moral ruin. A few weeks ago 

 we heard a prominent man of our State advising young teachers to make 

 their first efforts in country schools, as less was required of them by the board 

 and they could be learning for themselves, but, on the other hand, he would 

 not advise school boards to employ them unless they would take personal 

 supervision of the school. 



One great source of failure in country schools is in attempting to do pri- 

 mary, intermediate and high school work in one day, by one teacher. It is a 

 self-evident fact that this cannot be well done and that a multitude of classes 

 must necessarily be detrimental to the progress of the scholars. This matter 

 can be regulated and controlled by those in authority. Limit the work of 

 the district school to the most essential branches. Would have pupils learn 

 reading, writing, orthography and rhetoric; have them become familiar with 

 the history and civil government of their own State and Nation ; become 

 acquainted with the English language, its uses and formation; have them 

 taught arithmetic systematically and thoroughly ; and as our State wisely 

 decrees, the elements of physiology and hygiene. Thus we may lay a broad 

 and firm foundation on which a useful life may be built. Should it be in 

 the kitchen, on the farm, in the workshop, the school room, the counting 

 room, the pulpit, the legislative hall, or in the White House. If any thirst 



