Report of Missouri Farmers' Week. 307 



articles referred to may be in some respects unjust or exaggerated, 

 they are in many respects opportune and will have a salutary effect. 

 It is time we were awakening to some defects and evils in our system 

 and practices. It is time we were effecting reforms and improve- 

 ments that will stop the physical and mental slaughter of our boys 

 and girls and that will help them to their true heritage. I want to 

 say, however, that the teachers and school men are not alone re- 

 sponsible for these defects and wrong practices of our educational 

 system. I take it that, besides teachers and school men, I am speak- 

 ing to many patrons, and I want it understood that to a consider- 

 able extent the patrons are responsible for these conditions, and 

 their correction must come through and by your hearty co-opera- 

 tion. In a certain district in my county the school had been very 

 poor for several years; the teacher was popular because she took 

 the pupils through the books very rapidly and gave high grades, 

 regardless of whether the pupils did any work or not. Later, we 

 succeeded in getting a real teacher for that district who did the 

 best work ever done there, but she was very unpopular, and was 

 thwarted in her efforts to bring about the much-needed reforms 

 because the parents would not support her. It was a lack of co- 

 operation through failure to understand or appreciate good work, 

 preferring high marks or grades to good work and honest grades. 

 This is only one example of many every county superintendent could 

 give, but it shows that parents often are responsible for wrong 

 practices in our schools and that their co-operation is absolutely 

 essential to the correction of these faults. 



Again, the material improvements of our schools, the finances 

 for providing proper building and equipment and for securing well- 

 qualified teachers, come directly from the patrons, and without 

 this support our schools must fail. This matter of providing money, 

 the matter of taxes, often is a very sensitive one and the point where 

 it is often the most difficult to secure the necessary co-operation. 

 We must have stronger support here. Salaries must increase in 

 order to secure and hold well qualified teachers. Here the re- 

 sponsibility is directly and urgently upon the patrons. Many of our 

 troubles and defects will be successfully met and overcome when 

 the salaries become sufficient to command the services of better 

 talent in the teaching profession. 



I said that the teachers and school men are not responsible for 

 all the faults of our system, but I would not have you understand 

 that they are not responsible for much that needs improvement. 



