THE HESPERIA MOVEMENT 105 



teacher and parent — and on that basis to carry- 

 on an educational campaign that it is hoped will 

 result in the many desirable conditions which, 

 a priori, might be expected from such a union. 

 At present the movement is confined practically 

 to the rural schools. It consists in the organi- 

 zation of a county Teachers and Patrons' Asso- 

 ciation, with a membership of teachers and 

 school patrons, properly officered. Its chief 

 method of work is to hold one or more meetings 

 a year, usually in the country or in small villages, 

 and the programme is designed to cover educa- 

 tional questions in such a way as to be of interest 

 and profit to both teachers and farmers. 



This movement was indigenous to Michigan 

 — its founders worked out the scheme on their 

 own initiative, and to this day its promoters have 

 never drawn upon any resources outside the 

 state for suggestion or plan. But if the friends 

 of rural education elsewhere shall be attracted 

 by this method of solving one of the vexed 

 phases of their problem, I hope that they will 

 describe it as "the Hesperia movement." For 

 the movement originated in Hesperia, was de- 

 veloped there, and its entire success in Hesperia 

 was the reason for its further adoption. Hes- 

 peria deserves any renown that may chance to 



