ELEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XI 679 



becomes more attractive, country homes are multiplied, and the valuable 

 qualities which these homes develop become the possession of a corres- 

 pondingly larger number of the citizenship of the state. 



BELATION <u WOMEN TO BUBAL SCHOOLS. 



The relation that women sustain to the rural schools as teachers of 

 the youth of the country is most important, and furnishes a potent 

 reason why they should have special training for rural-school work. 

 They are by great majority the instructors not only in the rural schools, 

 but in the town and city schools as well, and the future nation conse- 

 quently will depend very largely for its efficiency upon the manner in 

 which these teachers perform their work. 



The reports of the bureau of education for the last three decades show 

 that the tendency is toward lessening the percentage of men teachers 

 and increasing the proportion of women teachers in the public schools 

 of the United States. In the year 1870-71 the percentage of men teachers 

 in the public schools was 41. Since then the proportion has steadily 

 diminished until in 1906-07 the percentage of men teachers had fallen to 

 22.3. In three decades, therefore, the proportion of women teachers 

 has risen from 59 per cent to 77.7 per cent. The effect of this upon the 

 future industrial efficiency of millions of school children in the United 

 States is well worth considering by those who are interested in rural bet- 

 terment, especially when it is remembered that 35 per cent of these 

 children live in country homes and are consequently cut off from the 

 superior advantages that the town and city schools afford. The fact, too, 

 that household, economy must ultimately be taught to girls in the rural 

 schools as it now is in many of the towns and city schools, makes it 

 doubly important that country teachers shall have opportunity to fit them- 

 selves for giving this instruction. 



EDUCATION ADAPTED TO W03IEX. 



As yet no comprehensive system has been put in operation by which 

 the state shall be responsible for supplying educational facilities specially 

 designed for reaching country women at their homes. While the farmers' 

 institute has done something in this respect, yet until quite recently 

 its efforts have been chiefly in the direction of assisting men, leaving 

 the women to depend upon themselves, or at most to gather what they can 

 from the teaching which the men. receive. It manifestly is not meeting 

 country needs when the education furnished is adapted to the needs of 

 the male population only, for that assumes that the problems of country 

 living all lie outside of the walls of the house in which the family 

 dwells. Instruction helpful and adapted to the needs of country women 

 should be provided as well, in order that their influence, whether exerted 

 in school or church, the social circle, or in domestic life, shall be most 

 beneficial to the family and the state. 



THE MAGNITUDE OF THE WORK. 



According to the census there were in all 37,244,145 women and girls 

 in this country in 1900. About 35 per cent of these, or over 13 millions, 



