310 Missouri Agrictdtural Report. 



In conclusion I would say to teachers and superintendents: 

 Have courage, have faith, have great love. Those will beget ear- 

 nestness and enthusiasm that can not be resisted. It means sacri- 

 fice and the losing of your own life in your work, but it is a noble 

 cause and you will find your life again in the larger and more 

 complete lives of your boys and girls. 



To patrons I would say in conclusion : Do not forget that the 

 success or failure of our schools and our school system depends to a 

 great extent on your attitude, your co-operation or lack of co- 

 operation. Stand close by us, give us your friendly criticism and 

 sympathy, your support and encouragement. Not for our good, 

 but for the sake of your children or your neighbors' children ; know- 

 ing this, that the success and future welfare of our children and 

 of our country and nation depend on how well we co-operate in this 

 great work of education. 



SOME CHANGES NEEDED IN RURAL SCHOOLS. 



(Geo. W. Reavis, State Rural School Inspector, Jefferson City.) 



Quite frequently we hear the charge that with all the advance- 

 ment that has been made in educational work throughout the coun- 

 try, the fact remains that our rural schools have not only been neg- 

 lected and overlooked, but that they are only "marking time," and 

 that in many cases they are in a far worse condition than they were 

 forty or fifty years ago. 



"Still sits the schoolhouse by the roaci, 

 A ragged beggar sunning ; 

 Around it still the sumachs grow, 

 And blackberry vines are running." 



Unlike the days of old when fifty or sixty strong boys and 

 girls and young men and women were there to make things lively 

 for the teacher, we see within only a dozen boys and girls and a 

 young girl still in her 'teens with a very meager education and less 

 professional training as a teacher. 



While it is true that in many cases conditions are no better in 

 the rural schools than they used to be, there are forces at work 

 having for their object a revitalized and revolutionized country 

 school, and with these proposed changes I am in hearty accord. 



Some of these needed changes are as follows : Increasing the 

 school funds, and improving the method of apportioning the same ; 

 close supervision; consolidating several small districts into one; 



