Report of Missouri Farmers' Week. 305 



Poor attendance is another cause of unsatisfactory work in 

 the rural schools. We cannot do good work when children do not 

 attend regularly. Often this is not the fault of the child ; it may be 

 due to the indifference of parents or the bad condition of the 

 roads. 



There is a city school problem as wsll as a country school 

 problem, but we do not hear much about the problem of the city. 

 Why? Because the city is in close touch with the school system 

 while on the other hand the country community scarcely knows that 

 it has a public school system. Cities are putting time, money and 

 talent into the solution of their problems while the country is doing 

 very little. In any small town, the public school building is the 

 most imposing structure in the place, while in the country these 

 buildings do not compare favorably with the best barns. 



The boards in the cities and towns have regular meetings and 

 keep their eyes on the school work. The school patrons' associa- 

 tions are co-operating with the school boards and teachers for the 

 advancement of the city schools. No such meetings are held in the 

 rural districts. On the contrary, patrons in rural communities too 

 often accept the report of the child concerning the success or failure 

 of the school. There is no other important business concerning 

 which grown people would be willing to accept the judgment of 

 children. 



In most country schools the enrollment is small. This is un- 

 fortunate from a social standpoint. However, a small school, if 

 properly housed and equipped, might be a great factor for good in 

 the community. No rural school board should boast of having a 

 cheap school. The ideal should be the very best that can be 

 afforded for the boys and girls. The board should not boast of how 

 little money it has spent but of how well the funds have been spent. 



Many of these difficulties could and would be overcome if the 

 •school boards were not so handicapped by lack of funds but as 

 long as any disinterested person can go to the school meeting and 

 vote on the school levy, our rural schools are going to have these 

 difficulties to contend with. 



The greatest benefit that has come to our rural schools since I 

 began teaching is the law compelling rural districts to levy at least 

 forty cents on the one hundred dollars valuation. They cannot run 

 an eight months' school on a less levy. If the Legislature would take 

 this power of voting on the school levy out of the disinterested 

 parties' hands, we would have good schools. 



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